Nationally Recognized Preservation Expert Laura Hortz Stanton Named as Penn Museum’s Director of Collections

PHILADELPHIA—A nationally recognized educator and leader on conservation, preservation, and collections management, Laura Hortz Stanton, has been appointed as the Director of Collections at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. She will begin September 12, 2022.

As the Executive Director of the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) since 2014, Stanton has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in growing the institution’s scope, reputation, and building facilities. Her achievements include managing large-scale conservation and preservation projects, while executing CCAHA's strategic goals and business planning initiatives.

Founded in 1977 in Philadelphia, CCAHA is one of the leading conservation organizations in the United States—serving museums, libraries, archives, all levels of government, and other entities. She joined the staff of CCAHA in 2005, first serving as the organization’s Preservation Specialist before advancing as the Director of Preservation Services.

Stanton’s first encounter with the Penn Museum was during a fourth-grade class trip— an experience that left a lifelong mark, sparking her curiosity about the world.

“The Penn Museum’s commitment to expanding access to collections, alongside its dedication to meaningful stewardship and preservation are admirable,” Stanton says. “This opportunity to help steward the collection is truly an honor, and I am thrilled to share my 20 years of museum and conservation experience with the Museum during a time of major transformation.”

Stanton is the co-chair of the Storytelling and Preservation working groups for Held in Trust, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Foundation for the Advancement in Conservation (FAIC), tasked with evaluating the preservation of cultural heritage in the U.S. She is also a member of FAIC’s National Heritage Responders, which responds to emergencies and disasters across the country.

“After an extensive search, we are excited to welcome Laura Hortz Stanton to fill this critical role at the Penn Museum. I am confident that Laura will be an invaluable member of the Executive Team and provide excellent leadership and advocacy for the Collections division of the Museum,” says Dr. Christopher Woods, Williams Director of the Penn Museum and Avalon Professor in the Humanities at Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences.

Stanton previously served as the Curator of Collections at the Siouxland Heritage Museums in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

She received her M.A. in Museum Studies at the Cooperstown Graduate Program and her B.A. in Anthropology and Archaeology from Temple University.