Members of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation met at the Russell Senate Office Building, Kennedy Caucus Room Nov. 19 for their fall business meeting. Chair Sara Bronin welcomed new members Lakota Hobia, chair of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, and Eric Beightel, executive director of the Permitting Council, to the meeting. She also noted Susan Barnes is stepping down from her role chairing the ACHP Foundation. 

Chair Bronin talked about the ACHP/HUD Secretary's Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, which she presented in September, and the international climate conference she co-hosted in October. She gave an overview of her other priorities including establishing a Tribal advisory group, the digital mapping initiative, and the role of the ACHP chairman. Executive Director Reid Nelson spoke about the agency's budget, with operations continuing through Dec. 20 at the FY 2023-24 level. He noted new staff members Ashley Fry, director of the Office of Tribal and Indigenous Peoples, and Kasey Miller, Federal Highway Administration liaison. He also mentioned the departure of staffers Jamie Lee Marks and Raina Regan, and the December 31 retirements of Odette Williams and Susan Glimcher. 

Members voted to approve the chair advising Congress on ACHP support of the Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act; support of the Julius Rosenwald Schools Historical Park Act; and support of funding for the National Museum of the American Latino. Members also voted to urge Congress to remove sections of the Fix Our Forests Act that reference 36 CFR Part 800. The recording of the business meeting is available on the ACHP's YouTube channel.

The spring business meeting will take place March 18-19, 2025, in Washington, D.C.