Press Release
Dr. Faye Jensen (above), the esteemed CEO of the South Carolina Historical Society (SCHS), has announced she will be retiring in Spring 2024 after 16 years in the position. The SCHS Board of Managers has launched a national search for her replacement. Until then, Jensen will remain in her current role to ensure a smooth transition to new leadership.
“It has been an incredible era for the South Carolina Historical Society under Faye's leadership,” said Bill Davies, chair of the SCHS board. “In addition to all she's done to advance the mission of the organization, I've enjoyed working with Faye for many years. On behalf of the entire board and staff, we sincerely appreciate her many years of service and exemplary dedication to the Society.”
Jensen, the longest sitting head of the organization in its history, led the Society 's $6.8 million campaign to relocate its archives and renovate the Fireproof Building, a national historic landmark on Meeting Street in historic downtown Charleston. The building reopened as T he South Carolina Historical Society Museum in September of 2018, making the Society's collections more accessible to the public and enhancing public engagement through interactive exhibits and expanded education programs. Museum exhibitions highlight the diversity of South Carolina's people and stories as well as the state's critical contributions to American history over 350 years. The SCHS Museum has been featured in numerous national publications, including: The Wall Street Journal, Conde Nast Traveler, USA Today, Garden & Gun, Forbes, AFAR, Departures, and more.
The Society had used the Fireproof Building for offices, research, and storing archives for years; however, a key motivator of the Fireproof Building project stemmed from the need to guarantee the proper long-term care of the Society's two million-piece collection of manuscripts, letters, journals, maps, drawings, photographs, and artifacts. Recognizing the need for more space as well as greater access to the collections, in 2014 Jensen championed a partnership with the College of Charleston to relocate the Society's materials and archival staff to Addlestone Library's Special Collections and to establish the South Carolina Historical Society Reading Room in that facility. The nationally-renowned collections contain records of the lives, passions, struggles, and viewpoints of South Carolinians from the colonial era to the present. Hundreds of researchers come from around the world each year to use the collections.
“I'm very proud of all that we've accomplished collectively,” said Jensen. “Over the past two decades, we have preserved this incredible collection, expanded access to our archives, and engaged with a broader audience in ways that I could not have imagined when I joined the organization in 2006. It has been an honor to lead this organization and this extraordinary team. To our public partners, our generous donors, our dedicated staff, our passionate volunteers, and of course, our audience members, I can only say thank you.”
Born in Virginia, Jensen received her BA from the University of Georgia and her PhD from Emory University. She was trained as an archivist by the National Archives and Records Administration at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. While at the Carter Library, Jensen focused on the papers of the First Lady and published “‘These are Precious Years': The Papers of Rosalynn Carter,” in Modern First Ladies: Their Documentary Legacy. Jensen taught history for nearly twenty years at several colleges and universities, including Perimeter College in Atlanta, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and The Citadel.
“Faye has led a transformational period for the Historical Society,” said Davies. “She is a dedicated scholar, an inspired educator, a thoughtful leader, and she has become a good friend. We will miss her, but we know that she has assembled an outstanding team and a strong foundation on which we will build and move forward.”
The Society has engaged James Abruzzo and Michele Counter of DHR Global's Nonprofit Practice to assist with the national search for Jensen's successor.
“I'm grateful to our outstanding team, hardworking board and the many dedicated donors and members who have contributed to the success of the Society so far,” Jensen added. “Knowing I leave a strong foundation for the future, I'm confident the Society will continue to grow in reach and impact with this incredible team of professionals and community supporters.”
