Following a lengthy search, Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village has found its new Executive Director. Western New York native Herbert Schmidt will take the helm at the former Amherst Museum on March 24.
Schmidt brings more than 12 years of nonprofit experience to BNHV, having held positions with the Greater Niagara Frontier Council, Boy Scouts of America, the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He currently serves as a planning board member for the Town of Alden, and most recently worked as consulting editor for Buffalo Standard Printing and events and promotions manager with the German-American Musicians Association.
“I was born and raised in Western New York and I have stayed because I love it here,” said Schmidt. “The culture, the people, the possibilities, simply everything. Being able to tell the story of Buffalo-Niagara through a state-of-the-art museum, which provides education and recreational opportunities through living history in an authentic early American village, is a dream come true. We must know about the past to better appreciate the present, and what better way than through experiential education in our own backyard.”
“My vision is to see that all of Western New York becomes fully aware that Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is ‘the’ regional attraction showcasing the history and culture of the story of Buffalo-Niagara through a world-class museum and unequaled living history programs and exhibits. The future is bright and there is always more work to do. With the volunteers, staff and other members of our community, this vision will surely come into fruition.”
Schmidt holds an Associate’s degree in Forest Recreation from Paul Smith’s College of Arts & Sciences, a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Recreation Education from SUNY Cortland and a Master’s of Public Administration from SUNY Brockport. He currently resides in Alden with his wife Shannon and their three children.
BNHV also announced the hiring of Spencer Morgan as Director of Development and Marketing. He will begin his new role with the museum on March 31.
Morgan joins Heritage Village after nearly five years as Curator of the Steel Plant Museum of Western New York, located in Buffalo. A resident of Buffalo, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in American Studies from SUNY Fredonia, and a Master’s degree in History with a concentration in Museum Studies from Buffalo State College.
While a student, Morgan completed internships at the Steel Plant Museum of Western New York, Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site and the Darwin R. Baker Museum.
Interested patrons can come and meet BNHV's new staff members at a welcoming party at the end of May. Stay tuned for more details!
Schmidt brings more than 12 years of nonprofit experience to BNHV, having held positions with the Greater Niagara Frontier Council, Boy Scouts of America, the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He currently serves as a planning board member for the Town of Alden, and most recently worked as consulting editor for Buffalo Standard Printing and events and promotions manager with the German-American Musicians Association.
“I was born and raised in Western New York and I have stayed because I love it here,” said Schmidt. “The culture, the people, the possibilities, simply everything. Being able to tell the story of Buffalo-Niagara through a state-of-the-art museum, which provides education and recreational opportunities through living history in an authentic early American village, is a dream come true. We must know about the past to better appreciate the present, and what better way than through experiential education in our own backyard.”
“My vision is to see that all of Western New York becomes fully aware that Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is ‘the’ regional attraction showcasing the history and culture of the story of Buffalo-Niagara through a world-class museum and unequaled living history programs and exhibits. The future is bright and there is always more work to do. With the volunteers, staff and other members of our community, this vision will surely come into fruition.”
Schmidt holds an Associate’s degree in Forest Recreation from Paul Smith’s College of Arts & Sciences, a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Recreation Education from SUNY Cortland and a Master’s of Public Administration from SUNY Brockport. He currently resides in Alden with his wife Shannon and their three children.
BNHV also announced the hiring of Spencer Morgan as Director of Development and Marketing. He will begin his new role with the museum on March 31.
Morgan joins Heritage Village after nearly five years as Curator of the Steel Plant Museum of Western New York, located in Buffalo. A resident of Buffalo, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in American Studies from SUNY Fredonia, and a Master’s degree in History with a concentration in Museum Studies from Buffalo State College.
While a student, Morgan completed internships at the Steel Plant Museum of Western New York, Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site and the Darwin R. Baker Museum.
Interested patrons can come and meet BNHV's new staff members at a welcoming party at the end of May. Stay tuned for more details!