The Charlotte Museum of History announced that it has selected Adria Focht as its new president and CEO.
Focht comes to Charlotte by way of Kings Mountain, where she was the director and curator of Kings Mountain Historical Museum.
“Adria brings passion, energy and extensive experience with museum operations to The Charlotte Museum of History,” Mary Newsom, chair of the board of trustees for The Charlotte Museum of History, said in a news release announcing Focht's selection. “She also has strong connections to Charlotte and to the region’s history organizations, as well as deep knowledge of North Carolina history. We know she is the right person to lead the museum into the future. She’ll help us keep on sharing this community’s past as a way to inspire conversation about today’s events and issues.”
She will start the position officially on Nov. 27. Focht is an undergraduate alumna of UNC-Charlotte, with a master’s degree in historical archaeology from East Carolina University.
Focht succeeds Kay Peninger who was with the museum for a little over four years. Peninger left the museum this past summer for an opportunity in Washington, D.C., where she is now the Director of Museum Education for the new Museum of the Bible.