Cynthia MacLeod Named Superintendent of Independence NHP, Edgar Allen Poe NHS and Thaddeus Kosciuszko NM

Date: December 19, 2007
Contact: Cynthia MacLeod, 804  226-1981 x. 25
Contact: Jane Cowley, 215 597-0060
Contact: Joanne Blacoe, 215 597-0136

National Park Service (NPS) Northeast Regional Director Dennis Reidenbach announced that Cynthia MacLeod has been selected as the superintendent of Independence National Historical Park. As superintendent she will also manage other NPS sites in Philadelphia including the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site and the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial. MacLeod will begin her assignment in late January 2008.

MacLeod has served since 1990 as superintendent of Richmond National Battlefield Park and Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond NBP preserves more than 1900 acres of Civil War resources at nine sites in the Richmond area. Maggie L. Walker NHS commemorates the life of Walker, a successful African American businesswoman in the early 20th century and the first woman in the United States to charter and serve as president of a bank. During her almost eighteen year tenure in Richmond, MacLeod lead her team in expanding battlefield and resource preservation and interpretation at both parks. She was instrumental in park historic building rehabilitations, and she established new visitor centers for each park, including the Visitor Center at Tredegar, the partnership venture that opened to acclaim in 2000.

“I will miss the NPS staff in Richmond, our wonderful partners, and the vibrant programs that we have built over the years,” said MacLeod. “Richmond has been a wonderful home for my family, and I will always treasure the friendships and memories we have made here. It is a jewel of a region. The history connection between Virginia and Philadelphia is strong, and I look forward to new experiences in this new assignment.”

MacLeod follows Reidenbach, who was promoted to be the Regional Director for the NPS Northeast Region in September 2007. “Cindy MacLeod has a strong background in managing cultural resources and in building successful partnerships. Her skills are a particularly good match for the resources, the people, the community, and the challenges that face Independence National Historical Park,” said Reidenbach. “It is satisfying to be able to choose your successor and with Cindy, Independence is in very good hands.”

MacLeod began her career with the NPS in Michigan in 1980 as an architectural historian. She worked in the NPS regional offices in Omaha, Nebraska, and in Philadelphia where she managed the tax incentive programs for historic rehabilitation projects and conducted architectural surveys. She completed Harvard University’s Senior Managers in Government Program and served in international assignments in Poland and France. MacLeod has been an active member of the Rotary Club of Richmond since 1991. She has a master’s degree in architectural history from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, where she majored in both zoology and comparative literature. MacLeod enjoys being mom to her children ages 10 and 12, traveling, and gardening. She is married to architect Douglas Harnsberger.