Winslow Hastie Named HCF President & CEO
Winslow W. Hastie (pictured above, right, at the National Trust for Historic Preservation annual conference with HCF's Kitty Robinson and Chris Cody), has accepted the position of President & CEO of Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF). In a called board meeting held Tuesday, Nov. 14, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees voted in favor of Hastie following a national search conducted to find a successor for HCF’s long-term President & CEO Katharine S. “Kitty” Robinson who will retire at the end of this year.A Charleston native, Hastie is a well-regarded preservationist and has earned a national reputation in historic preservation as a conference speaker, advocate and authority. For the past 11 years, Hastie has served as the Chief Preservation Officer for HCF. “The position drew the interest of about 85 candidates from throughout the country,” said Park B. “Peach” Smith, Jr., Chairman of the HCF Board of Trustees. “There were several exceptional candidates under consideration. Ultimately, Winslow’s vision, experience in the local preservation movement and passion for the organization and for Charleston and the Lowcountry made him the most qualified for the job.”Hastie has significant experience in historic preservation and in urban planning. His career began as a planning consultant with Carey and Co. Inc, Architecture in San Francisco where he went on to serve as a preservation specialist with the City and County of San Francisco Planning Department. Hastie returned to his roots in Charleston as a senior preservation planner with the City of Charleston before joining the Foundation in 2006. He was graduated from The University of the South with a degree in architecture, completed post-baccalaureate studies in Architecture at Clemson University and received a Master of Arts degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia.Hastie said that he was honored the Search Committee and the Board of Trustees felt he has the skill set and vision to lead the organization, which is currently celebrating its 70th Anniversary. “Historic Charleston Foundation has been an effective advocate for the preservation of Charleston since HCF’s inception, due in large part to tremendous leadership at both the Board and at the staff levels.” He added, “Kitty has ensured the Foundation is on solid financial ground and is well-positioned to continue to rise to the challenges facing Charleston. We all are grateful for her leadership and for her guidance.”Hastie looks forward to leading the organization towards its next evolution. He sees the organization continuing its advocacy work in maintaining the balance between growth and historic preservation, playing a leading role in efforts to address flooding and its effects on historic structures, protecting neighborhood character through attainable housing initiatives, expanding strategic urban planning initiatives and striving to balance tourism with residential quality of life. “These are significant issues for our community with no easy answers, but the Foundation has a solid track record of developing results-oriented programs in partnership with experts from around the country, and the Foundation will continue to apply its resources and energy towards protecting the Charleston we all love,” he said.He also sees the organization furthering its ongoing research into the history of its two museum houses, the Nathaniel Russell and the Aiken-Rhett houses where the Foundation has begun archaeology and forensic analysis of the dwelling spaces of the enslaved African Americans. “The Foundation’s position is that history is best understood when everyone’s stories are told, so we want to ensure visitors to the house museums have the opportunity to learn about the lives of everyone who lived on the properties.”Hastie lives in Charleston with his wife, Katharine, and two children. He serves on several boards including Preservation Action, Friends of the Lowcountry Low Line (Chairman), The Halsey Institute for Contemporary Art and the Magnolia Plantation Corporation.