NHA Names Niles Parker As New Executive Director

The Nantucket Historical Association has named Niles D. Parker as the organization’s new executive director.

Parker is a familiar face to the NHA, as he previously held the position of chief curator at the NHA from 1999 to 2006, as well as acting executive director from 2005 to 2006. He played a significant role in the Whaling Museum’s major expansion and renovation project in 2005.

Parker told the Current the chance to lead the NHA and come back to the island was perhaps one of the only opportunities that could have lured him away from Maine, where he was leading the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor.

"I actually was not looking for a change," Parker said. "I was happy and engaged here in my position in Maine. I’ve stayed in touch with a lot of people on Nantucket and at the NHA and in the community. It’s always been a special place to me and my family. I said the one job I would think about moving for was this one. All the sudden it was open and the lure and pull for that opportunity was deeply exciting."

Parker will begin work at the NHA on May 19, 2022.

At the Maine Discovery Museum, Parker led the organization through two strategic planning processes which resulted in a shift toward expanded programming and increased revenues. He also was one of the founders of the Maine Science Festival and developed partnerships with surrounding universities and non-profits.

"It was a tough decision to leave," Parker said. "But I'm really interested in building off the progress that’s been made (at the NHA) and working with a great staff. When I was there last, we were building the new museum. We had a staff team there that was so fantastic, one of the great experiences I've had."

Parker is replacing the NHA's former executive director James Russell, who was abruptly placed on administrative leave in April 2021 and shortly thereafter the organization announced he would not be returning to its leadership post. The cause of Russell's unexpected departure from the NHA was never revealed, and Parker said he did not have any details on the situation.

"To me, it's about going forward and not looking back and that’s a strange thing to say about a historical society," Parker said. "The staff I know there now, I'm looking forward to developing that team and working with that team."

For the NHA's Board of Trustees, the nationwide search to replace Russell ended with the hiring of a candidate well-suited to jump into the leadership post. But perhaps more importantly, someone who is well-acquainted with island life and all that comes with it.

“The NHA is at an exciting point in its history," said Chip Carver, the President of the NHA Board of Trustees. "The Board has high expectations of what the NHA can become over the next several years, and I am confident that Niles is the person that can make those expectations a reality."

As for his immediate goals for the NHA, Parker said he would like to expand the various storytelling initiatives the organization has created in recent years, while also putting an emphasis on how the NHA can adapt its properties for climate change.

"I know the NCHA has spent time broadening the kinds and diversity of the stories it tells, and I think that's critically important and something we'll continue and accelerate," Parker said. "I think the issue of rising sea levels out there is obviously critical and directly impacts some of the buildings that the NHA maintains. So taking steps to raise awareness and address that proactively will be really important."

Niles and his wife, Sonja, have three grown children, Noah (25), Nicholas (22), and Eliza (19), two of which were born on the island when they previously called it home.

He said the NHA will be providing housing upon his return.

“Nantucket is a community, and the NHA is an organization that I hold close to my heart. There are few places I have encountered where a historical society is so entwined with the daily life of a community and its sense of place. I am exceptionally grateful for this opportunity to return to the island and connect with people there. I am eager to help steward the NHA toward achieving its mission and celebrating the diversity of stories which make the ‘elbow of sand’ so unique,” said Parker.