Home News Three New Members Named to Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; Chairman John L. Nau, III, Reappointed to Second Term; Susan S. Barnes Named Vice-Chairman

Three New Members Named to Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; Chairman John L. Nau, III, Reappointed to Second Term; Susan S. Barnes Named Vice-Chairman

New Members are from Arkansas, California, and Missouri

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President George W. Bush recently announced his intention to appoint Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, Fresno California Mayor Alan Autry, and Mr. D. Franklin Arey, III, of Morrilton, Arkansas, to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP).

The President also announced the reappointment of John L. Nau, III, of Houston, Texas, to serve a second term as chairman of the ACHP. In addition, Susan S. Barnes, of Aurora, Illinois, a historic preservation expert member of the ACHP, has been named vice chairman.

"I am honored to continue to serve in this capacity and to further the gains made through the Administration’s Preserve America initiative over the past three years,” Nau said. “The three new members have impressive credentials and capabilities that will contribute strongly to the capability of ACHP to continue strengthening historical preservation awareness and success across the nation.”

Governor Matt Blunt was appointed as the ACHP's gubernatorial representative. His appointment expires June 10, 2009.

Blunt was born in Springfield, Missouri, and attended public schools in Strafford before graduating from Jefferson City High School prior to entering the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in history. He was elected governor November 2, 2004, after serving as Missouri Secretary of State, as a member of the Missouri General Assembly, and as an active duty naval officer. He remains a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves.

Mayor Alan Autry was appointed as the ACHP’s mayoral representative. His term expires June 10, 2009.

Autry is serving his second term as mayor, having been re-elected in 2004. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, he moved as a child to the central San Joaquin Valley farming community of Riverdale. Following graduation from the University of the Pacific, he was a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers for three years. After leaving the National Football League he pursued an acting and directing career, and remains the CEO of Dirt Road Productions in Fresno.

Dewell Franklin “Frank” Arey, III, was appointed as a general public member of the ACHP. His appointment expires June 10, 2009.

Arey is an administrative law judge for the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission, a position he has held since 2004. Prior to that, he was deputy director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage from 2000-2004, and served earlier in a variety of legal positions in both the public and private sectors. He holds a bachelor of arts in history and a juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, and has published and lectured on Civil War history.

John L. Nau, III, was appointed as a general public member and chairman of the ACHP. He has served in that capacity since November 2001.

He is president and CEO of Silver Eagle Distributors, L.P., a position he has held since 1990. He was appointed to the Texas Historical Commission by the Governor in 1993, and was reappointed to the commission in 1999 by then-Governor George W. Bush. Since 1995, Nau has served as chairman of the commission. He serves on numerous other preservation, historical association, civic and governmental entities, and holds a degree in history from the University of Virginia.

Susan S. Barnes, a historic preservation expert member of the ACHP since 2002, was named vice chairman of the ACHP.

She is president, CEO, founder and owner of The Landmark Group of Companies, headquartered in an Aurora, Illinois, landmark firehouse, that specializes in the acquisition, renovation, and management of Chicago-area historic properties. She currently represents Illinois on the Board of Advisors of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Barnes also serves on the Chicago Advisory Board of The Trust for Public Land, and the Board of the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois in Chicago.

“We look forward to working with the new members and bringing their expertise and talents to the important business of the ACHP," Nau said.

Posted April 5, 2006

Return to Top