Colonial Williamsburg Foundation hires educational travel and conferences director

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation announced Friday that J. Thomas Savage will become its director of educational travel and conferences, effective July 12.

Currently, Savage serves as director of external affairs for Winterthur Museum, Gardens and Library in Delaware.

“Tom Savage is an internationally known and respected expert who will bring new vigor and creative energy to our venerable conference and travel programs,” said Ronald Hurst, the foundation’s chief curator and vice president for museums, preservation and historic resources.  “A frequent collaborator with members of the Colonial Williamsburg team, his new position will in many ways be a homecoming.”

Previously, Savage worked as senior vice president and director of Sotheby’s Institute of Art for North and South America and as curator and director of museums for the Historic Charleston Foundation.

Savage holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from William & Mary and a master’s degree in history museum studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program of the State University of New York.

He serves on the Board of Governors of the Decorative Arts Trust and is a member of the Furniture History Society.

An expert on the British country house, Savage plans to expand the foundation’s popular educational symposia and conference series, which includes programming featuring topics like historic woodwork, ales and gardens.

“I am honored and humbled to join the extraordinary team at Colonial Williamsburg, a place that has inspired me since earliest childhood,” said Savage. “Colonial Williamsburg fostered my education and career path. It is a privilege to serve a cherished institution to which I owe so much.”