We welcome Erica McAvoy as our new Executive Director!

The Board of Managers of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Hampshire is pleased to announce that it has appointed Erica McAvoy as the new Executive Director of the Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden. McAvoy brings over a decade of experience in the museum field to Moffatt-Ladd, her most recent position in the field being the Executive Director of Lexington Historical Society in Lexington, Massachusetts.

McAvoy is excited to take the reins, and has several ideas for how the museum can become more involved in the community. “It’s so important for museums to be relevant to the communities in which they’re located in addition to the visitors who come from other areas,” she said. “I look forward to getting involved with the Portsmouth 400^th commemoration and partnering with other organizations to help us fulfill the museum’s mission.”

The Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden is an historic house museum property owned and operated by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Hampshire (NSCDA-NH) whose mission is education and preservation.  The purpose of the Moffatt-Ladd House and Garden is to interpret American, New Hampshire, and Portsmouth history through the lives and possessions of the inhabitants of the house, both enslaved and free.  The Society collects and preserves objects and manuscripts appropriate to this history.

While in Lexington, McAvoy spearheaded an initiative to incorporate the stories of enslaved people into the interpretation at one of the organization’s museums. She is excited to build upon the work that has already been done at the Moffatt-Ladd House to tell the full history of the site.

McAvoy studied history both in college and graduate school, earning a Bachelor’s from Salem State University and a Master’s from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She also holds a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.

Though she and her family are moving to the Seacoast this fall, she currently resides in Massachusetts and is working partially remotely. She can be reached by email at director@moffattladd.org or by phone at ​603-430-7968.

For more information on the Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden, visit its website at www.moffattladd.org.