CULTURAL HERITAGE PARTNERS - Key Persons
Christine Grubbs is an advocate for historic preservation and cultural heritage with a background in public policy, fundraising, history, museums, and project management. Prior to joining CHP, Christine served on the Government Relations and Policy team at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She was involved in multiple federal policy campaigns including efforts to improve the federal Historic Tax Credit, to align the HTC with affordable housing credits, and to increase federal appropriations levels for preservation programs. Christine also supported public lands campaigns to tackle the deferred maintenance backlog of the National Park Service, promote historic leasing within the NPS, and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
In her role as Special Projects Manager, Christine supports initiatives with the potential for broad positive impacts in the cultural heritage field, in addition to serving as right hand to Founding Partner Greg Werkheiser.
Christine is a preservation advocate with experience in public policy, fundraising, museums, and project management. She supports initiatives across the firm, and serves as right hand to Founding Partner Greg Werkheiser.
Job Titles:
- Real Estate Agent
- Preservation Practice Coordinator
Claire O'Brien is a heritage professional with a decade of administrative experience. She supports the Preservation Practice by utilizing her strengths in office management and research to ensure timely and accurate deliverables. Prior to joining CHP, Claire worked at the Baltimore Museum of Art where she held roles in the marketing, curatorial, and registration divisions. She studied international heritage frameworks in Germany while benefiting from the diverse perspectives of her colleagues. Claire is dedicated to making heritage accessible and relevant to everyday life by amplifying historically silenced voices and using people-centered approaches.
Claire earned her M.A. in World Heritage Studies from Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus - Senftenberg. Her thesis focused on virtual experiences of national parks and the opportunities they provide in terms of environmental education and fostering pro-environmental behavior. She graduated magna cum laude from Creighton University with a B.A. in Classical and Near Eastern Studies and minors in Art History and Italian.
Claire is a licensed real estate agent who loves to find old houses in need of another chance. She also enjoys baking, crafting, and exploring with her faithful hound.
Claire is a heritage professional with a background in art museum operations. She supports Partner Will Cook and the Preservation Practice team through office management and research.
Job Titles:
- Tribal Practice Coordinator & Policy Advisor
Courtney is an enrolled citizen of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe and an advocacy professional with experience in Virginia state politics. Prior to joining CHP, Courtney spent four years in the Office of the Governor. In her most recent position as Director of Indigenous/Native American Outreach, Courtney served as an important liaison between the governor and the Indian tribes that share territory with the Commonwealth. She has worked as a resource for underrepresented communities and looks forward to continuing her efforts to advance their agendas.
Courtney serves as the Tribal Practice Coordinator & Policy Advisor, a role in which she works closely with Tribal Practice Manager Earl Evans. She is an enrolled member of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe.
Dr. Elizabeth T. Horton is a public archaeologist and paleoethnobotanist with a special focus on cultural heritage issues related to deep-time people/plant relationships and communities' ecological knowledge and traditions. Elizabeth supports the Cultural Heritage Partners Preservation Team in reviewing reports and documentation, building background research for projects, and advising on consultations related to the NHPA, NEPA, and other environmental regulations.
Job Titles:
- Cultural Resources Specialist
Dr. Ellen Chapman is an archaeologist especially focused on improving archaeological stewardship and approaches at the intersection of public policy, cultural resource management, and academic archaeology. Ellen provides clients with guidance on government affairs, cultural resources, and historic preservation issues. With a background in public archaeology and archaeological human remains, she is particularly interested in how projects engage communities, preserve our shared heritage, and respect the dignity of human burial sites.
Ellen is an archaeologist with over ten years of experience in cultural resource management and academic archaeology. She provides clients with guidance on government affairs, cultural resources and historic preservation issues.
After graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art, Art History, & Visual Studies from Duke University, where she received the Nancy Kaneb Art History Award and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Jennifer pursued Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Art & Archaeology at Princeton University. Her doctoral research focused on early modern German art, and she spent two years as the Samuel H. Kress Institutional Fellow at the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich. She then completed her Juris Doctor degree at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary while working as a research fellow at the Muscarelle Museum of Art. Jennifer also serves as an adjunct professor of Art & Cultural Heritage Law at William & Mary.
In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys riding her two horses, Staros and Quetzalcoatl ("Quetzi"). She shows competitively on the hunter/jumper circuit and has won national championships in the amateur owner hunter division.
Dr. Jennifer Morris leads our Art and Museum Law practice. She is an art historian and lawyer whose practice focuses on art, museum, and cultural heritage matters. In addition to advising clients on provenance, title, and ownership disputes, Jennifer assists collectors, museums, and other nonprofit organizations with due diligence, governance issues, and international trade controls. Jennifer also works with indigenous peoples to protect their cultural heritage.
