WOODLAWN CONSERVANCY ANNOUNCES MEG VENTRUDO AS ITS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

New York City… The Woodlawn Conservancy has selected Meg Ventrudo as its new Executive Director effective March 30, 2020.  Woodlawn Conservancy provides educational programs for students and the public, engaging a strong volunteer corps and working to present the extraordinary collection of monuments and plantings found on the 400-acre site of The Woodlawn Cemetery.

Meg Ventrudo has more than 25 years of experience working in art museums, history museums, and historic houses.  From 2004-2020, Ms. Ventrudo was the Executive Director of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art. At the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, she was responsible for all aspects of museum management including fundraising, marketing, programming, and the preservation of the Museum’s two fieldstone buildings.

In her tenure at the Museum, Ms. Ventrudo hosted visits from several Buddhist dignitaries including, His Holiness Ngawang Tenzin of Bhutan, the Venerable Thupten Ngondrop, the Medium of the State Oracle of Tibet, and His Holiness Sakya Trichen. The highlight of her career was meeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2010.  An avid traveler, she has led Museum trips to Tibet, Nepal, London where one of the Museum’s sculptures was exhibited at the Wellcome Gallery Collection, India, Japan, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.

Prior to joining the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, Ms. Ventrudo was the Assistant Director for Exhibits and Education at the Museum of American Finance in Manhattan. She has also worked at Gunston Hall in Fairfax, Virginia and Mount Clare Mansion in Baltimore, Maryland.

“We welcome the depth of expertise Meg Ventrudo brings to the position of Executive Director at The Woodlawn Conservancy,” said Mitch Rose, President & CEO.  “Her knowledge in the field of nonprofits will be an extraordinary asset as The Woodlawn Conservancy continues to serve families and the community through its vast history and enriching public events.”

Meg Ventrudo said, “I am thrilled to be joining Woodlawn Conservancy as the new Executive Director.  I’m eager to use my experience from a 25-year career in art museums, history museums, and historic sites to enhance and sustain the cultural, artistic, and nature-filled treasure that is the Historic Woodlawn Cemetery. I find inspiration in the stories of those interred here; the suffragettes, the musicians, and the immigrants that lived the American dream. And while the lessons of history can guide us, it is the contemporary work of Woodlawn that is also inspirational to me. Who would have thought that a cemetery could provide a pathway to careers in historic preservation and restoration for our youth?  What a thrill it is for us to train the next generation of preservationists!”

Ms. Ventrudo is committed to working in the non-profit sector of the community serving as a Board Member of the Staten Island Not-For-Profit Association (2016-2020). She volunteers her time assisting with programming at the Museum of Maritime Navigation and Communication, SI. She is a volunteer with the Notre Dame Club of Staten Island – her first Bread of Life Food Drive (BOLD) was in 1995.  Ms. Ventrudo is the Treasurer of the North Shore Democratic Club of Richmond County.  She has been recognized with the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation’s “40-Under-40 Award” and the Soroptomist’s of Staten Island “Ruby Award.”

Ms. Ventrudo received a M.A. in American History from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia and a B.A. in History from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland. In May 2008, Ms. Ventrudo completed the Columbia University Institute for Not-for-Profit Management.

Ms. Ventrudo currently resides in St. George, Staten Island. She is a foodie, and she has completed the High Rock Challenge, a 10K adventure race, every year since 2012.

About Woodlawn Conservancy

The Woodlawn Conservancy provides educational programs for students and the public, engaging a strong volunteer corps and working to present the extraordinary collection of monuments and plantings found on the 400-acre site of The Woodlawn Cemetery. This mission is accomplished through the support of individuals and organizations who desire to preserve Woodlawn’s beauty and history for the enjoyment of future generations. The Woodlawn Conservancy is enhancing its community and investing in the future by preserving the past. Founded in 1863 in the Bronx, The Woodlawn Cemetery, still an active cemetery with new ongoing development, is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and is designated a National Historic Landmark. Woodlawn…More Than A Cemetery. For more information, please visit www.Woodlawn.org.