Board of Directors of the Historic Seattle Preservation Foundation

Michael Herschensohn - President of the Foundation
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Michael Herschensohn, Foundation Chair, is an inveterate cultural conservationist with a PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell. Michael’s preservation experience includes historic district surveys; National Register nominations; exhibits about the history of Chicago architecture; and producing the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s famous walking and bus tours. In Seattle, he was formerly director of The Children’s Museum, Museum of History & Industry, and Northwest Folklife. Michael is particularly enthusiastic about the preservation of vernacular buildings and sites.

James Fearn is a graduate of Antioch College and the University of Chicago Law School, and is General Counsel for the Seattle Housing Authority. Previously he has been an attorney in private practice and worked as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Land Use Division of the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, and Seattle Legal Services. James has also worked as Deputy Director and Executive Director of the Institute for Local Government and Public Service in Budapest, Hungary. He has served on a variety of boards and commissions including the Seattle Parks Board, the Seattle Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, and the Governor’s Growth Management Task Force. James has been a member of the Historic Seattle Public Development Authority Council for more than ten years.

Gary Gaffner was born and raised on Alki Point, a fifth-generation Seattleite, and has enjoyed a lifetime avocation studying the history of the city, its many interesting people, its architecture, and collecting its artifacts.He graduated with a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Washington in 1957 and an MBA from Stanford University in 1961.  He spent his entire career at The Boeing Airplane Company as an engineer and later in various management positions, with occasional stints as a visiting lecturer in the Graduate Business School at Stanford.As an extension of this avocation, he and his wife undertook privately the restoration of many old Seattle homes, hoping to bring back as much of their original charm as possible.  He served as a founder and board member of the Community Council and the Historical Society on Seattle’s Queen Anne hill for several decades. When Historic Seattle was being formed 31 years ago, Gary was elected by the conveners as the first constituency member on the Council’s first board and has served continuously since then on the Council’s Board, followed by the Board of Directors of the Historic Seattle Preservation Foundation, serving as the Council’s third chairperson. 

Mary McCumber has an MA in Urban Planning from the University of Washington. She has played a leadership role in developing and implementing growth management and transportation strategies in Washington State. Mary was executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council for 12 years. Prior to that, she was the executive director of the Washington State Growth Strategies Commission and held various planning positions in local government. Mary has received numerous state and national planning awards and was named the 1997 King County Municipal League Public Official of the Year. Mary served on Historic Seattle's Council in the 1980s, and returned to the Council in 2004. She also served on Seattle's Landmark Preservation Board for seven years.