Earl Evans is an enrolled citizen of the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe, and former Vice Chairman of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal Council. Through the firm's strategic relationship with Red Cedar Solutions, he provides support to select Cultural Heritage Partners clients. Earl has over 25 years of formal involvement in issues impacting American Indian tribal governments, including government relations, community and economic development, environmental and cultural preservation, and fundraising.
During his tenure with a special inter-agency initiative of President Bill Clinton to foster sustainable economic development activities within Indian tribal communities, Earl assisted with many economic development projects across the country and managed several federal contract projects. Shortly thereafter, Governor Mark Warner appointed Earl to the Virginia Governor's Commission on National and Community Service, where he served as Chairman of the Commission's program development committee, providing millions in annual grants funding to nonprofits and community organizations.
Having assisted several Indian tribal clients garner millions of dollars in new opportunities over the years, Earl has also helped found Native youth organizations, national Inter-tribal organizations, and the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School. He has served as a board member for over a dozen local, state, and national entities, and is trusted by many clients to liaise on their behalf to organizations and government agencies.
In addition to directing development efforts that have secured generous philanthropic support for important causes in Indian Country, Earl assists clients with programmatic, cultural preservation, consultation, and economic development matters.
Earl is an enrolled citizen of the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe and serves as Vice Chairman of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal Council. He has 25 years of formal involvement in issues impacting tribes.
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law
- Cofounder
- Founding Partner
Greg Werkheiser is a serial entrepreneur, cultural heritage and civil rights attorney, and leadership educator. He advances four strategies for shared social progress: leverage history; prepare leaders; engage directly; and secure rights.
Greg is cofounder of the law firm Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC. To strengthen bridges between humanity's past, present, and future, CHP serves clients worldwide who seek to solve complex challenges involving the preservation of artifacts, art, architecture, landscapes, sacred places, and living traditions. Greg's advocacy has resulted in major victories for Indigenous and Black cultural heritage and civil rights, in particular.
Greg is also cofounder and CEO of technology company ARtGlass, a global pioneer in augmented reality (AR) software. ARtGlass enables museums, historic sites, and cultural attractions to offer immersive tours to millions of visitors, easily layering digital visuals and sound over real-world places and objects, as experienced through transparent smartglasses, tablets, and phones.
Named among America's leading civic educators by the Carnegie Foundation for Teaching, over two decades Greg founded and led five national centers fostering movements toward new approaches to leadership education aimed at solving major societal challenges. These groundbreaking institutes include the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia's youth programs in bipartisan civic engagement (formerly the Virginia Citizenship Institute), the Phoenix Project and its programs in social entrepreneurship and civic capacity-building in severely distressed communities, the George Mason University Center for Social Innovation, the Presidio Institute and its programs in cross-sector leadership, and the ARCUS academy for emerging leaders in heritage preservation.
To advance more thoughtful public leadership Greg has stood as a candidate for the Virginia legislature, earning the endorsement of The Washington Post, and raising more financial support than any prior candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates. His platform drove deeper debate in the Commonwealth about government ethics and electoral reform, civil rights, educational opportunity, child welfare, and transportation.
A student of oratory, Greg has written speeches at the White House, at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, and for candidates for national office. He is a frequent speaker on topics such as the societal implications of the exponential growth in technology, the value of heritage preservation, the evolving nature of public leadership, and the necessity of political engagement.
Greg earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. He earned his B.A. in government from the College of William and Mary, where he served as student government president, chaired the statewide student coalition protecting investments in public higher education, and cofounded the NAACP.
Greg is an award-winning lawyer and social entrepreneur tackling complex challenges in the fields of cultural heritage preservation, economic development, leadership development, politics and government, and civil rights.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Attorney
- Attorney at Law
Jessica Krauss is an associate attorney in the firm's Section 106 and NEPA Consultation, ESG, and Advocacy practice areas. She has experience advising clients on preservation and governance issues, drafting comments on federal agencies' proposed changes to preservation and environmental regulations, and assisting in the development of best practices for consultation and free, prior, and informed consent.
Jessica is an associate attorney in the firm's Section 106 and NEPA Consultation, ESG, and Advocacy practice areas. She helps clients navigate the National Historic Preservation Act's Section 106 consultation process at all stages of federal projects.
Katherine Sorrell is an associate whose practice focuses on ESG, preservation, and Indigenous heritage. She advises clients on best practices and processes for managing social risk resulting from large infrastructure projects, with the aim of achieving consensus between project developers, Indigenous Peoples, government agents, and other stakeholders.
