CCAHA Announces Departure of Executive Director Laura Hortz Stanton

​On behalf of the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts, I am writing to announce that Executive Director Laura Hortz Stanton has accepted a position as Director of Collections at the Penn Museum of the University of Pennsylvania and will be leaving in September. Laura leaves CCAHA on excellent terms and the Board expresses deep appreciation for her leadership. Laura has been an extraordinary leader during her eight years at the head of CCAHA, and we extend her all good wishes in her next role at another esteemed Philadelphia cultural institution.

The CCAHA Board will begin a search for a new Executive Director shortly. In the meantime, Michelle Eisenberg, CCAHA’s Deputy Director, will serve as Acting Director until a new permanent Executive Director can be selected and installed. Michelle has been at CCAHA for 6 years, and her deep knowledge of the Center’s staff and operations will ensure continuity and strong leadership during the transition. 

At CCAHA, Laura has been both visionary and creatively flexible and practical—especially valuable qualities during the early months of COVID, when the ability of our conservators to work together in the lab was highly constrained. Contrary to expectations, CCAHA is in a stronger operational and financial position today than when the pandemic first hit, and it continues to fulfill its mission beautifully. In collaboration with the Center’s expert staff, including Michelle as Deputy Director, Laura has helped grow this internationally respected institution's scope and reputation and even expanded its physical facilities. CCAHA, during Laura's tenure, has broadened the market and audiences for its treatment and consultation services and developed new methods for sharing the expertise of its staff. CCAHA will continue to build on the work that Laura has done. The Board and staff have an ongoing dedication to assist in the preservation and conservation of collections from across the nation.

Additional information on the search for permanent executive leadership is forthcoming.

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Larry Massaro
CCAHA Board Chair

I have been honored to work at CCAHA for over seventeen years, first in our Preservation Services Department and then as the organization’s Executive Director. It has been deeply rewarding to be part of an organization that has helped steward and make accessible collections from across the country through education, consultation, conservation, and digitization. But the relationships that I’ve developed with the Center’s astounding staff and with cultural heritage stewards across the country are the things that I will cherish most from my time at CCAHA. It’s been an immense pleasure to be a part of this organization, and I look forward to seeing it continue to thrive.

Laura Hortz Stanton
Executive Director