Historic Savannah Foundation – a leading nonprofit cultural institution dedicated to saving the buildings, places and stories that define Savannah’s past, present and future – recently named Ellie Isaacs as the organization’s new Director of Preservation and Historic Properties.

Isaacs brings 10 years of preservation experience to her new position and is responsible for overseeing Historic Savannah Foundation’s acclaimed preservation initiatives, including the  Preservation Easement Program and Revolving Fund, which raises private money to purchase endangered historic properties, sells them to preservation-minded buyers and repeats the cycle. She will lead the organization’s efforts to save and adaptively use historic buildings by working in partnership with the City of Savannah, Chatham County government, neighborhood associations, property owners and developers.

“Ellie embodies the spirit of Historic Savannah Foundation’s seven original female founders and carries their commitment to preservation forward in exciting ways,” said Sue Adler, President and CEO of the Historic Savannah Foundation. “We believe her passion, expertise and leadership will usher in a new era of historic preservation in Savannah.”

Prior to joining Historic Savannah Foundation, Isaacs served as a Partner at Landmark Preservation Consulting in Savannah, Ga. She also worked as a historic preservation specialist for an award-winning architecture firm in Savannah, Lominack Kolman Smith Architects, where she focused on research, preservation tax credit applications, conditions assessments and historic resource surveys. She meets the Professional Qualifications for Architectural History by the Secretary of the Interior.

Earlier in her career, Isaacs worked in Hot Springs, Ark. as a historic preservationist and designer for a local architecture firm, Taylor Kempkes Architects. Her most notable project involved co-designing and managing the state and federal preservation tax credit application process for The Waters Hotel, located in the 1913 Thompson Building designed by George Mann. The $7 million dollar project won the 2017 Preserve Arkansas Preservation Award for Excellence in Preservation through Rehabilitation in the commercial category. While completing this award-winning project, Isaacs broke barriers as the youngest commissioner on the Hot Springs Historic District Commission.

Isaacs previously served as the Chair of the Savannah Historic District Board of Review and was a board member for more than five years. She also served as a member of the Historic Savannah Foundation’s Architectural Review Committee for three years, reviewing projects prior to their submission to the Historic Preservation Commission. 

Isaacs earned a B.F.A. in Historic Preservation with minors in Architectural History and Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). During her time as a student at SCAD, Isaacs was notably the only historic preservation undergraduate student to present at the 2014 National Trust for Historic Preservation’s PastForward Conference in Savannah. She also served as a student intern for the Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission and co-authored a National Register District Nomination for Carver Village. Isaacs was also a summer intern for Historic Savannah Foundation, completing easement inspections two years in a row.

Dedicated to giving back to the community, Isaacs was the 2023 alumni mentor for Preservation Design students at SCAD and previously served as a Historic Savannah Foundation volunteer.