Kate Schwartz

 kate@kateschwartz.com  |  757.567.6872    

portfolio: www.slideshare.net/kathrynstephens

EDUCATION:

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) - M.F.A. Historic Preservation                                                  June 2013

Thesis: Coloring in the Guidelines: Development of an Exterior Paint Color Palette for Savannah’s National Historic Landmark District. The City of Savannah and Historic Savannah Foundation actively use the resulting palette to advise property owners in the district.

Shenandoah University - B.F.A. Scenic and Lighting Design                                                                    December 2008 

EXPERIENCE:

Preservation Resource Center Manager, Historic Fort Worth, Inc.                                         

December 2013 – Present

Responsibilities with this citywide nonprofit include managing a historic properties archive; fielding research inquiries; advising local residents on rehabilitation plans and economic incentives; supervising volunteers; providing testimony at Landmarks Commission, Zoning Board, and City Council hearings; and managing annual Most Endangered Places, Preservation Awards, and outreach programming including public speaking. Secured $23,000 in grant funding in 2015; currently implementing a Revolving Fund feasibility study. Additional daily tasks include overseeing website and social media content, creating mass email communications, ecommerce sales, and producing marketing materials.  

Research Consultant, Quimby McCoy Preservation Architecture                                      
 November 2013 – July 2014

Worked as an independent contractor for this Dallas architecture firm to produce the historical context component of the Section 106 report for the c.1939 VA Reno Hospital. The project included site visits to Reno, NV for research and documentation, as well as organization and interpretation of historic drawings.

Intern, Historic Fort Worth, Inc.                                                                                       

 Summer 2012/ December 2012

This graduate internship included survey, archival work, property research, and writing. Expanded to include conducting independent research and presenting results to board members, leading tours as a docent, and participating in public and private meetings with Executive Director Jerre Tracy.

Scenic Artist, Riverside Theater                                                                                           

 August 2009 – February 2011

This independent position required planning and budgeting for an annual production season as well as implementing decorative treatments for all scenery elements based on research and consultation with design professionals. Supervised one employee and up to four interns.

    

SPECIAL PROJECTS:

Springfield Initiative – Involvement in this two-year project at SCAD included the writing of formal applications for landmark designation and design guidelines for the planned historic district in Springfield, GA as well as extensive collaboration with community stakeholders and city officials; chosen by supervising professor Jong Hyun Lim to attend the 2012 High-Tech Heritage Conference at University of Massachusetts Amherst and present this project. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Cuyler-Brownville Habitat for Humanity House – Responsibilities for this collaborative project at SCAD included market analysis, cost estimation, and the creation of presentation graphics for numerical data. The SCAD School of Building Arts, Habitat for Humanity, the City of Savannah, Historic Savannah Foundation, and the U.S. Green Building Council worked to design a sustainable and affordable home that would fit appropriately into the local Cuyler-Brownville historic neighborhood. Construction was completed in spring 2014. 

SKILLS:

• Collaborating and communicating with property owners, professionals, and community leaders; participation in public meetings with City of Fort Worth Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission, Zoning Board, and City Council, Savannah-Chatham County Metropolitan Planning Commission, and the City of Springfield, Georgia  
• Applying local historic property standards and guidelines, the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, and preservation tax incentives; providing education to property owners on these subjects
•  Assessing conditions and documenting structures of the 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries; architectural illustration/hand-drafting skills
• Extensive experience with primary research methodologies for historic properties and traditional trades  
• Removing, examining, and interpreting architectural paint samples using reflected light microscopy
• Microsoft Office programs, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign; basic experience with AutoCAD and GIS

HONORS:

• Selected speaker, Association for Preservation Technology Student Scholar, 2012 and 2013
• Tau Sigma Delta Building Arts Honor Society Member; Sigma Pi Kappa Historic Preservation Honor Society Member 
• SCAD Outstanding Achievement Award recipient, June 2013   

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/ VOLUNTEER WORK:

• Memberships: National Trust for Historic Preservation, Association for Preservation Technology International
• Volunteer Work: Historic Savannah Foundation, St. Augustine Lighthouse