With a focus on improving operations and efficiency, Colonial Williamsburg has hired two men to lead the foundation’s research, educational outreach, hospitality and more.
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation announced Tuesday the hire of two new additions to its leadership team: Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Core Operations Ghislain d’Humières and Senior Vice President of Hospitality Paul Scott.
The announcement came in a news release from the foundation.
In his new position, d’Humières will oversee the Historic Area, research, educational outreach, collections, conservation, the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, development and strategic communications, the release said.
Scott will oversee Colonial Williamsburg’s hotels, Colonial Houses – Historic Lodging, restaurants including Historic Area taverns, the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg and the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club.
Foundation President and CEO Mitchell B. Reiss told employees about the creation of the two positions on Oct. 10, the release said. Reiss also announced that some existing vice president roles would be eliminated.
The two new positions and “streamlined” leadership team come several months after the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation announced a “fundamental restructuring” in June, sparking layoffs and outsourced operations.
“Colonial Williamsburg’s recent restructuring was a difficult but critical step that has strengthened the Foundation and put it on a financially sustainable path,” said Henry C. Wolf, chair of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation board of trustees. “The addition of great talents like Ghislain and Paul to a restructured leadership team will help Colonial Williamsburg realize its full potential as a cultural treasure and as an economic engine for the city and region.”
The new hires come two months after former Vice President of Education, Research, and Historical interpretation Ted Maris-Wolf left the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for a job with the Enrichmond Foundation.
Maris-Wolf was involved in several of Colonial Williamsburg’s historical projects, including documenting the history of slavery during the development of Williamsburg through interpreters, creating a tavern musical troupe, opening Colonial Williamsburg Education Resource Library’s digital resources to the public, and more, according to WYDaily archives.
d’Humières previously served as director and CEO of the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. d’Humières oversaw a $60 million renovation at the Speed museum, served as director and chief curator of the University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, and was an assistant curator of Paris’ Ordre de La Libération Museum.
d’Humières is also a former member of the French armed forces, and served as aide-de-camp to the grand chancelier of the Ordre de La Libération. He graduated from the Sorbonne and Paris Nanterre University.
Scott previously worked at the largest hotel in New Orleans, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, the release said. In his 35-year career, he has worked in both national corporate leadership roles and in the field.
He has also managed boutiques, large conventions and iconic resorts.
WYDaily archives were used in this story.
