Tricia Canaday has served as the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Officer at the Wisconsin Historical Society since September 2025. In this role, she manages all the programs of the National Historic Preservation Act, as well as several state preservation-related programs. Prior to this appointment she worked five years as a local preservation planner and then spent 20 years at the Idaho SHPO, serving in various roles culminating in the last seven as SHPO Administrator and Deputy SHPO. Tricia earner her BA in American History and MS in Historic Preservation Planning from the University of Wisconsin. Additionally, she is a 2015 graduate of the American Association of State and Local History’s History Leadership Institute and the recipient of the 2018 Western Museums Association Impact Award. She currently serves on the board of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers.  

1st Term March 2025-2027

Carlos Rubio Cancela has served as Executive Director of the Puerto Rico State Historic Preservation Office since 2017. Serving as State Historic Preservation Officer from 2009 to 2012, he led major initiatives such as the award-winning Jardín Mirador Ballajá and Ballajá Plaza Mayor rehabilitation and design projects focused on cultural and tourism development. He founded the agency’s official journal Patrimonio, directing most of its editions and achieved the designation of the San Juan Historic Zone as a National Historic Landmark in 2013. Carlos studied Environmental Design at the University of Puerto Rico and holds a professional degree in Architecture from Pratt Institute in New York. He serves as Chair of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and the Luis A. Ferré Fine Arts Center, and as an ex-officio board member of several cultural entities, including the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra Corporation and the Palacio de Santa Catalina Foundation (Governor’s Mansion).

1st Term March 2025-2027

Dawn DiPrince currently serves as the President/CEO of History Colorado and as Colorado’s State Historic Preservation Officer. Since 2012, she has led innovative community-centered efforts that focus on ensuring the inclusion of all Coloradans, including: historical research to inform State policy on racial equity for Black Coloradans and Federal Indian boarding, digitization of KKK ledgers, and calling attention to historic sites with Colorado Heritage for All. She has contributed to exhibitions/installations such as “Unsilenced: Indigenous Enslavement in Southern Colorado” and “The Sand Creek Massacre: The Betrayal that Changed Cheyenne and Arapaho People Forever.” 

A leading innovator in museums and a longtime advocate for rural Colorado, DiPrince has led initiatives including Borderlands of Southern Colorado, nationally recognized work that spans four museums; Hands-On History – a youth education program designed to meet the needs of rural students; and Museum of Memory – a growing public history initiative that calls attention to intentionally marginalized histories.

1st Term March 2026-2028

Jeff Emidy coming soon!

1st Term March 2026-2028

Jennifer Flood serves as the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for the State of Georgia, and the Division Director of the Georgia Historic Preservation Division (HPD) with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. She has been with HPD in various roles since 2012. She received a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree in Architecture/Interior Design from the University of Georgia and a Master in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University. In her spare time, she volunteers with various organizations, including the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and Cobb Landmarks & Historic Society.

2nd Term March 2026-2028

LeeAnne Hewett serves as the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for the Alabama Historical Commission and has been a committed member of the agency for more than 25 years. She provides leadership for a wide range of federal and state preservation programs. Her work supports citizens and communities across Alabama in identifying and revitalizing their historic places. She is dedicated to preserving Alabama’s rich and diverse cultural heritage and ensuring that the stories of all Alabamians continue to be told. A native of Tuscaloosa, Lee Anne earned both her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Alabama. She is also the proud mother of two sons, ages 20 and 16.

1st Term March 2025-2026

Jonathan Kinney joined the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office as Director of Operations and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer in July 2020 and was elevated to State Historic Preservation Officer in 2021.

He oversees daily operations of the SHPO office and manages a staff of ten historic preservation and administrative professionals. He supports administration of statutory programs and implementation of Connecticut’s statewide historic preservation plan, while also coordinating programs, maintaining partnerships, and representing the office with a wide range of stakeholders.

Prior to Connecticut SHPO, Jonathan spent 13 years at the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, serving as the State’s Certified Local Government (CLG) Program Coordinator and a regulatory project reviewer.

Jonathan holds a B.A. from the College of New Jersey, an M.A. in History from William Paterson University, and a Certificate in Historic Preservation from Burlington County College.

partial term March 2026-2027

Lynda Ozan serves as the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for the State of Oklahoma, located within the Oklahoma Historical Society. She has been with the SHPO in various roles since 2008. She earned her BA in American History from Kent State University and her MA in American History and Historic Preservation from Youngstown State University, both in Ohio. Prior to her time in Oklahoma, she served as a planner in Winston Salem, North Carolina and as an National Register of Historic Places coordinator in South Dakota. In her spare time, you will find her hiking and fly fishing in the western United States.

1st Term March 2026-2028

As director of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, Dr. Bill Peterson heads a team of more than 175 fulltime and temporary staff across 60 state museums and historic sites managed by the agency. Responsible for the State Historical Society’s overall operations, Peterson brings three decades of experience in strategic, budgetary, and interpretive leadership to the agency. A public historian with an expertise in the history and culture of the Midwest, Peterson, who also serves as the state historic preservation officer, shares a belief in the power of history to change lives.

1stTerm March 2025-2027

Amy Spong serves as Minnesota’s Deputy SHPO and Director leading a team that carries out federal and state laws aimed at preserving historic resources. Since 2016, Amy has led efforts to transition the SHPO team into state government, develop and implement a new Statewide Preservation Plan, digitize and map Minnesota’s Statewide Inventory, and create an online platform for accessing records. Amy holds a B.S. in housing, design and technology from the University of Minnesota, and her work in preservation has focused on preservation planning and policy, certified local governments, grants, and design review. Apart from one year, Amy’s 30 years in preservation have been in the public sector for the states of Minnesota and Colorado, and cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul – promoting the use and preservation of historic and cultural resources important to all. She is excited to be serving in this new capacity on the NCSHPO Board. 

1st Term March 2025-2027