Earlier this month, PA SHPO staff made their annual trek to Washington, D.C. to meet with other SHPOs and preservationists from across the country as part of National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week.

Advocacy Week, organized each year by Preservation Action and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Offices (NCSHPO), is a national outreach campaign each March to educate federal legislators and their staff about the importance of federal historic preservation programs and the positive impacts of these programs  in their districts.

Programming for Advocacy Week typically includes three things: annual meetings for national preservation organizations, a one-day conference, and visits to Congressional offices. This year, over 200 preservationists representing 45 states and territories gathered in DC and met with almost 250 different Congressional offices.

Day 1: NCSHPO Annual Meeting

NCSHPO for short, is a nonprofit organization whose members are State Historic Preservation Officers and the staff of State Historic Preservation Offices.  It is governed by a Board of Directors and managed by a team of staff.  NCSHPO works closely with a number of federal agencies and other national preservation organizations on supporting historic preservation.

Large group of people sitting at tables in a room.

SHPOs from 45 states and territories attending the Annual NCSHPO Meeting at the Hall of States. Photo from NCSHPO.

PA was one of 34 State Historic Preservation Offices from across the country – states and territories – gathered for the NCSHPO annual meeting. This year the day-long meeting included conversations with leaders from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), reports from NCSHPO’s staff and working groups, a discussion about advocacy approaches, and election of officers and new members to the Board of Directors.

Day 2: Advocacy Week Conference

This full day included:

  • panels offering insights and information about the opportunities and challenges facing historic preservation in the 119th Congress and various advocacy methods and mediums to amplify preservation messaging and get the attention of elected officials,
  • a legislative briefing and review of the 2025 National Legislative Asks and materials by four leading national historic preservation organizations,
  • remarks by Rep. Leger-Fernandez (D-NM), new Co-Chair of the Historic Preservation Caucus, and Carol Quillen, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation,
  • state meetings, and
  • educational tours and receptions.
Woman stands at a podium on a stage.

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) is one of the new co-chairs of the Historic Preservation Caucus. Photo from NCSHPO.

Erik Hein, NCSHPO’s Executive Director, delivered the Advocacy Week welcome to the crowd.  You can read his message here.

Day 3: Hill Visits

This year, PA SHPO had the opportunity to meet with 13 Congressional offices. We were joined by Paul Steinke from the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia for many of our visits.  During these visits, we talked about the importance of the federal historic preservation programs, how constituents in their districts benefit from them, and how PA SHPO uses our federal funding.

Group of four people - one man and three women - standing outside taking a picture of themselves.

PA SHPO staffers setting out for our day of meetings on March 5, 2025. From left: John Wood, Andrea MacDonald, Marissa Barrett, Shelby Splain.

We assemble informational packets for each office to facilitate these conversations. These include PA SHPO’s annual report and information sheets from Preservation Action and NCSHPO that outline appropriations. You can check them all out for yourself:

 

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