PTN Board & Staff

PTN Staff and Board of Directors

Rudy R. Christian, Executive Director - Burbank, Ohio
Rudy Christian was selected to be Executive Director of the Preservation Trades Network at the annual PTN leadership retreat in Amherst, New Hampshire in January 2008. Rudy is a founding member and immediate past president of the Timber Framers Guild, founding member and immediate past President of Friends of Ohio Barns, founding member and past Vice-President of the Preservation Trades Network and founding member of the Traditional Timberframe Research and Advisory Group. His experience includes participation in the Quingue Forum, numerous speaking engagements and instructing educational workshops as well as publication of various articles about historic conservation. A recent article entitled “Conservation of Historic Building Trades; A Timber Framer’s View” was published in the APT Bulletin, vol. XXXIII, No1 and his collaborative work with author Allen Noble entitled The Barn; A Symbol of Ohio has been published on the internet. In November 2000 the Preservation Trades Network named Rudy the recipient of the Askins Achievement Award for excellence in the field of historic preservation. Rudy’s educational background includes the study of structural engineering at both General Motor’s Institute in Flint Michigan and Akron University in Ohio. He has also studied historic compound roof layout and computer modeling at the Gewerbe Akademie in Rotweil, Germany. He is an active adjunct professor at Palomar College in San Marcos, California and an approved workshop instructor for the Timber Framers Guild. Rudy’s professional experience as President of Christian & Son, Inc. includes reconstruction of the historic “Big Barn” at Malabar Farm State Park near Mansfield, Ohio and relocation of the 19th century Crawford Horse Barn in Newark, Ohio. These projects featured “hand raisings” which were open to the public and attracted a total of 130,000 interested spectators. He also led a crew of timber framers at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, Masters of the Building Arts program in the re-creation and raising of an 18th century carriage house frame on the Mall in Washington DC. Roy Underhill’s “Woodright’s Shop” filmed the event for PBS and Roy participated in the raising. Christian & Son’s recent work includes working with a team of specialists to relocate Thomas Edison’s #11 laboratory building from the Henry Ford Museum to West Orange New Jersey where it original was built. In 2006 Rudy led a field school sponsored by the World Monuments Fund, the University of Florida and the Preservation Trades Network at Mt. Lebanon Shaker Village during which the 1838 granary was restored.

Betsy Hahn, Office Manager - Amherst, New Hampshire
Betsy grew up in Bethesda, Maryland and Shepherdstown, West Virginia. She has an MS Degree in Environmental Biology from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland and a BS in Argricultural Resource Economics from the University of Maryland. She has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an Environmental Biologist in the Chesapeake Bay Program in Annapolis, Maryland, and most recently for seven years as a Planner with the Nashua Regional Planning Commission. Her work with NRPC included planning and project management for the reuse of the former Benson's Wild Animal Farm in Hudson, New Hampshire including stabilization of three historic structures, production of Historic Structures Reports, and development of grants for trails development and building preservation. The Benson's project received the 2004 New Hampshire Preservation Achievement Award from the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance.

