Kentucky Heritage Council Press Release
Craig A. Potts named Kentucky Heritage Council executive director and state historic preservation officer
Release Date
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Frankfort, Ky. – Gov. Steve Beshear has announced the appointment of Craig A. Potts as executive director of the Kentucky Heritage Council (KHC) and state historic preservation officer, effective June 1. The position had been filled in an interim capacity by Lindy Casebier, deputy secretary of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet.
Potts has served as KHC’s Site Protection program manager since 2009, responsible for a staff of six who oversee Section 106 Review of federally funded projects and the agency’s professional archaeology component, which includes the Kentucky Archaeological Survey, a partnership between KHC and the University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology. In his new capacity, he will oversee a staff of 20 whose responsibilities also include administering state and federal rehabilitation tax credit programs, the Kentucky Main Street Program, historic sites survey, the National Register of Historic Places, preservation planning, the Certified Local Government (CLG) Program, and staff support for the Kentucky African American, Kentucky Native American and Kentucky Military heritage commissions.
“I am thrilled to receive this appointment,” said Potts. “I’ve always had a special love for this agency, and believe deeply in our mission of helping Kentuckians preserve their heritage and the things that give us a strong sense of place, including small towns, rural environments, and cultural resources that range from historic commercial buildings to prehistoric archaeological sites.”
In addition, he adds, “I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside this staff for a number of years and I greatly respect the work they do, day in and day out, for our constituents. I look forward to supporting them in this new role and working with them to do new and exciting things in moving the agency forward.”
Potts was previously senior architectural historian, principal investigator and supervisor for Cultural Resource Analysts Inc. in Lexington, responsible for oversight of architectural history and historic preservation projects; and a principal, project manager and general contractor with Potts & Potts LLC, a historic property rehabilitation and management partnership. The firm was recognized on the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Positive Preservation in the Bluegrass” list of 25 outstanding projects in September 2007, for adaptive reuse of a circa-1850 building in Frankfort’s downtown commercial historic district.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Wittenberg University; a Master of Arts in architectural history, and a Master of Fine Arts in historic preservation, from the Savannah College of Art and Design; and logged a wide range of practical experience in cultural resource evaluation and management prior to first joining KHC as environmental review coordinator from 2001-2004.
Potts lives in downtown Frankfort with his wife, Amy, and sons Sam and Simon, in a historic commercial building he and his family recently rehabilitated.
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An agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office is responsible for the identification, protection and preservation of archaeological resources and historic buildings, sites and cultural resources throughout the Commonwealth, in partnership with other state and federal agencies, local communities and interested citizens. This mission is integral to making communities more livable and has a far-ranging impact on issues as diverse as economic development, jobs creation, affordable housing, tourism, community revitalization, environmental conservation and quality of life. www.heritage.ky.gov
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