Keefe to Retire From Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home; Search Underway for Next Leader

Brian Keefe, president of Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home in Manchester, Vermont, has announced his retirement after six years at the helm.

The Hildene Board of Trustees has formed a special committee of Trustees to conduct a nationwide search for Keefe’s successor. ​ Keefe plans to step down November 1 and remain in an advisory role through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. ​

“It has been my honor and privilege to serve this great institution over the past six years,” said Keefe. “I am proud of the new programming we have put in place over this time as well as the construction of Lincoln Hall, our signature event facility that will enable Hildene to take its programming to a new level.”

“Under Brian’s leadership, Hildene navigated the uncharted waters that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic and, at the same time, undertook the oversight of the funding, construction and completion of the first phase of Lincoln Hall, the biggest and most consequential capital project at Hildene since Robert Lincoln completed work on his family home in 1905,” said Bob Hallenbeck, chair of the Hildene Board of Trustees. ​ “Thanks to Brian’s dedication and commitment, Hildene is poised to advance to the next level. ​ I speak on behalf of the entire Board and the greater Hildene family in thanking Brian for all he has done and fondly wishing him well in retirement.” ​ ​

In April of this year, Hildene hosted the Lincoln Forum Symposium that brought together over 150 Lincoln scholars and fans from 30 different states to learn more about Hildene and the Lincoln family legacy. ​

Keefe said he expects a busy year at Hildene with programs and events at Lincoln Hall, a remerchandised Museum Store featuring new Hildene-sourced and local artisan products, and an expectation of strong attendance growth.

About Hildene

Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, is a 412-acre historic estate in Manchester, Vermont, built at the turn of the 20th century by Robert Lincoln—only surviving son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln and then-president of the Pullman Company. Perched on a hill overlooking the Battenkill Valley, Taconic and Green Mountains, the estate includes a Georgian Revival residence, formal garden, observatory, 14 historic buildings, a 1903 Pullman railcar, and Hildene Farm with a solar-powered goat dairy, teaching greenhouse, and wetland boardwalk. Saved from development in the late 1970s by local citizens and now stewarded by a nonprofit, Hildene is a vibrant center for education, agriculture, and environmental stewardship, dedicated to its mission: Living the Lincoln Legacy.