Kirk Cordell

Kirk A. Cordell was appointed Executive Director of the National Park Service’s National Center for Preservation Technology and Training in Natchitoches, LA, in 2002. He is a LEED AP with more than 30 years of experience in the National Park Service, and has served in a number of preservation-related positions during his career. Prior to coming to the National Center, he headed the Park Cultural Resources programs in the Southeast Region of NPS, after working in its cultural resources planning, preservation tax incentives, and SHPO review programs. He previously worked as an architectural historian for the Louisiana SHPO.

Under his leadership, NCPTT has become a national leader in applying science and technology to the preservation of historic structures, landscapes, archeological sites, and materials, and has been the recipient of awards from professional and advocacy groups. He spearheaded NCPTT’s research and training partnerships with a range of preservation organizations, including APT, AIC, USICOMOS, and the AIA’s Historic Resources Committee.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Cordell was an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia, where he received a bachelor’s degree in architectural history, and completed graduate work in architectural history and preservation planning at Cornell University. He serves on the advisory boards of the Tulane University and College of Charleston preservation degree programs, and was invited to present the biannual Morrison Memorial Lecture at the Historic New Orleans Collection in 2012.