Gettysburg Museum Announces New Executive Director
September 13, 2024 by Community Contributors
From the Gettysburg Connection
Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center (SRMEC) has announced that Judy Morley will serve as its new Executive Director and President of the Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation (SRHPF).
SRMEC inhabits the 1832 Lutheran Seminary structure that became a centerpiece of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Inside, it interprets the causes and consequences of the Civil War, in a building where slavery was debated, where military leaders used the Cupola as a lookout, and where the battlefield’s largest fixed field hospital was created July 1, 1863.
Morley was unanimously elected by the SRHPF Board of Directors on Friday, September 6 at its fall meeting. She brings degrees in American History and teaching experience in the American Civil War to the award-winning Museum, as well as depth in executive and management experience. She has extensive communication training and expertise in entrepreneurship and fundraising.
Em Cole, SRHPF Board Chair, sees in Morley “a superb combination of historian, educator, and manager for leading the Museum. She has breadth and depth of experiences that will serve the mission of the Seminary Ridge Museum well, and she has familiarity with nonprofit organizations in Adams County.”
Brad Hoch, a member of the search group, suggested reasons Morley rose to the top of their list. Her “lifelong studies in the American Civil War, her professionalism, communication abilities and high energy bring a powerful skill set to the ongoing work of those on Seminary Ridge.”
Morley reflected her high energy for the SRHPF mission and its Museum, saying “I am thrilled to join the team of this amazing organization! It’s an honor to be able to work with such skilled and passionate individuals, and I hope that my talents will be a beneficial contribution to our mission.”
The Museum opened in 2013 on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg under the direction of Barbara Franco. Morley succeeds Peter Miele, who had served in various roles on the Museum staff since 2013 and served as its Executive Director since 2020. She will assume the new position October 1.