FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 18, 2009

CONTACT: Jay D. Vogt, (605) 773-3458, Jay.Vogt@state.sd.us

 

 

PIERRE, S.D.—After four years as president of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) [nick-ship-o], Jay D. Vogt has stepped down. 

 

“It has been a wonderful experience serving as president of NCSHPO,” stated Vogt, director of the South Dakota State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre and the State Historic Preservation Officer or SHPO [ship-o]. “It is incredible leading an organization that is concerned about telling our nation’s heritage and history through our historic places.” 

As NCSHPO president, Vogt represented the nation’s SHPOs in several capacities. He served on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), the policy board for the independent federal agency of the same name that promotes the preservation, enhancement, and productive use of our nation's historic resources, and advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy.

“Serving on the Advisory Council was a great experience,” said Vogt. “Only the chairman of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and I served, because of our positions. We were not appointed by the President. In that capacity, I had a voice in national policy.”

During his presidency, Vogt served as co-chair of the panel “Improving the Preservation Program Infrastructure,” one of 11 expert panels to develop recommendations prior to the Preserve America Summit in New Orleans. First Lady Laura Bush convened the Summit in 2006 to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, consider the future of the national historic preservation program, and focus on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 

“The photos and news reports of the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina do not capture the immense level of devastation,” said Vogt. “The states of Louisiana and Mississippi lost many historic treasures, and continue working hard to save them today.”

The Preserve America Summit presented 13 recommendations to the ACHP; one grew out of the Vogt’s panel: “Explore improvements to the program structure of the federal preservation program through creation of an independent review panel.” As a result, in 2008 Vogt was appointed to the “Expert Panel Examining the Structure of the Federal Historic Preservation Program,” also known as the Blue Ribbon Panel. The panel met throughout the summer and fall and forwarded seven recommendations to President Obama on ways to improve the national program. 

“We are hopeful that the new administration will see the merit of these recommendations and implement them in the spirit of change President Obama intends to bring to the federal government,” Vogt said.

Vogt also served on the National Archaeology Task Force, which prepared a new policy statement for the Advisory Council regarding the treatment of human remains and grave goods, developed new guidance for archaeology by federal agencies, and identified strategies for using archaeological sites for heritage tourism. 

“I think particularly on the archaeology task force, I brought a western perspective to the discussion,” said Vogt. “The value of archaeology and the importance to American Indian tribes is not always fully recognized or understood in the historic preservation field, especially on the east coast.”

Along with three other SHPO colleagues, Vogt was tapped by the National Park Service to serve on a Performance Measures Panel to identify meaningful ways to better demonstrate the effectiveness of historic preservation at local, state and national levels. The panel submitted 17 recommendations to the Park Service earlier this year. 

Vogt also testified twice before the House Interior Appropriations Committee, worked with the deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior and the directors of the National Park Service, and collaborated with preservation partner groups such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Preservation Action. 

“The experience as NCSHPO president has been challenging and rewarding, and I am glad I had the opportunity to be part of the national historic preservation movement,” said Vogt, who is being succeeded by Ruth Pierpont of New York.

Vogt was appointed SHPO in 1996 and named society director in 2003. NCSHPO is the professional association of the state government officials who carry out the national historic preservation program as delegates of the secretary of the interior, pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, and is comprised of the 57 SHPOs from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and protectorates. 

 

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