WILLIAMSBURG — The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the agency that oversees Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, announced the arrival of two new directors, Dr. Juliet Machie and Melissa Thompson, as of July 5.
Dr. Machie will be the new Deputy Director/Senior Director for Administration. As such, Dr. Machie will oversee the foundation’s departments in finance, information technology, security, facilities and grounds maintenance and retail operations. Dr. Machie has expertise in organizational strategy, budgeting, planning, and project management with a career background predominately from libraries and higher education.
Before taking on the position, Dr. Machie served as the executive director of the New Jersey Library Association, working collaboratively with governments ranging from local to federal as well as community organizations. She has also served in leadership roles in the Detroit library system, managing capital projects and budgets up to $51 million, and has served as an adjunct professor for two university graduate programs specializing in library science and organizational management.
Dr. Machie holds a doctorate in education from Grand Canyon University, a masters in library science from North Carolina Central University, as well as a master’s and undergraduate degrees from Southern University in Louisiana.
Melissa Thompson will serve as Chief Development Officer and will lead national fundraising efforts for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Thompson has 30 years of progressive development experience, with the past two decades in senior-level positions. Her development career started at William & Mary, then The Citadel and U.S. Naval Institute.
Previously, Thompson served as chief development officer of the Army Historical Foundation/National Museum of the U.S. Army and developed a fundraising operation that increased annual giving 35% continually. She successfully implemented a $200 million capital campaign for the museum that opened in 2020. She has served as vice president of external affairs for the Historic Annapolis Foundation, increasing membership by 37% and fundraising by 116%. Thompson was also director of development at National Public Radio, increasing giving by 50% during her tenure.
Thompson has a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and an undergraduate degree from William & Mary.
For more information on The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, visit this website or call 757-253-4838.
