The Historical Society is pleased to announce our new Executive Director is Laura Brower Hagood.
Many of you will have known her as the National Building Museum’s Vice President for Development. But what you may not know is that she brings to the Historical Society 25 years of experience as a nonprofit executive and cultural entrepreneur—plus a well-established track record in development, marketing, and community building.
This is not Hagood’s first appointment to the Historical Society. Arriving from Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, in summer 2001, she served as our Public Relations and Marketing Director. She then moved to Cultural Tourism DC, where she helped launch, in close partnership with community leaders, the African American Heritage Trail and nine DC Neighborhood Heritage Trails spanning the District. Hagood says this was some of the most rewarding work of her entire career.
The Historical Society has reached a moment of great opportunity. With the opening of our new DC History Center, we are perfectly poised for growth under Laura’s leadership. And she arrives ready to go, with a deep understanding of the diverse communities we serve through our educational programs, library, publications, and collections. Since we returned to the restored Carnegie Library last May, nearly 60,000 visitors and patrons have been welcomed, more than five times the number who visited in 2016 (before the building closed for restoration).
Moreover, as our city is undergoing rapid change, the need to preserve our communities’ stories for future generations is only growing by the day. While Laura has great nonprofit management skills, she also understands this urgency.
“I am excited to see the DC History Center take its place as a welcoming space for learning about our city’s heritage and better understanding our present moment,” says Hagood. “Here Washingtonians can share their stories, engage with the past, and open themselves to new perspectives. It is truly an honor to lead this important work.”
Laura Brower Hagood CFRE Here are a few more highlights of Laura’s story:
She joined the National Building Museum as Director of Corporate, Foundation, and Association Relations in 2012. She then left for a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship, which enabled her work and research at the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation in Berlin, Germany. Back in D.C., she supported Artistic Director Ari Roth as he launched the Mosaic Theater Company of DC at the Atlas Performing Arts Center on H Street NE. From its opening in 2015, this company has been noted for its focus on social justice, access, and inclusion.
In 2016 Hagood returned to the National Building Museum as Vice President of Development. From 2017-2019, she led an 80% growth in fundraising, with more than $5 million in 2019 alone. This funding enabled several high-profile exhibitions, including Evicted, which addressed the current nationwide affordable housing crisis and is now traveling to venues across the country. Hagood is also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Performing Arts at American University. A Certified Fund Raising Executive, she holds a dual M.A. from American University in arts management and art history, and a B.A. in English from Bryn Mawr College. She is a proud resident of Shaw.
For more, see our March 9, 2020 press release.