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38 January 2026 | BeaufortLifestyle.com1960s. %u201cMy interests and knowledge evolved from traditional downtown revitalization to understanding the importance of engaging the community to understand the challenges and work toward solutions.%u201d Lise%u2019s return to Beaufort in 2017 sparked a series of significant contributions to the local community%u2019s development and preservation efforts. Following her return, former City Manager Bill Prokop and then Mayor Billy Keyserling reached out to Lise, leveraging her previous experience to consult on the revival of the Main Street Program in Beaufort. She took on a three-month contract, collaborating closely with city staff, particularly Linda Roper, the director of Downtown Operations. The program was successfully re-established and continues to operate smoothly under Roper%u2019s department. Lise then played a crucial role in the establishment of the Beaufort Area Hospitality Association (BAHA). This organization was created to provide assistance, resources, and a collective voice for local hoteliers, restaurants, and hospitality attractions. She became BAHA%u2019s first executive director in 2018, a position she held for two years while helping to build the association%u2019s foundation. In January 2019, Cynthia Jenkins, who was then the executive director of the Historic Beaufort Foundation, asked Lise to come to work with HBF. She accepted the offer and began her work with the Foundation in January 2020, continuing her commitment to the community she and her husband, John, call home. %u201cWe always knew we%u2019d return at some point to make Beaufort our permanent home and the timing was right.%u201d With her background in preservation, nonprofit management, and government, Lise was able to jump right in to assist Cynthia in managing Historic Beaufort Foundation operations, resources, and programs, including the Foundation%u2019s historic house museum, the John Mark Verdier House, and the Foundation%u2019s signature educational and fundraising events %u2013 the Winter Lecture Series, Fall Festival of Houses & Gardens, Spring Architects%u2019 Tour, and the Lafayette Soiree. A critical component of her efforts, then and now, is collaboration with city officials and partners to protect the character of Beaufort%u2019s National Historic Landmark District through zoning and code advocacy. As a nonprofit 501(c)3, HBF relies on membership, donations, fundraising events, and volunteers to be able to continue its programs. %u201dWe work with hundreds of volunteers a year in addition to our 17-member Board of Trustees and six standing committees.%u201d Lise was incredibly honored when the HBF Board asked her to take on the position of executive director in June 2025. %u201cHaving worked so closely with Cynthia and now following in her footsteps is something I will always be thankful for.%u201d The new position gives her an opportunity to reimagine and to expand the work of HBF. %u201cWe can be more aware and more engaged within our neighborhoods in the historic district. And through the city%u2019s newly formed Historic District Task Force, we can collaborate with residents, city staff, and commissions and partners to help improve properties and assist owners in retaining and maintaining those properties.%u201c With Lise at the helm, HBF used its Revolving Fund in 2025 to purchase the Mary M. Dunbar House, a circa 1910 structure that had been vacant for over a decade. The Foundation aims to preserve the building%u2019s unique architectural evolution by first stabilizing the building. Once rehabilitated, HBF will decide whether to sell the property with a protective easement or retain it for organization use, ultimately returning it to active long-term residential or commercial service. Mary Dunbar (1919-2019) was a remarkable woman who became a successful entrepreneur and community leader during a challenging era, founding and operating Beaufort%u2019s first African