Ohioans involved in efforts to preserve historic buildings, neighborhoods, downtowns and communities are coming together this November for the first Ohio’s Preservation Conference.  The event will be held on November 6 and 7 at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus.

Today, Preservation Ohio announced a list of keynote speakers, workshops and events for a Conference that will focus on unique and powerful tools for organization growth, community leadership, preservation advocacy, economic development, urban life, technology, heritage tourism and more.

Keynote speakers include A. Robert Jaeger, Executive Director of Partners for Sacred Places, the country’s leading non-profit focusing on older churches and religious buildings; Dr. Willliam K. Laidlaw, Jr., Executive Director of The Ohio Historical Society and Ohio Historic Preservation Officer, and Daniel G. Mulhern, a leadership consultant and also “First Gentleman” of the State of Michigan (Mr. Mulhern is the husband of Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm).

Other presenters and workshop leaders include Dr. Donna DeBlasio, Chair of the Center for Historic Preservation at Youngstown State University; Margo Warminski, Preservation Director of the Cincinnati Preservation Association; Ben Blanquera, Director of the Columbus Technology Council; Tim Donovan, Director of the Ohio Canal Corridor, and several others.  Workshops will include one of the first public presentations of Ohio’s new proposed Heritage Area program, a look at the latest on the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, and a unique look at current historic preservation and design review ordinances in Ohio.

During the two-day Conference, attendees will also be able to view a special screening of “The Courthouse Girls of Farmland,” an award-winning film profiling efforts to save a historic courthouse in Indiana, as well as an evening stroll through “Rockwell’s America,” the largest touring exhibit on the art of iconic painter Norman Rockwell.

To be sure, one primary benefit of attending Ohio’s Preservation Conference will be the opportunity to meet fellow preservationists from across the state, and to share ideas and enthusiasm.

The Conference website is now up and running, and can be accessed by visiting the Preservation Ohio home page at www.preservationohio.org, and by clicking on “Ohios Preservation Conference” -- and can also be accessed here.