Staff
Executive Director
Membership and Programs Manager
cpiontek@bostonpreservation.org
Advocacy Coordinator
Interns & Volunteers
Corinne Engelbert
Sonja Vitow
About the Staff
Greg Galer | Executive Director
Executive Director Greg Galer joined the Boston Preservation Alliance on September 1, 2012. Born in Boston, a passionate preservationist, and an accomplished senior level non-profit executive, Galer brings over 20 years experience as a historic preservation advocate and museum professional to the organization. Previous positions include: Vice President of Collections and Exhibitions at the New Bedford Whaling Museum/Old Dartmouth Historical Society (New Bedford, MA), Curator of the Stonehill Industrial History Center at Stonehill College (Easton, MA), and Coordinator of Industrial History at the Valentine Museum (Richmond, VA).
Galer holds an A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) with Honors in American Civilization from Brown University and a Ph.D. in the History and Social Study of Science and Technology from MIT. He has been active with organizations such as Preservation Massachusetts, the Easton (MA) Historical Commission and the Society for Industrial Archeology for many years.
Areas of expertise include the interpretation, preservation, and curation of material culture collections and the built environment. Writings include “The Boston Bridgeworks and the Evolution of Truss Building Technology” and “Forging Ahead: the Ames Family and Three Centuries of Industrial Enterprise. He has curated dozens of historical and fine art exhibitions, taught at the college level, and successfully advocated for historic sites under threat of imminent demolition. He has been deeply involved in a variety of preservation and adaptive reuse projects from 19th century factory complexes, to historic museum galleries to an early 20th century bank.
Galer notes:
"I see this role as a culmination of decades of experience studying, caring for, and interpreting our material culture and built environment in all its diversity. Although, unlike museum collections, our city’s historic resources and their surroundings are always evolving, I see the educational, interpretive, and emotional impact of Boston’s buildings and landscapes as evidence that we steward one of the most powerful historical collections in the nation.
I’ve always been fascinated by the power of historic sites to not only transform our understanding of the past but to also enhance our appreciation of the fascinating diversity and unique character of our communities. These historic resources are what draw people to visit, live and explore special places like Boston and its distinctive neighborhoods. As Executive Director my goal is to energize the city as a whole to expand our appreciation for the richness of Boston’s historic resources."
Christine Piontek | Membership and Programs Manager
Christine Piontek has been with the Boston Preservation Alliance since 2008 and is the organization’s Membership and Programs Manager. In addition to being responsible for overseeing all membership-related operations, Christine coordinates the Alliance’s programming activities, the Preservation Achievement Awards, and the Auction and Gala fundraiser. A native of Connecticut, Christine has resided in the Boston area for 15 years and holds a Master of Liberal Arts degree in Applied History and a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Studies, both from Northeastern University.
Judy Neiswander | Advocacy Coordinator
Judy Neiswander brings a varied background to the role of Coordinator of Advocacy for the Alliance. She has a Master’s degree in Community Organization from the Boston University School of Social Work and a Ph.D. in the History of Art from the University of London. She has held curatorial positions at the Harvard University Art Museums and The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and taught the history of architecture and interior design at the University of Minnesota. For seven years she was a member of the Heritage Preservation Commission of Minneapolis. During the 2003-04 academic year Judy was a Research Fellow at the Stained Glass Museum in Ely, England. Her books include The Cosmopolitan Interior: Liberalism and the British Home, 1870-1914, (Yale University Press, London, 2008) and Stained and Art Glass (Intelligent Layman Publishers, London, 2005, co-authored with stained-glass artist Caroline Swash). She has lectured and published widely on various topics in British and American art and architecture and is currently helping the Newton Historical Society furnish a historic house from the 1730s.