Townsend named interim director of Historic New Harmony

Leslie Townsend, director of Community Engagement for the University of Southern Indiana's Outreach and Engagement, has been named interim director of USI's Historic New Harmony, effective January 1, 2017. She will work closely with Connie Weinzapfel, current director of Historic New Harmony, until Weinzapfel's retirement on December 31, 2016. 

"I look forward to working with both Connie Weinzapfel and Leslie Townsend to ensure a seamless transition in leadership for Historic New Harmony," said Mark Bernhard, associate provost for Outreach and Engagement. "Connie has provided tremendous leadership for Historic New Harmony, and Leslie will build on this momentum in the coming year."

Townsend brings nearly 20 years of experience working with a heritage-based outreach program that works in the areas of cultural/heritage tourism, historic preservation, history education and community engagement. She is a graduate of USI with a bachelor's degree in history and sociology, and a master's degree in liberal studies. She has worked with Historic Southern Indiana, a regional heritage-based outreach program, since 1997, and became the director in 2008. She also directs Connect with Southern Indiana, a regional leadership development program, and assumed the title of Director of Community Engagement for USI's Outreach and Engagement in 2015. She also is a board member of the newly-formed Visit Posey County.

"I'm committed to community engagement and I'm looking forward to this opportunity with Historic New Harmony," said Townsend. "New Harmony's rich history and entrepreneurial spirit offer a lot in the way of educational experiences for our faculty and students, and I'm interested in exploring these opportunities."