Trust President Lauren McHale Appointed to Historic Preservation Review Board

February 5, 2026 — The L’Enfant Trust (Trust) is pleased to announce that Trust President & CEO Lauren McHale has been appointed as an architectural historian member to the District of Columbia’s Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB). Ms. McHale testified before the DC Council’s Committee of the Whole on December 22, 2025, and her nomination was subsequently approved by the Council, along with the nominations for Citizen Member Timothy Thomas and Architect Chris Morrison.

Ms. McHale brings nearly two decades of historic preservation experience in the District to the HPRB. As President & CEO of the Trust, she oversees the Trust’s conservation easement program, which protects more than 1,150 historic buildings across the District, and manages the Trust’s Historic Properties Redevelopment Program, the city’s first nonprofit real estate initiative dedicated to the rehabilitation of distressed historic buildings and neighborhood revitalization.

Through routine professional collaboration with the District’s Historic Preservation Office, as well as experience having rehabilitation projects go before HPRB, Lauren has developed a thorough understanding of the HPRB’s processes and responsibilities, including reviewing proposed historic districts and landmark nominations, evaluating rehabilitation and new construction projects, and balancing preservation priorities with broader city goals such as housing production, sustainability, and neighborhood vitality. 

During a public roundtable held by the DC Council on December 22, DC Preservation League Executive Director Rebecca Miller testified in support of Ms. McHale’s nomination, stating, “Ms. McHale has shown strong support for historic preservation programs in the District of Columbia and experience as an architectural historian and developer of affordable housing.”

In her own testimony, Ms. McHale said, “Serving on the HPRB would allow me to combine my technical expertise, professional experience, and longstanding commitment to the District in service to the public. I would be honored to contribute to the Bowser Administration’s vision for a city that respects its past while planning responsibly for its future.”

Ms. McHale’s appointment fills a vacant architectural historian seat formerly held by Gretchen Phaeler for the remainder of the unexpired term, which runs through July 21, 2027.