Matthew A. Webster

Keynote Speaker

Matthew Webster is the Executive Director of the Grainger Department of Architectural Preservation and Research for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He earned a B.A. in Preservation from the University of Mary Washington.

In his role at Colonial Williamsburg Fourdation he oversees the preservation of 604 structures in the National Landmark Historic Area, the 18,000 piece architectural fragment collection, and architectural research. Prior to Williamsburg he served as Director of Preservation at Drayton Hall (1754) in Charleston, South Carolina. He also served as Director of Restoration for George Washington’s Fredericksburg Foundation in Fredericksburg, Virginia where he oversaw the restoration of Kenmore (1770). 

Awards his projects have received include from the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution for work on Kenmore; the Louis J. Malon Outstanding Preservation Achievement Award from Preservation Virginia for work on The Bray School; and personally Webster was awarded the James City County Preservation Award for his work on the Jamestown Church Tower.

Webster sits on the board of Falmouth Heritage Renewal in Falmouth, Jamaica. He travels there annually to teach the local population preservation trades. He also serves on the advisory boards of Preservation Virginia, Stratford Hall and Menokin, in Virginia, and Drayton Hall in South Carolina. He consulted on projects throughout the eastern United States as well as internationally. He has taught at the University of Virginia and University of Mary Washington and lectures frequently on preservation, architecture, and history topics.