North Olympic History Center announces new executive director
Amy McIntyre
Amy McIntyre has been named executive director of the North Olympic History Center effective Aug. 3. She succeeds Kathy Estes, who is retiring after 33 years in the job.
The History Center, a nonprofit formerly known as the Clallam County Historical Society, was founded in 1948. It manages a research library at 931 W. 9th St., an extensive artifact collection and educational programs promoting the North Olympic Peninsula’s history.
McIntyre was selected by the History Center’s board of directors following four months of candidate interviews.
“We are very excited for Amy to lead the center into the next phase of its history, engaging the community and working with our great volunteers,” said John Brewer, the board’s president. "She's very knowledgeable about our local history, she’s a natural organizer with deep ties across the Peninsula, and she has excellent writing, photo and social media skills."
Said McIntyre: “It’s a dream job and a big job. “I am thinking about ways to raise the profile of the organization, grow membership and the volunteer team, raise funds, expand collaborations with other nonprofits, continue digitizing the collections to ensure preservation and accessibility, keep integrating the arts into our work, contribute to community resilience and lead with equity and inclusion at the forefront.
“Any work I propose or take on builds on Kathy's steady and visionary leadership and what she, together with the board, the volunteers and past directors have created over the 72 years that the History Center has existed.
“My goal is for every Clallam County resident to see the History Center as an organization they have access to and can be part of.”
Facebook project
McIntyre has been involved in her own personal history project, "Pandemic Sundays", since mid-March. She takes a series of photos every Sunday for a Facebook album recording Port Angeles scenes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Her photos include a guitarist playing to an empty outdoor venue, signs in closed stores and a runner taking a selfie after a “virtual” race. Two of her “Pandemic Sundays” photos will be part of the upcoming “Well+Being” exhibition at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center.
McIntyre previously worked as communications coordinator for WSU Clallam County Extension in Port Angeles and at Peninsula College as a program assistant. In both jobs she was active in developing community partnerships and expanding programs and events. She served five years as president of the Port Angeles Arts Council and works as a volunteer at the Port Angeles Community Playhouse.
McIntyre holds a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Social Sciences from the University of Washington and Associate in Arts from Peninsula College.
Born in Seattle, her family moved to Sappho in western Clallam County in the mid-1970s. They moved a few years later closer to Forks to a home on the Sol Duc River.
She graduated from Forks High School in 1989, moved to Seattle in 1991 and returned to the North Olympic Peninsula in 2008. McIntyre lives in Port Angeles with her 14-year old daughter, Imogen.
Retirement plans
Kathy Estes will work with McIntyre during August. A retirement party for Estes, contingent on COVID-19 restrictions, is tentatively planned for Aug. 27 or 28. She plans to travel, spend more time with grandchildren and “add more miles to my daily walks. I also have a bookcase overflowing with reading material that is calling out to me!”
Estes said "the past 33 years with the North Olympic History Center/Clallam County Historical Society have been wonderful.... I could not ask for a better job. I have had the honor to work with an exceptional group of volunteers; have met so many people in the community through our outreach/educational programs, and have enjoyed visiting with our members.
“I know the new executive director will bring vibrant new ideas to this organization and carry it into the next decades.”
