Dolores McDonagh

Dolores has been working to save places that matter for more than 30 years. She first fell in love with historic homes in elementary school when she came across a picture of her family home – a Victorian Four Square large enough to house her, her parents and her eight siblings – in a history book in her local library.

As a history major in college, Dolores learned about the power of historic places and the stories they tell to connect us to our past and inform our future. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in American History from Brown University, Dolores moved to Washington, DC, where she began her exploration of the built and natural environment of the National Capital Region, from the diverse neighborhoods of DC to the wealth of hiking and kayaking opportunities in nearby Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia.

In her 25 years with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Dolores raised awareness and funds to support the preservation of places that matter, from 9 Mile Canyon in Utah to Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks in Maryland to Rosenwald Schools throughout the South and Southwest. She has also provided fundraising consulting to a wide range of nonprofits, from libraries and foodbanks to hospitals and health charities.

As Director of Development, Dolores helps donors achieve a lasting impact for our world by supporting efforts to conserve national parks and inspire and empower the next generation of park stewards. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her husband, Jamie, quilting, serving as a Board Member of the Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming in Silver Spring, MD, and singing with an a capella octet, Venus d minor.