Jennifer Ford, the new executive director of the Butler Historical Society,said her first item of business is taking stock of the society's large collection of objects, letters and photographs.

The Butler County Historical Society is starting the new decade with a new executive director.

Jennifer Ford replaces Pat Collins, who retired Sept. 27 after a decade as head of the society.

Ford will join Sara Donaldson, 24, who was hired last fall to be the society's education and outreach coordinator, and has recently been named its collections manager.

Ford, who has a doctorate in history from the University of Pittsburgh, was chosen by the nine-member board of directors of the society.

A Pittsburgh native, Ford spent the last 10 years living in Bedford, the last five as executive director of the Fort Bedford Museum.

“Before that,” she said, “I was a historic consultant to museums and historic societies, helping them better organize and present their collections to the public.”

This is an excerpt of a story that appears in Sunday's Butler Eagle.