Pamela Schwartz, the executive director of the Orange County Regional History Center and the Historical Society of Central Florida has officially resigned from her position, in order to accept a new role with a global exhibition design firm.
Schwartz was named executive director in February 2021 after serving as the institution’s interim executive director following the retirement of Michael Perkins and as the Center’s previous chief curator.
“Pamela is an innovator, who has led efforts to tell Central Florida’s stories in new and exciting ways. We applaud her tireless efforts, and we wish her well as she enters into her next chapter.”
– VENERRIA L. THOMAS, DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY AND FAMILY SERVICES DEPARTMENT, ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Under Schwartz’s leadership, the museum was reaccredited and has become a national leader in diversifying collections and engaging the local community with compelling special exhibitions. Recent award-winning exhibitions have included Figurehead: Music & Mayhem in Orlando’s Underground and Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920.
Throughout Schwartz’s tenure, the Regional History Center has been honored with numerous national awards and distinctions, including the coveted National Medal for Museum and Library Services in 2019. Additional recognitions have been bestowed from such organizations as the American Association for State and Local History, the Florida Historical Society, and the Southeastern Museums Conference.
Orange County Government plans to conduct a national search for an executive director to succeed Schwartz.
