Historic Deerfield, President and CEO

Museum Search & Reference 45 Hardy Road Londonderry, NH 03053

Date Posted:

May 15, 2026

Region:

Western Massachusetts Category:

Executive Type:

Full-Time

Historic Deerfield, President and CEO Description:

Historic Deerfield, a nationally recognized, AAM-accredited museum and historic village in Deerfield, Massachusetts, seeks a thoughtful, dynamic, and mission-driven leader to serve as its next President and Chief Executive Officer. Stewarding one of the best-preserved villages and rural landscapes in North America, Historic Deerfield offers immersive encounters with the people, places, objects, buildings, and stories that have shaped New England and the United States. The next President and CEO will build on Historic Deerfield's strong foundation, advancing its mission, expanding its reach, strengthening its national profile, and guiding theanization through its next phase of growth and impact. Historic Deerfield Historic Deerfield is a cultural nonprofit that stewards one of the best-preserved historic villages and rural landscapes in North America, with a mission centered on understanding and interpreting American history and culture through its built environment, collections, scholarship, and programs. Set in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts, the site epasses more than 50 historic structures and more than 100 acres along a mile-long streetscape that still follows its original 1671 plan. The village retains an extraordinary degree of integrity, with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century houses situated on their original lots and restored with careful attention to architectural detail, including historically accurate paint palettes that reflect the vibrant colors of the period. Historic Deerfield was incorporated in 1952 to sustain the work of collectors and preservationists Henry and Helen Flynt, who began acquiring and restoring the historic houses in the 1930s. Through a careful and sustained effort, the Flynts preserved the architectural and cultural fabric of the village, establishing the foundation for what has be a nationally recognized museum and historic site. At the heart of Historic Deerfield are twelve historic houses, the The Henry N. Flynt Library, and the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, which display and interpret a collection of more than 55,000 objects spanning the seventeenth through twentieth centuries. These include furniture, textiles, ceramics, metalwork, paintings, books, manuscripts, and other forms of material culture widely regarded as among the finest in the field. A defining strength of Historic Deerfield is the extent to which these collections are experienced in context, within the historic buildings and landscapes for which many were created or used. Together, the village creates a setting that functions as a living laboratory, offering insight into Indigenous histories, colonial settlement, evolving New Englandmunities, and the changing social and cultural life of the region over time. Historic Deerfield is widely recognized for its scholarly contributions and educational programs, including exhibitions, symposia, lectures, publications, and its Summer Fellowship Program, which has long served as a training ground for emerging scholars, decorative arts and museum professionals. Theanization also collaborates with the Five Colleges consortium and other academic partners across the region. At the same time, Historic Deerfield serves a broad public audience through exhibitions, guided and self-guided tours, and more than 75 annual programs. In recent years, the institution has expanded its interpretive framework to include a wider range of voices and perspectives, including the installation of "Witness Stones"memorating enslaved individuals who lived in Deerfield, and new offerings around the roles of women in the vibrant Arts & Craftsmunity that emerged in the late 1800s. These efforts reflect an ongoingmitment to exploring the experiences of Indigenousmunities, enslaved and free African Americans, women, immigrants, and others whose stories are integral to the region's history. Theanization operates with approximately 48 full-time and more than 100 part-time staff, supported by a dedicated corps of volunteers. Its activities extend across the village and include the Deerfield Inn, a museum store, and a range of residential and agricultural properties. Together, these interconnected elements contribute to the visitor experience and reflect Historic Deerfield's multifaceted operational model. Historic Deerfield wees more than 15,000 museum and program visitors annually, in addition to approximately 77,000 guests associated with the Deerfield Inn and related hospitality operations. Historic Deerfield is governed by an engaged Board of Trustees of approximately 25-30 members. Theanization operates with an annual budget of approximately $10 million and an endowment of roughly $70 million, supported through abination of philanthropy, endowment ie, admissions, programs, retail, hospitality, and property revenue. Guiding its work is a strategic plan focused on growing visitation, enhancing the visitor experience, broadening the range of stories told, strengthening scholarship, addressing preservation and collections needs, and building theanizational capacity necessary for long-term success. Opportunities and Strategy Historic Deerfield offers a distinctive leadership opportunity: to guide a nationally respected museum and historic site with exceptional collections, an extraordinary physical setting, a strong financial foundation, and a deeply engaged Board and staff. The next President and CEO will build on theanization's strong leadership legacy and its recent momentum, advancing Historic Deerfield's mission while helping shape its next phase of growth, visibility, and public impact. At its core, this is a role that calls for balance. Historic Deerfield's strength lies in its ability to bring together rigorous scholarship, preservation of an extraordinary historic environment, meaningful public engagement, and soundanizational management. The next leader will be asked to sustain and deepen this integration, ensuring that theanization continues to serve as both a center for intellectual inquiry and a weing, accessible destination for a broad and evolving audience. The President and CEO, in partnership with the Board and staff, will focus on several key opportunities and strategic priorities:

• Expanding audience and visibility. Build on Historic Deerfield's strong reputation to broaden awareness, deepen engagement with existing audiences, attract new and younger visitors, and strengthen theanization's profile regionally and nationally.
• Advancing interpretation and storytelling. Continue Historic Deerfield's evolving interpretive approach by deepening and expanding the stories it tells, including those of historically underrepresented individuals andmunities, while remaining grounded in scholarship, collections, and place-based experiences.
• Strengthening philanthropy andanizational capacity. Support theanization's long-term ambitions by working with the Board and development team to grow philanthropic support, enhanceanizational capacity, and align resources with strategic priorities.
• Evaluating facilities and infrastructure needs.

