Longtime director of influential Historic Columbia announces retirement. Here’s what to know
For more than two decades, Robin Waites has been a fixture with Historic Columbia, the nonprofit organization that has emerged as a leader in the preservation and contextualization of history in the capital city.
Now she is planning an exit from her longtime role.
Waites on Thursday announced her upcoming retirement as Historic Columbia’s executive director. She told The State she plans to stay on through June 2024 to help transition leadership of the organization. A search will be conducted for Historic Columbia’s next leader, organization officials said.
The nonprofit, which advocates for historic preservation and education throughout Columbia and Richland County, has grown in size and influence under Waites’ watch.
When she was hired as executive director nearly two decades ago, Historic Columbia had six full-time staffers, a handful of part-timers and an annual budget of about $300,000. Today, it employs more than 20 full-time staffers, about 20 part-timers and has a budget of $2.5 million.
Waites said the time is simply right to step away.
“I’ve been at Historic Columbia for more than 20 years, and I’ve been proud of where we’ve come as an organization,” Waites, 54, told The State. “COVID kind of knocked everybody out, and I wanted to be able to get the organization back on really solid footing (post-pandemic), and it feels like we are there. I have kind of personally checked off the goals I’ve had for the organization and feel like, both for me personally and for the organization, that it’s time for a change.”
Historic Columbia board chairwoman Kim Crafton said Waites has been a tireless advocate for thoughtful historic preservation and education in the Columbia area.
“For two decades, Robin has been a guiding force at HC, leading the organization with unwavering dedication, passion, and a deep commitment to preserving the rich history of Columbia,” Crafton said. “Under her guidance, HC has flourished, becoming a vital institution that connects the past and the present. As she embarks on a well-deserved retirement from her work at HC, we wish to spend this year celebrating the lasting impact of her tenure as executive director.”
Waites has been with Historic Columbia for 21 years. She started in 2002 as the agency’s director of external affairs, focused on marketing and development. She was named Historic Columbia’s executive director in 2004.
Waites ushered through a number of initiatives at Historic Columbia under her leadership. One of them was the 2008 establishment of the Connecting Communities Through History program. That began with a focus on six historic neighborhoods in Columbia via a collection of oral histories, documentation of various historic sites and the creation of web-based and guided tours. By 2021 the program had expanded to 23 areas of Columbia and was organized by themes including LGBTQ Columbia, the Jewish Heritage Initiative and African-American heritage sites.
“One of the hallmarks of Robin’s leadership has been her commitment to inclusivity,” Crafton said. “She has understood the importance of acknowledging the diverse voices and experiences that have shaped Columbia’s history and has worked to make strides in recognizing and celebrating the contributions of these underrepresented communities.”
Historic Columbia has six historic properties that it manages, including the Museum of the Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home, the Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens and the Robert Mills House and Gardens, among others. Waites said that, when she got the executive director’s job in 2004, the agency was doing the best it could to manage those homes, and the 14 acres of associated grounds were “unkempt at best.”
Those grounds are now expertly manicured, and Waites said they “stand among the best examples of historic site preservation and interpretation in the region.”
One of the most recent developments on the grounds is the gleaming Boyd Foundation Horticultural Center at the Hampton-Preston Mansion, a state-of-the-art greenhouse that is intended to be a hub for horticultural research, propagation, interpretation and programming.
Historic Columbia has become a multi-pronged organization through the years, Waites said. It focuses on historic sites and important events in Columbia’s history, certainly, but it also is key in providing context as to the deeper cultural meaning of why certain places and people were significant.
“The work that I have enjoyed at Historic Columbia certainly is connected to the buildings and grounds and programs, but I think over the last 20 years we’ve seen Historic Columbia grow into an organization that is essential in the community, whether that’s planning or storytelling or making sure our key, character-defining places are still here,” Waites said. “I think it’s positioned in a completely different way than it was in 2002, and I’m proud of that.”
