Episode 1: She’s our inspiration!

Meredith Horsford, Executive Director, Dyckman Farmhouse Museum​​  

Meredith and Aria go WAY back. Like, way way WAY back! And Meredith is our inspiration for this podcast. She showed up at DFM, started making moves and we were like, "SHE IS AMAZING! Why isn't she talking about everything she is doing?" And so, the first seeds of our idea to talk with the people doing good work were planted. 

Meredith Horsford is the Executive Director of the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum Alliance. Her responsibilities include fundraising, preservation of the historic building and collection, and fostering a strong relationship with the community through public programming and community engagement initiatives as well as working closely with the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum Board. She is currently spearheading a research project focusing on the people that were enslaved on the Dyckman Farm. This information will be a significant part of future interpretation and programming at DFM. Meredith also serves as Vice President of the Greater Hudson Heritage Network Board of Directors, an organization that provides professional development and hands-on workshop opportunities to museums. 

Previously, Meredith served as the Executive Director of the Gracie Mansion Conservancy. In this position, she was responsible for the preservation of the historic structure of Gracie Mansion and fundraising for the Conservancy. In addition, Meredith oversaw all public programs and nonprofit operations, as well as worked closely with the Mayor’s Office and GMC Board of Directors. Meredith also served as Deputy Director and Director of Property Stewardship & Acquisitions at the Historic House Trust of New York City, overseeing all Parks related administrative functions for HHT regarding all of Parks’ 23 historic properties. She also worked closely with the Executive Director on HHT Board relations and policies, Board governance issues at membership organizations and audit and investment practices. Finally, she supervised the quantitative assessment project, coordinated all legal agreements and new property acquisitions, and worked closely with the staff and board members that operate those sites. 

Meredith holds a Master of Arts in Geography from the University of Delaware, a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the State University of New York College at Geneseo, and a certificate in Grantmaking and Foundations from New York University.

You can learn more about Meredith’s work at Dyckman Farmhouse Museum here: https://dyckmanfarmhouse.org/