A fresh face has come to Historic Huguenot Street (HHS). At the end of August, Tracy Doolittle McNally became the new executive director of the organization.
Former president of the Green County Chamber of Commerce and 11th generation descendent of the founders of Huguenot Street, McNally sees new opportunity for growth and development for the historic landmark district.
Originally from Scarsdale, N.Y., McNally built a weekend home in High Falls after meeting her husband who was working in Kingston, N.Y.
McNally said her interest in Hudson Valley history came from her grandmother. When she was fourteen, she inherited a binder full of newspaper clippings about her family who lived in the area. One of the reasons she chose to apply for the job originally was to further develop her love of area history.
One of her first priorities in her new position is to “expose the public more to their collection.”
According to McNally, HHS has many more historical items like paintings, furniture and diaries in storage that the public should see. She said what is holding this back is Huguenot’s limited space. If this collection was seen, she said the community would observe first hand how much historical memorabilia HHS has to show.
According to HHS President Mary Etta Schneider, McNally was hired because of her extensive experience working with nonprofits.
“She has a proven track record of running non-profit organizations,” said Schneider. “She has a strong business background, which is now critical for non-profits.”
Schneider explained that McNally, an alumna of New Paltz, will further strengthen the ties between the college and the community. In addition, increasing fundraising events and membership is another one of her goals. McNally would like to “broaden membership in the Hudson Valley area.”
“McNally also has a track record in building a strong volunteer network, which is something HHS needs,” said Schneider.
For more information about their upcoming events please visit their Calendar of Events page at www.huguenotstreet.org. Future fundraisers include Art on the Street with Kevin Cook on Saturday, Sept. 17 and their annual haunted Huguenot Street event the weekend of Oct. 28.