Jonathan Kinney – State Historic Preservation Officer and Director of Operations
Jonathan Kinney joined the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office as the new Director of Operations and State Historic Preservation Officer in July 2020.
Before coming to the CT SHPO, Jonathan was a Senior Historic Preservation Specialist with the New Jersey’s Historic Preservation Office (HPO), where he served as the statewide Coordinator of the Certified Local Government (CLG) Program. Jonathan worked with local historic preservation commissions from all over New Jersey, providing technical assistance and training, and managing a small grant program to support the commissions’ efforts to identify and preserve their communities' irreplaceable historic resources. Jonathan’s previous work in the office included the regulatory review of a variety of federal, state, and municipal undertakings pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the New Jersey Register of Historic Places Act, and various Land Use regulations.
Prior to joining the NJ HPO staff in 2007, Jonathan worked as the Coordinator for the Trenton Historical Society.
Jonathan received a B.A. degree from the College of New Jersey, an M.A. in History from William Paterson University, and a Certificate in Historic Preservation from Burlington County College. A long-time resident of New Jersey, Jonathan relocated to Connecticut in August 2020 and now lives in Simsbury with his wife and two daughters.
Julie Carmelich – State Historic Preservation Office National Register Specialist, Historian
Julie Carmelich is an Historian with the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) located within the Department of Economic and Community Development. Since her start at the SHPO in 2008, Julie’s primary responsibility has been administering the State and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Programs. Julie has over 20 years of professional preservation experience in the private and public sectors. Her private sector work includes positions in cultural resources management where she worked to assess the impact of federally funded projects on historic resources as required under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. She also served as a Stewardship Manager for The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, now known as Historic New England, where she monitored the preservation restrictions of properties throughout New England. Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Colgate University and a Master of Arts degree in Preservation Studies from Boston University.
Mary Dunne – Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer and Grants Coordinator
Mary Dunne is an Architectural Historian with the Department of Economic and Community Development State Historic Preservation Office. In this capacity she is the staff liaison for all Local Historic District Commissions and Certified Local Governments (CLG) in Connecticut. She administers grant funding to municipalities qualified under the CLG program and also administers grants for non-profit organizations and non-CLG municipalities. She also serves as a Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer.
Prior to working for the State Historic Preservation Office, Mary was Executive Director of the Manchester Historical Society in Manchester CT and was Preservation Services Officer for the New Haven Preservation Trust from 2001-2003.
Prior to moving to New England in 1998, Mary lived and worked in Washington, DC, starting her career in the Preservation Office of the Old Executive Office Building (now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building), a National Historic Landmark building that houses a majority of the White House staff.
Mary earned a Master of Arts degree in Preservation Studies from Boston University in 2000 and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature from James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Virginia).