Integrating Preservation into Municipal and Planning Processes

Rebeccah Ballo is the Acting Historic Preservation Division Chief at Montgomery Planning. Prior to this she was the Historic Preservation Program Supervisor with the Department. In this role she manages the work of the County’s Historic Preservation Commission, overseeing the preservation and protection of historic districts and sites within Montgomery County, the designation of new sites and districts, and undertakes special research projects for the Commission, Planning Board, and Montgomery County Council. Her research on historic architecture and urban planning history has been featured in national publications and lectures with the American Planning Association, Vernacular Architecture Forum, Washington Post and other media outlets. Rebeccah has worked as a preservation planner for local governments across the DMV for over 20 years in Prince George's County, the City of Alexandria, and Arlington County. Rebeccah also serves as the Vice Chair of the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals and as an Adjunct Lecturer at Georgetown University, where she teaches a course on Development & Construction Management for the Master's in Real Estate degree program. Rebeccah holds a Master’s in Environmental and Urban Planning from the University of Virginia and a BA in History from Washington University in St. Louis.

Adrian Scott Fine serves as the President and CEO for the Los Angeles Conservancy, Adrian Scott Fine oversees the organization’s outreach, advocacy and response on key preservation issues within the greater Los Angeles area. This includes setting priorities, protecting historic places, developing initiatives, working with local governments and community stakeholders, and preparing responses to Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs). The Los Angeles Conservancy is the largest local nonprofit historic preservation organization in the country. Previously he was with the National Trust for Historic Preservation as the Director of the Center for State and Local Policy, based in Washington, DC. From 2000 to 2009, Mr. Fine was the Director of the Northeast Field Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, coordinating the programs and advocacy efforts in Philadelphia, serving the states of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Adrian Scott Fine currently serves as the President of the board of trustees for the California Preservation Foundation, is a founding member of Docomomo US/Southern California, and teaches at the University of Southern California Heritage Conservation Summer Program, the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, and as part of the Getty Conservation Institute’s (GCI) Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative.

Since March 2020, Katie McLaughlin Friddle has served as the Principal Planner for Current Planning and Urban Design for the City of Oklahoma City Planning Department, overseeing current planning functions, six design review districts, and the city’s historic preservation program. Prior to assuming this role, Katie served as the City’s Preservation Officer and CLG Coordinator. Prior to her time with the City, Katie worked for the City of Boston’s preservation office and then served as the Executive Director of Preservation Oklahoma, a statewide non-profit preservation advocacy organization.

A native Oklahoman, Katie holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. Katie completed her AICP certification in 2016. In 2021, Katie was appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC).

Jenny Wolfe is a cultural resource advocate, earning her master’s degree from the University of Florida in historic preservation and spending 20 years in local government and non-profit preservation planning. During her ten years as the Historic Preservation Officer for the City of St. Augustine she managed the Historic Preservation Division including historic and cultural resource management. Before opening her own firm, Planning 2 Preserve, she worked as the Preservation Planning Specialist for Preservation Design Partnership. Since 2014, she has been on the Board of Trustees for the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation and recently completed a term as Board President.