President and Chief Executive Officer
The Montpelier Board has chosen Eola Lewis Dance to be President and CEO. She starts August 14, 2023.
Eola has served as a public historian for more than 20 years with the National Parks Service and in the nonprofit world. As Superintendent of Fort Monroe National Monument, a 565-acre cultural landscape, she guided research, operations, programming, maintenance, and economic sustainability. Most recently, she was the executive director of Black Lunch Table. Responsible for its fiscal management and strategic vision, she organized literal and metaphorical lunch tables, bringing together artists and communities in dialogue around issues of race in recent history and legacies of the past.
Eola has served as a public historian for more than 20 years with the National Parks Service and in the nonprofit world. As Superintendent of Fort Monroe National Monument, a 565-acre cultural landscape, she guided research, operations, programming, maintenance, and economic sustainability. Most recently, she was the executive director of Black Lunch Table. Responsible for its fiscal management and strategic vision, she organized literal and metaphorical lunch tables, bringing together artists and communities in dialogue around issues of race in recent history and legacies of the past.
Her career work demonstrates a commitment to the preservation of historic buildings, cultural landscapes, and key stories in telling the history of the making of America. A recognized leader in descendant community engagement, she has led global, national, and Virginia initiatives exploring topics of freedom, race, gender, and class through research, preservation, and storytelling.