Meet the Commissioners
One of the most important provisions of the Historic Preservation Ordinance is the creation of Montgomery County's Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). Appointed by the County Executive for 3-year terms, the nine Commissioners are all volunteers. The HPC considers applications for Historic Area Work Permits, have preliminary consultations with citizens who wish to make alterations to historic properties, evaluate changes to the Montgomery County Master Plan for Historic Preservation and review applications for the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Tax Credit.
In addition to their work at regularly scheduled public meetings, the Commissioners speak to public groups, testify before the Planning Board and County Council, answer questions from individual residents and visit proposed historic sites and historic properties where owners want to make changes. The HPC is supported by professional staff in M-NCPPC's Historic Preservation Section.
Leslie Miles, Esq.
Historic Preservation Commission Chair
Leslie Miles was appointed to the Historic Preservation Commission in 2007. After graduating from Boston University School of Law, she practiced law, worked on a Presidential campaign, was staff to United States Senator Barbara Mikulski and worked as a lobbyist before joining the Public Broadcasting Service.
She is a Principal at Topside, LLC. Miles was a longtime Member and Chair of the Logan Circle ANC (2F) in Washington D.C. before moving to Bethesda, where she has lived since 2002.
William Kirwan, AIA LEED AP
Historic Preservation Commission Vice-Chairman
William Kirwan was appointed to the Historic Preservation Commission in 2009. A Silver Spring resident, he's a registered Architect and Principal of Muse Architects, PC of Bethesda. Since receiving his Masters of Architecture from the University of Maryland in 1987, he has taught at the University of Maryland School of Architecture Preservation and Planning, served as a routine guest critic for design juries at the University of Maryland and Catholic University, and served as a member of the Washington Chapter of The American Institute of Architects Board of Directors as Director of Design Issues. In 2007, he became a LEED accredited professional.
Sandra Heiler
Historic Preservation Commissioner
Sandra Heiler, a Brookeville resident, joined the Historic Preservation Commission in 2009. She has worked on the restoration and preservation of historic houses and churches in New England and the Middle Atlantic. She was formerly a historic properties researcher for the Massachusetts Trustees of Reservations and the curator of the Robert Paine House museum, as well as a member of the Sudbury [Massachusetts] Historic Districts Commission. She has a Master of Science degree in Historic Preservation and Architectural History from Boston University. She retired as Senior Computer Scientist from Verizon Laboratories.
Jorge Rodriguez, AIA LEED AP
Historic Preservation Commissioner
Jorge Rodriguez, a licensed architect and LEED accredited professional, is the Studio Design Leader for CUH2A. Jorge has worked on a variety of projects in South, Central, and North America, and has experience working with important historic resources, including the Old DC Courthouse. Rodriguez, appointed to the Historic Preservation Commission in 2009, resides in Chevy Chase..
Craig Swift,
PE, SE, LEED AP
Historic Preservation Commissioner
Appointed to the Historic Preservation Commission in 2010, Craig Swift is a structural engineer with Keast & Hood Co. in Washington, DC. He has experience in the design, analysis, and retrofit of new and existing structures ranging from single-family homes to historic churches to large commercial buildings. Swift is a registered engineer in Maryland and California and a volunteer Disaster Service Worker for the state of California. A Rockville resident, he holds engineering degrees from Virginia Tech (BS) and UCLA (MS).
Paul Treseder
Historic Preservation Commissioner
Paul Treseder, who was appointed to the Historic Preservation Commission in 2010, has practiced as an Architect in Montgomery County for 21 years, opening his first office in Takoma Park in 1986 and relocating to Bethesda in 1996. He is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, having grown up and gone to school in Los Gatos, California and received his architectural degree from the University of California at Berkeley.
M'Lisa Whitney
Historic Preservation Commissioner
Appointed to the Historic Preservation Commission in 2010, M’Lisa Whitney is an archivist with the National Archives and Records Administration. She holds a BA in History from Rutgers University and an MS in Library Science and Archives from the University of Maryland. Whitney has lived in Maryland for several years and is a resident of Burtonsville.
Joseph Coratola
Historic Preservation Commissioner
Joseph J. Coratola Jr. AIA, a resident in the City of Gaithersburg was appointed to the Historic Preservation Commission in 2011. He is a registered Architect and is the principal-in-charge and Owner of Coratola Architectural Studio, LLC located in historic Olde Towne Gaithersburg. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Catholic University of America in 1987, served nine years on the City of Gaithersburg’s Historic Preservation Advisory Committee and coauthored the City of Gaithersburg’s ordinance to establish the newly formed Historic District Commission. His work, which ranges from single-family buildings to large commercial buildings, includes historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects throughout Maryland, District of Columbia and Connecticut.
For more information, please call the Historic Preservation Office, 301-563-3400.
Montgomery County Planning Department
8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910
www.montgomeryplanning.org