Page Title
Our Staff
David Herring
Director
Formerly the Director of Properties & Programs and one of the co-founders of A.C.O.R.N., David Herring has been a resident of Church Hill for more than 20 years and has restored two houses during that time. David has been instrumental in the success of A.C.O.R.N.'s Option Program and developed A.C.O.R.N.'s Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program. He is former secretary of the Church Hill Association and served for two years as chairman of the zoning committee of that organization. In 2006 David was nominated for the Volvo for Life competition as a local hero for his efforts in preservation in the city of Richmond. Out of thousands of entries, he was among 255 nationwide semi-finalists for this prestigious award. David is a graduate of the VCU School of the Arts with a BA in Interior Design. He was employed as a commercial interior designer before joining the A.C.O.R.N. staff.
Giles Harnsberger
Programs
Giles Harnsberger is a longtime friend of the City of Richmond. Born and raised in Ginter Park, she later became a resident of Woodland Heights in the Southside, and now lives in Carytown. Giles graduated from the Governor's School at Thomas Jefferson High School, and continued her education at Williams College in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, where she graduated with a BA in American Studies. She relocated to Portland, Oregon following graduation to see good urban planning on the ground, then spent time in Mexico, and returned to Richmond in 2008 with a new perspective. She has special interest in spreading enthusiasm for various multi-family housing types. Giles is presently a student in VCU's Masters of Urban and Regional Planning program.
Lane Pearson
Property Director
Lane is a graduate of the University of Richmond's T.C. Williams School of Law, and holds a joint degree in law and urban and regional planning. He completed his undergraduate work at UNC Chapel Hill where he earned a BA in history. Lane has worked and consulted with a variety of businesses and organizations on legal issues related to historic preservation, zoning litigation, development and historic rehabilitation, tax credits, easement and covenant agreements. Having worked as part of the National Trust in Washington, spent time at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and interned at the Historic Richmond Foundation, Lane draws from a wealth of experience in the historic preservation field. Lane hails from the city of Shelby, North Carolina, birthplace of Earl Scruggs and livermush, part-times as a disc jockey, and has a propensity to deconstruct old bicylces in his spare time.
Karri Richardson
Tax Credit Consultant
Karri Richardsonhas been a Historic Tax Credit Specialist for A.C.O.R.N.'s Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Services since its inception. Before joining A.C.O.R.N, Karri served as Manager of Historical Collections for Maymont House Museum in Richmond. An architectural historian and former Secretary of the Virginia Conservation Association, Ms. Richardson earned a bachelor's degree in American History from the College of William & Mary and a master’s degree in Art History from Virginia Commonwealth University. She worked on architectural history-related projects for Colonial Williamsburg, Dumbarton House Museum in Washington, D.C. and the Hancock-Wirt-Caskie House in Richmond.
Selden Richardson
Architectural Historian
A Richmond native, Selden received his undergraduate degree in history from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Humanities degree from the University of Richmond. He later received a master's degree in architectural history at VCU. He is the former Archivist for Architectural Records at the Library of Virginia and currently serves as the President of the Board of A.C.O.R.N. Mr. Richardson is the author of A.C.O.R.N.'s 2006 publication, Built By Blacks.
Melinda Skinner
Communications
Another co-founder of A.C.O.R.N., former board member, and development director, Melinda is in now charge of communications. She was an early advocate of preservation and renovation as a longtime resident of Church Hill-- one of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods-- and served on the Church Hill Association board and its zoning committee. Melinda attended Hollins College, earned her M.Ed. degree from VCU, and has spent more than 30 years as a freelance writer, creating award-winning scripts for films and videos and writing other materials for museums and educational organizations. She was the Membership/Annual Fund Coordinator for Historic Richmond Foundation for ten years and Annual Fund Director at the Library of Virginia Foundation for seven years. Ms. Skinner served on the board of Barksdale Theatre for eight years and currently serves on the board of the Friends of VCU Libraries. She is a former member of the Junior League of Richmond and a current member of the Colonial Dames of Virginia and The Woman’s Club.
Bryan Townes
Historic Preservation Consultant
Bryan Townes joined A.C.O.R.N. in January 2009 as a consultant for architectural preservation, design, and tax credit services. Bryan earned a degree in architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a masters degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia, after which he joined an architectural firm in Atlanta for eight years before moving to Richmond to work at Commonwealth Architects for five years. He has prepared numerous applications for National Register nominations-- including Mount Stirling in Charles City County and Bechelbronn in Lunenberg County. Bryan also has an array of experience completing historic structure reports, feasibility studies, and preservation plans as well as Condition Assessment Program (CAP) reports and Investment Tax Credit (ITC) applications.
Amy Vealey
Tax Credit Consultant
Amy Vealey joined A.C.O.R.N. in December 2007 as a Historic Tax Credit Specialist for the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Service. Amy is also the Office Manager for an architecture firm, Art & Architecture, Inc. Additionally Ms. Vealey has worked with tax credit consultants on a National Register Nomination. She received undergraduate degrees in History and Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University and completed the Historic Preservation Planning Program at VCU in the Summer of 2008. She presented her research on Violet Bank in Colonial Heights at VCU's 15th Annual Architectural Symposium in November 2007 and presented her research project titled "The Evolution of the Doric Order of Architecture at the 2008 Symposium. In her time at A.C.O.R.N. Ms. Vealey has been involved in one historic district nomination expansion as well as a tax credit application.