Preservation Durham has hired architect Wendy Hillis to be its new executive director. Hillis is a former preservation architect at UNC-Chapel Hill.

According to Preservation Durham’s announcement, Hillis said she is “looking forward to working on messaging, marketing and programs that will move other souls to the importance of historic preservation in Durham.”

Hillis holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of California-Davis, a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Virginia and an MBA from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

“Wendy brings a great deal of creative enthusiasm and fresh entrepreneurial ideas,” Preservation Durham President Josh Parker said in the prepared statement.

Before coming to Chapel Hill, Hillis was in private practice in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New Orleans and studied modern additions to classic buildings in France on a Richard Morris Hunt Fellowship.

Hillis succeeds Bob Ashley, who left Preservation Durham in May to return to his former job as editor of The Herald-Sun newspaper.