RCHS Leadership Transition

Dear Friends of RCHS,

I want to share the news that Ramsey County Historical Society President & CEO Chad Roberts will be stepping away from RCHS after nearly 13 years. His last day in the office will be November 21, 2025.

Chad and I have talked a lot about the history of RCHS—from Ethel Stewart’s leadership that led to the saving of the Gibbs farmstead and forming of the historical society in 1949, to the creation of the much-loved and award-winning Ramsey County History magazine by Virginia Kunz, to how Priscilla Farnham recruited a coalition of Dakota advisors to tell the story of the people of Cloud Man’s village and their relationship to the Gibbs family.

Chad shared that “It has been a unique privilege to work alongside the passionate people that both preserve and bring to life the history of our capital county and beyond. Ramsey County History magazine is among the best in the nation, and the field trip experiences at Gibbs Farm are likewise exceptional and unique. The collection of archival material at RCHS is a massive resource for our community and after a decade of work by our collections team, millions of unique records will become available online soon. This is a great team, I’m grateful to have been a part of their successes over the years.”

During Chad’s tenure, RCHS expanded the scope of its publishing work resulting in a half-dozen awards in recent years, improved how it cares for and provides access to the millions of items in its collection, and added both in-person and online history programming. Gibbs Farm has been evolving to add new programs, improve accessibility, and build capacity to operate year-round. The Society now works with many more partners like the Bell Museum, Dakota Elders, various civic and environmental groups.

Chad has been a champion for equity, transparency, and ensuring the untold stories of our community have a platform. He has truly embodied the RCHS mission of preserving our past, informing our present, and inspiring our future.

The success of the last decade has positioned RCHS well to continue its work through this transition. We have a team in place and are in the process of identifying an interim President to work alongside Chad this fall while we search for a permanent replacement.

Many thanks for all you do to preserve and share the history of our community!

With kind regards,

Rob Mairs
Board Chair, RCHS