Gov. Jared Polis on Oct. 19 named History Colorado’s Executive Director Dawn DiPrince as Colorado’s next historic preservation officer.

DiPrince will lead the State Historic Preservation Office, which is charged with maintaining Colorado’s inventory of historic places, administering federally funded state programs, implementing a statewide historic preservation plan, coordinating with tribal governments, managing tax credit programs and overseeing the impact of large construction and development projects on historic locations and archaeological sites in the state, according to a release from the agency.

“Historic preservation is transformational and revitalizing for Colorado communities, both economically and socially,” said DiPrince in a statement. “I am committed to forging new pathways and opportunities to ensure that the history we are preserving is representative of all the many people who call Colorado home – and that we are wildly inclusive about who is benefiting from preservation in our state.”

The SHPO is housed within History Colorado, which itself is a division within the state Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

DiPrince took over as the organization’s executive director in September after joining History Colorado in 2012 and serving in a number of roles, most recently chief operating officer since 2019.

She is the first person from Southern Colorado to take on the role first held by retired lawyer William C. Ferrill in 1896. She is the third woman to hold the title, having been preceded by Barbara Sudler, who served from 1979-1989, and Georgianna Contiguglia, whose tenure lasted from 1997 to 2007.