Katherine's practice focuses on ESG, preservation, and indigenous heritage. She advises clients on best practices and processes for managing social risk on infrastructure projects.
An experienced grassroots organizer, Kelly Lizarraga has mobilized lobbying campaigns at the local, state, and national level. She has also worked as a teacher, a journalist, and a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State. At Cultural Heritage Partners, Kelly leverages her background as a Capitol Hill Communications Director to maximize the firm's advocacy efforts in Washington, DC.
Kelly supports the firm's public policy clients. She is a history buff who previously worked in the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Congress. She was a Press Secretary and Communications Director for several members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Lexi is a Richmond, Virginia native and public historian with a love for all things cultural. She earned a BA in History from the College of William and Mary with a focus on early American history, material culture, and museum studies and recently earned her MA in American Studies from Leiden University in the Netherlands. With a background of administrative support roles at Virginia Commonwealth University, Lexi helps coordinate the internal operations at CHP. In her free time, Lexi enjoys working with local cultural institutions such as the Library of Virginia, and she is currently building a public database of Richmond burials.
Lexi is a Richmond, Virginia native and public historian with a background of administrative support roles. Lexi helps coordinate the internal operations at CHP.
Job Titles:
- Projects & Research Manager
Lucy researches special projects of interest to CHPs' clients. She has a specialty in cultural heritage tourism with a background in national and international tourism policy, research, program and project management.
Lucy Matthews is detailed to research special projects of interest to Cultural Heritage Partners' clients. She has a specialty in cultural heritage tourism with a background in national and international tourism policy, research, program and project management. Lucy previously managed the world-renowned sustainable tourism awards program for the World Travel & Tourism Council, the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. She is also the volunteer Topic Editor, Cultural Heritage Tourism, for the Destination Stewardship Center.
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law
- Founding Partner
- General Counsel
- Firm Co - Founder and Chief Executive
Firm co-founder and chief executive Marion Forsyth Werkheiser is an award-winning lawyer and internationally recognized trailblazer in the cultural heritage field. Her well-established practice is firmly rooted at the intersection of preservation and development. She has a proven track record of convening diverse stakeholders to identify shared values, solve tough problems, and scale solutions.
Marion serves as general counsel to multiple federally recognized tribes, handling a wide array of issues including governance, economic development, federal funding compliance, sacred site protection, and child welfare. She represents tribes in consultations with federal and state agencies, negotiates avoidance and mitigation for cultural heritage impacts, and advises tribes on developing their own consultation and engagement protocols. Marion also seeks opportunities to incorporate principles of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) into U.
Marion earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and is licensed to practice law in California, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Indiana University, where she was a Wells Scholar and earned her B.A. degree in political science and classical civilization with an emphasis in art and archaeology.
The Register of Professional Archaeologists honored Marion with the John F. Seiberling Award for her significant and sustained efforts in the conservation of archaeological resources.
Marion is an award-winning lawyer and internationally recognized trailblazer in the historic preservation and ESG fields. She is a well-known speaker and educator on all topics related to cultural heritage.
Olga Symeonoglou's practice focuses on indigenous heritage, historic preservation, and art restitution. She counsels American Indian tribes and other clients on strategies to protect cultural and historic resources of significance to them and regularly represents tribes in administrative agency proceedings concerning development projects that impact tribal resources. She also advises clients on ownership disputes over works of art and antiquities and she has presented on the legal framework and history of art looted under colonial rule and art looted by the Nazis during World War II.
Olga's practice focuses on indigenous heritage, historic preservation, and art restitution. She advises American Indian tribes and other clients on the protection of historic and cultural resources.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Office Administrator
- Operations Manager & Executive Assistant to the Managing Partner
Sarah Curtis is a seasoned executive assistant and office administrator with more than a decade of experience making people's lives and companies' day to day operations run smoothly. Sarah's primary responsibilities are managing the Managing Partner's always-evolving schedule and coordinating office operations.
Sarah graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and business administration. She started out in political and nonprofit fundraising, before transitioning to executive support and office management.
Sarah started out in political and non-profit fundraising before making the transition to executive support. Her primary responsibilities are managing Marion's always-evolving schedule and CHP office operations.
Will Cook is a nationally recognized lawyer and scholar with a successful record for protecting National Historic Landmarks, significant landscapes, historic viewsheds, and traditional cultural properties. His practice focuses on balancing historic preservation with economic development so that historic preservation law is more efficient, effective, and predictable.