Germanna Foundation Welcomes Hurst-Wender as Executive Director

LOCUST GROVE, VA (Sep. 14, 2022) The Germanna Foundation announces that Jennifer Hurst-Wender has been appointed Executive Director after a nationwide search.

A Virginia native, Hurst-Wender has served as a leader in the public history and museum field for two decades. Most recently, as Director of Museum Operations & Education for Preservation Virginia, she managed five historic sites, including the John Marshall House, Scotchtown, and Bacon’s Castle.

“Jennifer was selected based on her vision and experience in organizational leadership,” says Keith Hoffman, President of the Germanna Foundation Board of Trustees. “Her demonstrated skills in building teams, leading and developing people, engaging in strategic planning, driving results, and guiding change within the history field makes us confident that Jennifer is the ideal person to take on this leadership position.”

Hurst-Wender expressed enthusiasm at joining the Germanna Foundation's team, "I am humbled to take a leadership role in such an outstanding historical institution and am excited to work closely with our trustees to vision the next era of Germanna while listening closely to our staff and communities to bring the Foundation's historical assets into ever-more vibrant alignment with our values."

Jennifer’s first day at the Brawdus Martin Fort Germanna Visitor Center will be October 3, 2022. We hope you will join us in welcoming her.

Hurst-Wender replaces Executive Director Timothy Sutphin, who has moved on to pursue a personal business opportunity.

The Germanna Foundation tells America's story of liberty through the frontier experience of her settlers and descendants using archaeological, historical, and genealogical research and interpretation. They maintain stewardship over the following important properties and initiatives: Brawdus Martin Fort Germanna Visitor Center, Hitt Archaeology Center, Siegen Forest, and Germanna Memorial Garden, all located in Locust Grove, Virginia; the Fort Germanna and “Enchanted Castle” archaeology site also in Locust Grove, VA; the c1757 Salubria Manor, in Stephenburg, VA; the Peter Hitt Farm and Cemetery, an early 19th Century homestead of descendants in Fauquier County, VA. The Foundation has published 23 volumes in The Germanna Record series of genealogy and history books and maintains a genealogy database of over 130,000 descendants of the Germanna colonists.