Award-winning architectural and urban historian Amber Wiley has been announced by the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design as the inaugural Matt and Erika Nord Director of the Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites (CPCRS).

The current Rutgers University assistant professor will also hold the title of Presidential Associate Professor and lecture primarily in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation. Wiley holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from George Washington University in addition to degrees in Architecture and Architectural History from Yale and the University of Virginia. 

She comes to the new positions highly recommended as the author of the forthcoming title Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital and curator of Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum, now on view at Rutgers’ New Brunswick, New Jersey campus. Her past work for organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Building Museum has solicited honors from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the Society of Architectural Historians, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, among others. Penn says she will be particularly well-equipped to lead the nascent CPCRS owing to her interest and expertise in topics such as urban renewal, African American and African diasporic cultural heritage, school design, and historic preservation. 

“This is as close to a dream job as one can get, and I am looking forward to building on the work that Randy Mason has done and moving the vision forward,” Wiley said in a statement. “As we re-examine the multitude of ways people have fought against oppression in this country, and understand how these stories and battles are embedded within the built environment, CPCRS can be instrumental.”

The CPCRS shares that its mission is to “raise visibility and build capacity where historic preservation and civil rights histories intersect.” Wiley will formally take over Mason's role in July of next year. 

“We believe this Center has the potential to be a powerful platform through which we can deepen our understanding of history and the vibrant cultures that are foundational to our country,” UPenn alumni and donor Matt Nord said finally. “We are thrilled Amber Wiley is joining the team to lead this important initiative.”