The 25 – Jenny Wolfe, AICP

Jenny Wolfe is a cultural resource advocate who has spent 20 years in local government and nonprofit preservation planning. Her firm, Planning 2 Preserve, creates customized preservation strategies for clients ranging from local government agencies and nonprofits to private property owners.

Before launching Planning 2 Preserve in 2024, Wolfe worked as the preservation planning specialist for Preservation Design Partnership. Since 2014, she has been on the Board of Trustees for the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation and recently completed a term as board president. Her résumé also includes 10 years working as the Historic Preservation Officer for the City of St. Augustine.

Wolfe, who earned her master’s degree from the University of Florida in historic preservation, believes that long-standing places and spaces serve as symbols of societal values, embodying both tangible and intangible characteristics that cannot be reproduced. She finds purpose in exploring these connections and understanding their significance to advocate for preservation.

“Each place offers unique contributions,” she says. “I am driven by the possibility that others will come to appreciate how these spaces meaningfully enrich our collective experience and provide valuable opportunities for engagement and discovery.”

Ultimately, her goal is to expand the definition of a “preservationist” and show that this work belongs to everyone who cares about a community’s built environment and cultural heritage. “The choice for preservation should be second nature rather than an afterthought,” she asserts, “because it fosters more resilient, authentic, and environmentally responsible communities.”