Work with the Board and staff to assess opportunities related to collections storage, program space, preservation priorities, and other long-term capital and infrastructure needs that will support Historic Deerfield's mission and visitor experience.

Qualifications:

Responsibilities, and Expectations The President and Chief Executive Officer will be a thoughtful, dynamic, and collaborative leader with experience in nonprofit or mission-drivenanizations such as museums, historic sites, academic environments, or related fields. The successful candidate will bring strategic judgment,anizational and financial acumen, fundraising capability, and a genuine passion for history, preservation, and public engagement. They will befortable working at the intersection of scholarship and visitor experience and will demonstrate the ability to lead aplexanization while building strong relationships with staff, trustees, donors, scholars, andmunity partners.

Expectations include:

Provide strategic leadership and direction. Guide the implementation and ongoing refinement of Historic Deerfield's strategic plan, setting clear priorities and aligning resources to achieve institutional goals. Advance fundraising and external engagement. Lead fundraising efforts in partnership with a talented development team and the Board, strengthening philanthropic support and helping advance theanization's long-term ambitions. Serve as Historic Deerfield's primary ambassador and cultivate relationships with donors, collectors, scholars,munity leaders, legislators, and regional partners, including Deerfield Academy, Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, and the Five Colleges consortium. Oversee aplex and multifacetedanization. Provide leadership across a broad enterprise that includes historic properties, collections, educational programs, the Deerfield Inn, and the museum store, ensuring effective operations aligned with mission and strategy. Preserve and steward historic assets. Oversee the conservation and preservation of Historic Deerfield's buildings, landscapes, and collections, and work with the Board and staff to plan for and support future capital and infrastructure initiatives. Partner effectively with the Board of Trustees. Build strong, collaborative relationships with an engaged Board, supporting governance, facilitating informed decision-making, and working closely with Trustees on strategic and fundraising initiatives. Lead and support a talented staff. Foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performinganizational culture; support professional development; and ensure clearmunication, accountability, and alignment across departments. Strengthen financial performance and sustainability. Oversee budgeting and financial management; work with the Board and staff to grow and diversify revenue through both contributed and earned ie; and steward the endowment in partnership with the Board. Enhance the visitor experience and public engagement. Support the continued evolution of exhibitions, programs, interpretation, and marketing to ensure Historic Deerfield remains dynamic, relevant, weing, and grounded in scholarship and authenticity. Support scholarly and interpretive excellence. Ensure that Historic Deerfield continues to be recognized nationally for the quality of its collections, exhibitions, scholarship, educational programs, publications such as Historic Deerfield Magazine, and contributions to the broader museum and history fields. Experience, Skills, and Attributes Leadership experience: A minimum of seven years of senior-level leadership experience in a nonprofit or mission-drivenanization such as a museum, historic site oranization, academic environment, or related field. Strategic leadership: Demonstrated experience developing and implementing strategic plans, setting priorities, and guiding ananization through a period of thoughtful growth and change. Fundraising success: Track record of securing major philanthropic support, including cultivating and stewarding donor relationships, working effectively with boards and development staff, or more limited experience paired with the capacity and willingness to lead in this area. Financial acumen: Experience overseeing budgets andanizational resources, with an understanding ofplex revenue models that include both contributed and earned ie. Board engagement: Experience working effectively with governing boards and navigating diverse perspectives. Team leadership: Experience leading and managing professional staff, fostering collaboration, and supporting a positive and inclusiveanizational culture. External presence and relationship-building: Strong interpersonal andmunication skills, with the ability to serve as a visible and effective ambassador and build relationships with donors, scholars,munity partners, legislators, and other stakeholders. Commitment to audience engagement: Interest in broadening and diversifying audiences and creating meaningful, accessible visitor experiences. Passion for history, preservation, and public engagement: A genuine enthusiasm for Historic Deerfield's mission, with the ability to engage credibly with scholars, collectors, curatorial staff, and a broad public audience. Scholarly engagement: Advanced academic training, curatorial experience, or demonstrated engagement with scholarship, collections, or interpretation is valued, though not required.

Education:

A bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience is required. Advanced degrees are valued but not required. We recognize that candidates may not bring every qualification listed above. If this opportunity aligns with your experience and interests, we encourage you to .