Washington, DC, Mayor Vincent C. Gray has selected Gretchen Pfaehler as chair of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board.

Pfaehler is the first female architect to chair the board. She is a regional director of Michael Baker Jr. Inc.'s architecture and planning practices in the Washington, DC, region and a national principal in the historic preservation practice.

The recognized expert in her field has more than two decades of experience in the preservation, restoration and renovation of historic buildings and landscapes in the U.S. and is lecturer and author of historic preservation and sustainability of existing buildings. She has been accorded 27 national, regional, state and local preservation awards. Also, she is a vice president on the Board of the Association for Preservation Technology International and active member of the American Institute of Architects, American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, National Trust for Historical Preservation, American Association for State and Local History, Wisconsin State Historical Society and the Michigan State Historical Society.