GORE PLACE
Gavin Kleespies appointed Executive Director
Most recently, Gavin Kleespies served as the Director of Programs at the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) in Boston, Massachusetts. In this role, he specialized in public history programs and won two Leadership in History awards from the American Association of State and Local History. Before his role at MHS, Gavin was Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Society, Massachusetts (now History Cambridge) and the Mount Prospect Historical Society in Mount Prospect, Illinois. Kleespies holds a Master of Arts in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in the Social Sciences from Bard College.
Kleespies will take the helm from outgoing Executive Director Susan Robertson, who will retire after 37 years of distinguished leadership of Gore Place. Susan was appointed Director in 1993 and Executive Director in 2001, making her the longest-serving Director since Gore Place was founded in 1935. Susan will be named Executive Director Emerita of Gore Place upon her retirement.
During her tenure, Susan played a significant role in raising $8,000,000 for the preservation and restoration of Gore Place's three historic buildings and the construction of two barns on the farm. She guided the museum in achieving re-accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2023 and the successful Sheepshearing Festival, a New England spring tradition since 1987. Susan received the New England Museum Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
Deborah Gates, President of the Board of Governors, stated: “This is a transformative moment for Gore Place. We enter into it with gratitude for Susan’s service and excitement about the next chapter with Gavin. Gavin’s significant museum experience and programming creativity will be an enormous opportunity for us and for the museum visitors we serve, helping us to reach new audiences.”