Columbus Landmarks names new CEO and 2022 Preservation Award winners
Columbus Landmarks, a nonprofit that advocates for the preservation and reutilization of historic buildings, has named a new CEO as well as the winners of its Preservation Awards, including a Dispatch reporter.
Rebecca Kemper, 38, will join Columbus Landmarks as its new CEO on June 15. She is currently a researcher at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) Center for Research and Evaluation.
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Kemper has academic degrees in architecture and psychology and has a doctorate in city and regional planning. She also serves as a member of the Upper Arlington Cultural Arts Commission and is co-founder of the Latino & Latina Engineering Graduate Student Association at The Ohio State University.
Peter Krajnak, president of the Columbus Landmarks board and a search committee member, said in a prepared statement that Kemper was chosen following a nationwide search and that the board was "pleased to have found our new CEO right here in Columbus."
“Becca impressed the search committee with her ability to connect the day-to-day work of Columbus Landmarks to big ideas reflective of our strategic goals of equity, sustainability and design excellence. We are looking forward to her leadership,” Krajnak said.
Columbus Landmarks also recently named six people as its 2022 Preservation Award winners, awarded in recognition of their work on behalf of historic preservation.
Matt Leasure, who was awarded the Henry L Hunker Urban Legacy Award. is a past Landmarks board president and a principal, landscape architect and planner at Designing Local. He was given his award for the work on the “Atlas of Columbus Landmarks” and Urban Ideas Forum, "as well as his dedicated service on the (nonprofit's) Advocacy and Endangered Properties Fund Committees.
Mark Ferenchik, a veteran reporter for The Columbus Dispatch, was named the recipient of the Doreen Uhas Sauer Outstanding Individual Award in recognition for his “leadership and service that goes above and beyond.”
Ferenchik, who has covered historic preservation issues and Columbus Landmarks for The Dispatch, "has helped to expand an appreciation for our city’s built environment and why it matters,” the award description read.
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Lindsay Jones, owner of Blind Eye Restoration, was awarded the Paul E. Young Outstanding Achievement in Education Award, presented for her work on the Building Arts Studio at Fort Hayes.
Modcon Living, a social services organization, was presented the Frederick J. Holdridge Outstanding Group Award in recognition of its “Mod Squad," Tool Library” and “Safe at Home” programs, which allow members to access more than 4,800 hand and power tools for home renovation projects.
Ryan Aiello, an attorney with Dinsmore and Shohl and a past Columbus Landmarks board president, was awarded the The Dixie Sayre Miller Patron Award for providing pro-bono legal services to the organization and for his role on the nonprofit's Endangered Properties Fund Committee.
The Nagy Family was recognized with the James L. Keyes President’s Award for their work to preserve the Nagy Brothers Shoe Repair building at 1725 S. Parsons Ave. that was featured on Columbus Landmarks' Most Endangered Sites List in 2020.
Cole Behrens is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety and breaking news. You can reach him at CBehrens@dispatch.com or find him on Twitter at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Landmarks: Rebecca Kemper is preservation group's new CEO
