Chris Skelly served as the Director of Local Government Programs at the Massachusetts Historical Commission from 1997 to 2021, providing preservation planning guidance to over 400 local boards and commissions across the state. Today, as the founder of Skelly Preservation Services, he provides consultant services to local, regional and state governments on historic preservation planning. His particular interests are preservation commission training, strategic commission guidance, and the preparation of study reports, design guidelines and preservation plans. His degrees include a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the State University of New York- College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a Master in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. While at the Massachusetts Historical Commission, Mr. Skelly was also an instructor at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, teaching Cultural Resource Management. He thoroughly enjoys sharing his several decades of experience with students and local commissions.