2008 Board of Directors

	Camille Bowman, Assistant Secretary (nonvoting appointed Board Member) -Newport News, VA Camille Bowman received her Master of Science in Historic Preservation from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Historic Preservation. Because she is trained as an architectural conservator, her work in the field of historic preservation most often involves the understanding of building materials and how they deteriorate, solutions for their preservation, and maintenance as a prescribed prevention technique. She is the author of Handbook for Owners of Alabama's Historic Houses (Montgomery: Alabama Historical Commission) and will soon issue a similar handbook for owners of Virginia's historic houses. Camille is the Certified Local Governments Manager and Tidewater Regional Historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
	Rob Cagnetta, Treasurer and Director - Providence, Rhode Island Rob Cagnetta studied Architecture and Historic Preservation at Roger Williams University. In 1990 he obtained an internship with the Preservation Cooperative where he began refining his preservation skills. After graduation in 1991, Rob spent five weeks in England, studying the architecture, restoration techniques, and professional organizations of Great Britain. Upon his return he was employed by the Preservation Cooperative, enabling him to obtain and learn various preservation skills and techniques throughout New England. In 1994 Rob began his own practice, providing services for such National Register buildings as the Newport Tennis Hall of Fame and the Newport Art Museum. Then in 1995, Rob partnered with John Canham to create the Institute for Preservation Training. Under their parent organization, Vocational resources, Inc., their mission was to provide fee for service historic preservation services, and historic preservation training and education. IPT began the first Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training certified Carpenter (Preservation) apprenticeship program. In 1997, Rob became the lead project manager of IPT. With this new program, IPT was able to complete projects for the National Parks Service, The Massachusetts's State Historical Commission, The Bristol Historical Society (Bristol, RI), as well as dozens of private homes and businesses. In January of 2001 Rob started Heritage Restoration, Inc.
	John Friedrichs, Vice President and Director - Lexington, Virginia John Friedrichs is the owner of New Dimension Building in Lexington, Virginia. He has been involved in building trades for more than thirty years, and he has been a self-employed mason twenty years this coming January. He taught himself his trade, with the help of seminars, lectures, workshops, and steady work. He is married 28 years, with two sons now employed as traditional craftsmen as well. He has had numerous apprentices, some of whom are now self-employed masons.
	David Gibney, Director - Sharpsburg, Maryland David Gibney has been a practicing restoration craftsman in several of the traditional trades, carpentry, masonry, plastering, log and timber frame structures for the past 30 years. He is the owner of Historic Restoration Specialists, Inc. in Smithsburg, Maryland. His areas of expertise include carpentry, masonry, decorative plaster, timber and log structure restoration. David is a graduate of the Restoration Workshop sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation 1980 to 1982. He is currently on the staff of instructors in the Building and Preservation programs at Harford and Allegany College. He also is a guest instructor for the University of Pennsylvania, the Masters degree program in Historic Preservation. He has been a guest instructor for the American College of the Building Arts, Northern Virginia College and Shepherd College for the past several years. David has given restoration workshops for the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, workshops for the National Park Service and has been a demonstrator for the past ten years for the annual IPTW conference.
	Bill Hole, Director - Eureka, California Bill Hole has been working with his hands for thirty years using clay, metal, glass, wood, plastics, plaster and concrete. House painting, Boatbuilding, custom carpentry, concrete, structural steel, cabinet and millwork, all developed his craft skills for teaching new home construction at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, California since 1991. He since developed a hands-on Associate of Science Historic Preservation and Restoration Technology program (unique on the West Coast). He thrives on teaching people the successful use of tools, preservation techniques, craft and critical thinking skills that are fundamental to building conservation and recycling our historic resources. "Preservation is about community working together to sustain pride of ownership".
	Glenn James, Director - Westminster, Maryland Glenn Allen James has been a woodworker since childhood and in business since 1983. After graduating college and discovering his passion for historic building techniques he established Craftwright and began producing custom-handcrafted timber frame structures, including barns, homes, chapels, museums and home additions. Craftwright also has restored many antique and historic timber frames structures throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. Glenn is a consultant to the Maryland Historic Trust and currently is an adjunct Professor at Harford Community College in Maryland where he teaches Timber Framing.
	Laura Saeger, Secretary and Director - Burbank, Ohio Laura Saeger is a founding member of the Timber Framers Guild, and a founding member and Treasurer of the Friends of Ohio Barns. She has been an organizer and presenter at dozens of timber frame and preservation conferences, workshops, and rendezvous including the Masters of the Building Arts Festivals in Washington, DC and Charleston, SC.
	Lisa Sasser, President and Director - Amherst, New Hampshire Lisa has worked in preservation since 1972, beginning as a Museum Technician at the Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas. In 1977, she received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Texas Tech University, completing as a thesis project, a Historic Structures Report and restoration plan for a post-1680 houserow at Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico. From 1979-1984 she was employed as a Historical Architect on the Northeast Team of the Denver Service Center, the centralized planning and design office of the National Park Service. In 1984, she became the first woman to enter the National Park Service preservation trades training program at the Williamsport Preservation Training Center in Williamsport, Maryland. After completing the trades apprenticeship program, she remained on the Training Center staff as a Supervisory Preservation Specialist and Senior Historical Architect. In 1993, she became the Assistant Chief Historical Architect for the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. From 1996-2006, she worked as a Project Manager with the National Park Service, Northeast Region, Architectural Preservation Division, in Lowell, Massachusetts. She is currently on the staff of the Northeast Region Planning, Construction and Facility Maintenance Directorate. Project work has included; planning and project supervision for stabilization of hospital structures on the south side of Ellis Island, project management for the rehabilitation of the entry level of the Washington Monument, and work on dozens of 18th-20th century structures in National Parks in the Mid-Atlantic states and New England. She has also worked with the Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest to preserve CCC-era rustic log structures, and encourage the development of in-house preservation teams. Since 1987, she has helped to develop training programs, and instructed workshops in preservation philosophy and "hands on" preservation methods for federal agencies, universities, and state and local groups. Publications include the articles What Historical Architects Can Learn from the Preservation Trades – and Why They Should, New Paradigms for Preserving Old Buildings, and Setting Up a Preservation Workshop in the journal CRM.
	Simeon Warren, Director - Charleston, South Carolina Simeon Warren is the Dean of the American College of the Building Arts, and Chair of the Stone Carving Department. As a stone carver he learned his trade at Weymouth College, gaining an Advanced Craft Certificate in Masonry from the City and Guilds of London Institute. His first professional position was as an apprentice at Lincoln Cathedral, later becoming Deputy Yard Foreman at Wells Cathedral, where he worked on the central tower. He has also produced stone for a number of historic buildings including Buckingham Palace and The Houses of Parliament. At Glasgow School of Art he received a Fine Arts Degree in Environmental Art, which allows him to create more contemporary conceptual work. Simeon also serves on the Board of Directors of the Association for Preservation Technology.

Board Liaison Positions

	Carson Christian, Web and Technical Support - Burbank, Ohio Carson is VP of Christian & Son Inc, with over 10 years applied experience in Timber Framing, Timber Frame design, and Timber Frame restoration. Carson has taught Timber Frame layout and cutting techniques at Palomar College near San Diego CA, Timber Frame restoration techniques at Mount Lebanon Shaker Village in NY, and numerous other venues.
	Ken Follett, PTN Newsletter Editor - Mastic Beach, New York Ken Follett is an historic conservation specialist in Mastic Beach, New York with 30 years trade background specific to masonry, wood technology and exterior building envelopes with emphasis on the New York built environment. He is a partner in the firm of PreCon LogStrat, LLC which specializes in assisting structural engineers, architects and conservators in pre-construction support services, logistics and strategy pertaining to in-field evaluation of heritage structures. Ken is a founding member of PTN, former board member and first President. He is a member of the Timber Framers Guild, a member of the International Log Builders Association, a Board member of Preservation Volunteers and a member of the Stone Foundation.
	Carole Briggs, PTN Attorney - Columbia, Connecticut Carole Briggs has over nineteen years experience in commercial, real estate, construction, environmental and OSHA legal matters. She has represented private and public-sector owners and contractors in both transactions and litigation, in administrative, state and federal courts. Carole became involved with PTN as a demonstrator in 1999, at the IPTW in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Following Carole's involvement at IPTW, she became a legal representative for PTN. In 2001 her law firm handled the incorporation of PTN and became an Agent for Service. Since 2001 she has been PTN's corporate counsel.

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