CORNISH, N.H. — The Saint-Gaudens Memorial (SGM), a nonprofit organization that promotes the legacy of the great American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) and partners with the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, recently announced the appointment of Jackie Schalk as the organization’s first full-time executive director. She will begin her new position on Jan. 2, 2025.
“We are pleased to have Jackie join us in this important leadership role,” said SGM Board President Thayer Tolles. “She has years of experience with nonprofit fundraising, outreach and operations that align well with the needs of our organization. She will play a pivotal role in building our capacity and impact both regionally and nationally.”
Schalk’s career began in New York City at the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, a nonprofit organization that augments National Park Service operations at the iconic site. For 15 years, Jackie served as director of the American Family Immigration History Center, a department of the Foundation that has long been at the core of the Ellis Island experience and helps about 100,000 people per year research their family histories. She subsequently held senior development positions with the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, American Ancestors, and most recently, the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston.
“I am eager to join Saint-Gaudens Memorial and raise the profile of the artist and promote his living legacy,” said Schalk. “As a resident of the Upper Valley, I am well aware of the wonderful work this organization does to support the cultural fabric of the region.”
Tolles added that Schalk will increase SGM’s connection with the Upper Valley community and deepen its ability to engage audiences through its exhibitions, concerts, and programs, as well as augment support to the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park.
“The Saint-Gaudens Memorial has been steadfast in its support for Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, advancing programs that bring vitality to our mutual efforts to operate the park as a living memorial to the life and legacy of Augustus Saint-Gaudens,” said Rick Kendall, superintendent of the Park. “I am pleased to welcome Jackie to this new role and look forward to working with her to carry the partnership between SGM and the Park to new levels.”
Schalk’s hire culminates a nationwide search that began earlier this year and was conducted by Dan Yaeger, senior search consultant for Museum Search & Reference, an executive placement firm specializing in the North American museum field.
The Saint-Gaudens Memorial (SGM) is one of the country’s earliest preservation organizations, founded in 1919 to maintain and present the home, studios, gardens, and artwork of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, known for the Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Regiment and other Civil War monuments, coin designs for the U.S. Mint, and his impact on art and culture of the American Gilded Age. SGM operated the property as a museum from 1927 until 1964, when it donated the site to the federal government. Today it is the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, which is maintained and managed by the National Park Service and draws about 35,000 visitors per year. The Saint-Gaudens Memorial produces and funds exhibitions, concerts, and educational programs for the benefit of the public, and advocates for the park to ensure its vitality and sustainability.
