Since starting her firm in 2004 and during her thirty year professional career, Donna Ann Harris has assisted citizen groups and government agencies to identify appropriate reuses for threatened historic properties that ensure the long term preservation and maintenance of the site. Ms. Harris has worked in the nonprofit and government sectors of the preservation movement for more than two decades at the local, state and national levels. Ms. Harris has led start-up and mature statewide preservation organizations as an executive, was first staff member of a land and building conservation organization, and directed a wide variety of projects for local preservation organizations. We have worked in the downtown revitalization field for more than a dozen years. Below is an overview of the experience we offer clients.

Downtown Revitalization Experience

Prior to starting her firm in 2004, Ms. Harris was state coordinator for the Illinois Main Street program for two years and the manager of the Illinois suburban Main Street program for four years. During her tenure, Ms. Harris served 56 Illinois Main Street communities, led a staff of 12 and managed a budget of over a million dollars. In 2003, Ms. Harris became a Certified Main Street Manager through the National Trust Main Street Center.

In the last six years, Donna has worked with state, countywide and local Main Street programs in 22 of the Main Street coordinating programs at the city/state level including: Arkansas, Baltimore, City of Philadelphia, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York State, Oakland County (MI), Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Portland OR, Texas, Washington State, Wisconsin and Wyoming Main Street.

Donna published several feature articles in the National Trust Main Street Center’s bi-monthly journal Main Street Now:

• "Back on Track Illinois Main Street Case Studies" (August/September 2012);
• "Make Your Case, Triple Your Membership" (September/October 2010);
• "Make More Money from Members" (August, 2008);
• “Is a BID Feasible for Your Town? Ten Questions to Ponder” (April 2007) and
• “A Valiant Effort” and “What You Can Do, Lessons From Illinois Main Street” (January 2005).

All of these articles are available for download on this web site, check the downtown revitalization project pages for each one.

For the last eight years Donna has spoken at the National Trust Main Street Center annual conference, and at the International Downtown Association annual meeting in 2008 and 2009. We continue to enjoy working with state coordinating programs and local revitalization organizations nationwide. Please see a list of our projects here.

Historic Preservation Experience

As a preservation planner with more than 30 years of professional experience, Ms. Harris has assisted citizen groups and government agencies to identify appropriate reuses for threatened historic properties that ensure the long term preservation and maintenance of the site. Past projects range from conceptual site plans, reuse planning and feasibility studies, preparation of RFPs, grant writing, audience research and evaluation programs, tourism product development, historic preservation elements of municipal master plans and historic resource research.  We enjoy working with preservation organizations of all kinds to help them further their agendas. Please see the variety of projects we have completed for clients here.

Historic House Museum and Heritage Tourism Experience

Since 2004 Ms. Harris has been speaking about and consulting with historic house museums around the country about alternative uses and stewardship responsibilities. Her book New Solutions for House Museums: Ensuring the Long-Term Preservation of America’s Historic Houses was published by AltaMira Press in 2007.  She has published articles about reuse of historic house museums in History News, the quarterly magazine of the American Association for State and Local History and Forum Journal, the quarterly journal of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In the past four years, Ms. Harris has spoken at more than 30 national, regional and statewide conferences about her house museum research.

Heritage Consulting has worked with historic sites on preservation plans, heritage tourism assessments, audience research, assessment and evaluation, volunteer recruitment, conceptual site plans, conducted focus groups, and prepared cyclical maintenance plans for historic sites. Please see all of our projects with historic sites and heritage tourism here.

Nonprofit Organizational Development Experience

Ms. Harris has worked in the nonprofit sector for the majority of her career and as such, as considerable experience in fundraising, board development and training, program design and development for both start up organizations and more sophisticated nonprofits. In her Main Street career, Ms. Harris has worked with hundreds of community based economic development organizations, helping them evolve and thrive as catalysts for change in the downtown districts. She has also considerable background working for preservation organizations at the local and statewide level. Please see the range of organizational development projects we have undertaken for clients here.

Please review the rest of this web site to see the many projects we have undertaken for clients in the last seven years, and then contact us find out how we can help you

Updated as of 3-31-13.