Staff

Katherine Davis-Wheeler is a nonprofit leader, public historian, and historic preservation professional with over 18 years of experience working at the intersection of organizational strategy, community engagement, and cultural stewardship.

Her work centers on preservation and adaptive reuse, with a particular focus on the history and evolution of the preservation movement in the United States. Drawing on both academic and technical experience, she approaches preservation as a people-centered, equity-driven field—one that connects policy and advocacy with storytelling, community engagement, and neighborhood-based action.

Over the course of her career, Katherine has supported arts, history, and culture-focused organizations through periods of growth and transformation. She has held executive leadership roles and consulted for museums, historic sites, and nonprofits. Her work spans executive coaching, strategic planning, interim management, operational alignment, fundraising strategy, and advising organizations on DEIA practices grounded in accountability and structural change.

She holds an undergraduate degree in art history, a master’s in architecture and design with a focus on historic preservation and adaptive reuse, and a graduate certificate in public history and museum studies from the University of Massachusetts. Katherine has served in volunteer and advisory roles with numerous civic and preservation-focused organizations, including the Amherst Historical Commission, Amherst Design Review Board, Downtown Waltham Partnership, Preservation Massachusetts, and the Northampton Arts Council.

A New Englander, Molly Donahue is excited to join the Boston Preservation Alliance as Director of Advocacy. She most recently worked at the New York State Historic Preservation Office as an Historic Site Restoration Coordinator, focusing on tax credits for historic homeowners and state and federal grants. Outside of the office, Molly was a member of the Troy, NY Historic Review Committee and previously the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland’s Planning Cases Panel, where she sought to balance community development and preservation needs. She brings her technical skills and extensive experience working with the public to the Alliance, where she looks forward to engaging with the community and policy-makers to ensure preservation is at the forefront of conversations about what makes Boston thrive.

 
Prior to working in historic preservation, Molly had a career in communications and audio production at organizations including the UN Global Compact, Gimlet Media, and New Hampshire Public Radio. She holds a Master of Science in Architectural Conservation from the University of Edinburgh and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Barnard College. Molly believes everyone deserves to see their culture and history represented equitably in our built environment and that strong preservation practices benefit communities as a whole.