The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced today that Board Chair Jay Clemens will serve as Interim President & CEO, effective March 3, 2023. This announcement follows the announcement last November by National Trust President Paul Edmondson of his intention to step down in 2023. 

Clemens has served as a National Trust Trustee since 2016 and as Board Chair since 2020. He also serves as a member of the Board’s Search Committee for a new permanent president. In addition to his experience on the organization’s Board of Trustees, Clemens brings significant experience as an advocate for historic preservation and as an executive leader and legal expert at several large organizations, primarily in the technology sector. 

"I am grateful for the Board’s confidence in my taking on this interim leadership role as our Search Committee carries out a robust national search for our next leader," said Clemens. "The Search Committee and the Board are dedicated to taking whatever time is needed to complete this work with integrity and thoroughness. It is my intention to be sure that the organization continues to maintain its strong programmatic momentum while the committee completes its search," he added. 

"Jay is a passionate supporter of the value of historic preservation, and he has been an invaluable partner to me during my tenure as President," said Edmondson. "I am dedicated to seeing that Jay has all of the support needed to manage through this transition successfully and ultimately to ensure that the work of the National Trust continues to have impact and to grow in its reach," he added. 

About Jay Clemens
Mr. Clemens retired as Senior Vice President of Legal and General Counsel at the Lenovo Group based in Hong Kong. Prior to joining Lenovo, he was Senior Vice President of Legal at eBay, where he oversaw commercial, compliance, and product issues for the eBay marketplaces business. In addition to his service on the Board of the National Trust, Jay has been active in historic preservation projects in West Virginia and his home state of North Dakota. Mr. Clemens holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from Dartmouth.