Paul Edmondson is the President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Before being named to the position in June 2019, Paul served for more than two decades as the organization’s general counsel. In that role, he championed the strong enforcement and interpretation of preservation laws at the federal, state, and local levels, while at the same time working with developers and local preservationists to find effective compromise solutions to preservation challenges. He has worked with property owners to identify creative options for preserving historic properties, including the use of historic preservation easements. In his work with National Trust Historic Sites, he has advanced new shared-use operating models designed to ensure their long-term sustainability and relevance in modern-day life. As corporate counsel to the National Trust, he was engaged with virtually all aspects of the organization’s work during the course of his service with the organization.

A graduate of Cornell University, Paul began his professional career as a practicing archaeologist before entering law school at American University. He joined the National Trust’s legal team following a brief tenure as a senior attorney with the federal government. As general counsel, he previously served as a member of the Trust’s executive leadership under former presidents Richard Moe and Stephanie Meeks.