MSV Names Scott Stroh as New CEO

The Board of Directors of the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) has named Scott Stroh as the Museum’s next executive director and chief executive officer. Currently the executive director of George Mason’s Gunston Hall in Mason Neck, Virginia, Stroh was selected after a national search that began in June 2024.

In making the announcement, MSV Board President Skip Philips notes that Stroh received the Board of Directors’ wholehearted endorsement as the MSV’s next leader. “Scott’s leadership at Gunston Hall—a site with historic structures, extensive grounds, and community-focused programs—makes him uniquely suited for the MSV. His deep experience in Virginia’s cultural landscape ensures he’ll hit the ground running,” said Philips. “We are excited about the future under Scott’s leadership and look forward to building on the MSV’s strong foundation of regional partnerships and programming to ensure it continues to serve as a museum for everyone in our community,” Philips added.

A leader with extensive experience at museums and historic sites, Scott Stroh has served as the executive director of Gunston Hall since 2013. A 554-acre National Historic Landmark site in southern Fairfax County, Gunston Hall includes the eighteenth-century Georgian mansion built by Founding Father George Mason, a restored historic garden, and more than six miles of trails.

At Gunston Hall, Stroh directed $15 million in preservation and capital projects, expanded and diversified educational programs for children and families, and established new community partnerships.

Prior to his eleven-year tenure at Gunston Hall, Stroh served as executive director of the Milwaukee County Historical Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; as the director and state historic preservation officer for the Florida Division of Historical Resources, Tallahassee, Florida; and as the executive director of the Roanoke Island Commission, Manteo, North Carolina. Stroh graduated from Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia, with a Bachelor of Arts in history and a minor in secondary education in 1992. He received his Master of Arts degree in history from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 1997.

Regarding his new role at the MSV, Stroh says “I am honored to join the exceptional team at the MSV and thank the Board for their confidence in me. I look forward to building on the Museum’s achievements and advancing its mission to preserve and enrich the cultural life of the Shenandoah Valley. My family and I are excited to make Winchester our home and become part of this vibrant, welcoming community.”

Stroh’s appointment follows the departure of former Executive Director and CEO Dana Hand Evans who led the MSV for more than 14 years before assuming leadership of the Middleton Place Foundation in Charleston, South Carolina, in August 2024.

Stroh will begin work at the MSV on February 24, 2025, and will relocate to Winchester with his wife, Celeste, and their two daughters.

A regional cultural center, the MSV includes a galleries building with permanent and rotating exhibitions, the Glen Burnie House, seven acres of formal gardens, and The Trails at the MSV—a free-admission 90-acre art park featuring more than three miles of trails. The MSV has an annual operating budget of more than $5 million and a staff of over 50 employees. Last year, it welcomed over 239,000 visitors, increased its membership to 4,120 households, and presented ten exhibitions, 325 education programs, and numerous community events with 27,000 attendees. –END–