What We Do

Donovan Rypkema is principal of PlaceEconomics. Working at the nexus of historic preservation and economic development, Rypkema has undertaken assignments in 49 states and more than 50 countries. He is the author of The Economics of Historic Preservation. Rypkema holds a Masters degree in Historic Preservation from Columbia University. He teaches preservation economics at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received the Perkins Award for Distinguished Teaching. In 2012, Rypkema received the Crowninshield Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Michael Echols is a Bastrop, Louisiana, native and Ouachita Parish businessman elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2019 to represent District 14, which includes parts of Morehouse and Ouachita parishes. He holds degrees in accounting and business administration from the University of Louisiana – Monroe. Rep. Echols has been recognized for his dynamic leadership, innovative approach to problem-solving, and heart for public service. He is a past president of the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation and has completed numerous preservation projects in the Monroe, LA, area.

Amber Jones is a Historic Preservation Consultant specializing in the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, National Register Listings, and Façade Easements. She has been preparing Federal and State tax credit documents and facilitating the sale of the Arkansas Tax Credit for property owners since 2010. To date, she has completed more than 400 projects with property owners receiving over $20 million dollars in Federal and State Tax Credits, collectively, with about $14 million in State Credits funded to cash. She has projects statewide in Arkansas. Amber lives in an 1890s Queen Anne Victorian in Little Rock’s Quapaw Quarter with her husband, Scott, and their three daughters. Their home and family were featured on an episode of SyFy Channel’s “Ghost Hunters” in 2013.

Rachel Patton is the executive director of Preserve Arkansas, the only statewide nonprofit advocate for the preservation of Arkansas’s historic places. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History/Political Science from Arkansas Tech University and a Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville. Rachel has more than 15 years of experience working in historic preservation in Arkansas. She is the president of the Arkansas Historical Association and serves on the executive committee of Preservation Action, the national grassroots lobby for historic preservation.