Our Staff
Lindsey Derrington, executive director
email LINDSEY
Lindsey brings fifteen years of preservation experience to her work at Preservation Austin, both as a professional and advocate. Since becoming Executive Director in 2019 she has led the organization through its first strategic planning process in seven years and helped shape a new, more inclusive mission and vision to guide our work. This is supported by a growing staff needed to address the opportunities and challenges of our incredible, rapidly changing city.
Her career choice was a natural outcome of her love for the red bricks and Victorian parks of St. Louis, where she is from. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in preservation studies from the Tulane School of Architecture. She holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the Center for Nonprofit Studies at ACC.
She began her career with the nonprofit Landmarks Association of St. Louis in 2007 and has worked as a preservation consultant with projects from St. Louis to New Orleans. Her passion for mid-century design has led to leadership roles on the nonprofit boards of Modern STL and Mid Tex Mod. Her advocacy efforts, in partnership with so many amazing friends and colleagues, has been honored with advocacy awards from Missouri Preservation and Docomomo US.
Lindsey first joined Preservation Austin as Programs Director in 2015. Today she serves as Executive Committee Member at Large for Preservation Action, the national grassroots lobby for historic preservation; is a member of Preservation Texas’ Advocacy Committee; and is a member of the National Preservation Partners Network Governance Committee. Apart from her Great Loves of historic preservation and the St. Louis Cardinals, she is a big fan of her husband Jon, a regular Preservation Austin volunteer, and proud mother to Elizabeth, a first generation Austinite.
Meghan King, Policy & Outreach Planner
email MEGHAN
Hailing from Canada, Meghan attributes her lifelong love for American architectural heritage to her childhood summers spent traveling the United States visiting Frank Lloyd Wright sites with her father. Meghan was drawn to Texas for its eclectic mix of modernist, Spanish colonial, and vernacular architectural traditions and has championed the preservation of Austin's historic fabric since her days as a graduate student volunteer for Preservation Austin.
Meghan completed her studies at the University of Toronto in 2016 with a BA in Art History and American Studies, followed by an MS in Historic Preservation from The University of Texas at Austin in 2019. Her professional background consists of experience in fashion, writing, and preservation consultancy, as well as professional memberships with organizations such as Docomomo US and the Association for Preservation Technology.
ROSA FRY, PROGRAMS COORDINATOR
EMAIL ROSA
After launching her career in architectural history as a Preservation Austin volunteer in 2016, Rosa is delighted to return to the organization in the role of Programs Coordinator. Prior to her move back to Texas, Rosa was a preservation consultant in Los Angeles where she specialized in historic resource surveys. Having grown up in Rhode Island and most recently lived in California, she is intrigued by a diverse array of architectural styles and details, with a soft spot for Streamline Moderne designs.
Rosa received her BFA in Printmaking and Art History from Syracuse University in 2011 and her MS in Historic Preservation from UT Austin in 2019. She also has many years of experience working in Austin restaurants and now particularly revels in cheerful happy hours in historic spaces. She seeks to engage Austinites in preservation programs that are progressive, sustainable, and joyful.
Sarah anderson, development coordinator
Sarah first joined Preservation Austin as Development Intern in January 2023 while completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Texas of Austin. During these months, Sarah managed coordination with over 60 Homes Tour sponsors and supported stewardship of Preservation Austin’s 600+ member households. She led our successful fundraising campaign for Amplify Austin Day and developed engaging messaging for special events, while providing clutch support to Preservation Austin’s staff in so many ways. After falling in love with Austin’s historic sites all over again, and expanding her interest in our city’s undertold stories, Sarah is thrilled to join Preservation Austin’s full-time team as Development Coordinator. Her experience with local nonprofits and student organizations will bring new perspectives to expand our membership base and grow Preservation Austin’s impact for all.
Sarah is a recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where she received BAs in both International Relations & Global Studies and Iberian & Latin American Languages & Cultures, in addition to minors in Business and Middle Eastern Studies. She very much enjoys meeting new people in the community and growing her knowledge of Austin’s past and present, in the hopes to better inform our city’s future.
