Official State of Rhode Island website

State of Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission

The Commissioners and State Review Board

Created in 1968, the 15-person Commission serves as a board of directors for Agency staff. The Commissioners convene public meetings, set policy for the office, and offer professional perspectives from historical and preservation organizations around the state. 

Commissioners serve in a voluntary capacity. 10 public members are appointed by the Governor and include a historian, an archaeologist, an architectural historian/architect, a landscape historian/landscape architect, a museum practitioner, and an anthropologist. Five members serve ex officio: the Director of the Department of Environmental Management, the Director of the Economic Development Corporation, the Associate Director of Administration for Planning, the State Building Commissioner, and the State Historic Preservation Officer. 

Commissioners (as of 1/1/25)

  • Pierson Booher AIA is a Principal and Partner at DBVW Architects in Providence.
  • Catherine DeCesare, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Rhode Island. 
  • R. Drayton Fair, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C is Vice-chair of the RI Board of Examination and Registration of Architects and Principal Emeritus of LLB Architects.
  • Anjali Joshi, ASLA, SITES AP is a landscape architect.
  • Silvermoon Mars LaRose is a Narragansett tribal citizen and the assistant director of the Tomaquag Museum.
  • Marta Martínez is the founder and executive director of Rhode Island Latino Arts, a community oral historian, and manager of the Latino History Archives.
  • Rod Mather, D. Phil is Professor of Maritime History and Underwater Archaeology at the University of Rhode Island.
  • Brent Runyon is the founder of Runyon Heritage Associates and a real estate agent.
  • Kaity Ryan (Chair) is the Executive Director of the Norman Bird Sanctuary.
  • Ruth Taylor (Secretary) is the former Executive Director of the Newport Historical Society.
  • Meredith E. Brady (ex officio) is the Associate Director of the Division of Statewide Planning, Rhode Island Department of Administration.
    Represented by Roberta Groch
  • James Cambio (ex officio) is the State Building Code Commissioner.
    Represented by Warren Ducharme, R.A.
  • Terrence Gray (ex officio) is the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
    Represented by Paul Jordan
  • Elizabeth Tanner, Esq. (ex officio) is Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce.
  • Jeffrey Emidy (ex officio) is Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer.

The State Review Board provides advice, guidance, and professional recommendations to the State Historic Preservation Officer and the Commission, including reviewing and making recommendations on National Register and State Register nominations. 

SRB Members (as of 1/1/25)

  • Shantia Anderheggen is the owner of Preservation Strategies, a consulting firm that works with historic property owners to protect historic buildings, landscapes, and structures.
  • Karst Hoogeboom is a landscape architect who has worked at Cape Cod National Seashore and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation. 
  • Patrick Malone, Ph.D. is an industrial archaeologist and historian of technology. He is Professor Emeritus of American Studies at Brown University.
  • Ronald Onorato, Ph.D. (Board Chair) is Professor Emeritus of Art and Architectural History at the University of Rhode Island.
  • Itohan Osayimwese, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of History of Art & Architecture at Brown University, where she is also an affiliate faculty in Africana Studies, Urban Studies, and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
  • Edward F. Sanderson is a former Executive Director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission and a former State Historic Preservation Officer.
  • Keith Stokes leads the Division of Diversity, Equity and Opportunity at the Rhode Island Department of Administration. 
  • Kate Wells is the State Librarian at the Rhode Island State House. She is passionate about facilitating communication, inclusion and connections between the history and present as well as creative use of library collections.  
  • Martha Werenfels, FAIA, LEED AP is a Senior Principal Architect at DBVW Architects in Providence.