NEW YORK, NY.- For just the third time in its history, World Monuments Fund has a new leader. Joshua David, Co-Founder and former President of New York’s Friends of the High Line, will succeed retiring WMF President Bonnie Burnham on November 2, 2015.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, WMF is dedicated to protecting and conserving important architectural and cultural sites around the world against urgent natural and manmade threats. The organization works to make historic sites accessible and sustainable while educating the public on the importance of preserving these treasured places.

Founded in response to the engineering challenges faced by the Leaning Tower of Pisa a half-century ago and extended to projects in over 100 countries, WMF is internationally acclaimed for its technical expertise, rapid response during emergency, and ability to collaborate with local communities to aid economic development.

“Josh’s ability to marry collaborative restoration with community engagement makes him an excellent choice to lead World Monuments Fund into the 21st century,” Burnham said. “Based on his experience of working with preservationists and architects for the last 16 years, the Board unanimously agreed that he was the right leader to steward World Monuments Fund as we begin our next 50 years.”

David joins WMF after helping turn an abandoned portion of the former New York Central Railroad in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood into the High Line, a 1.43 mile elevated public park that has become a model of restoration and modern design. David’s leadership and fundraising efforts have transformed the park into an international attraction and spurred the economic revitalization of the surrounding area.

Six years after the opening of Section 1 in June, 2009, more than 6.2 million people now visit the High Line annually. The third and northernmost section on the park, the High Line at the Rail Yards, was opened to the public in September 2014.

“It’s critical that we continue World Monuments Fund’s vital work to preserve and steward sites of architectural, artistic, and cultural significance around the world,” said Joshua David. “These sites connect us to our past and inspire us to build a better future. I’m honored to succeed Bonnie in leading World Monuments Fund’s talented team to carry out this essential mission.”

Burnham has led World Monuments Fund since 1985 and announced her plans to retire from WMF in February 2015. During her 30-year tenure as President and CEO, she spearheaded efforts to successfully grow the organization internationally in order to meet the growing challenge of preserving the world’s important architectural and cultural heritage sites due to pressing global issues such as war and conflict, climate change, urban development, and neglect. Among her many achievements as the leader of WMF, Burnham launched the World Monuments Watch in 1996 to transform global awareness of the need to protect historic and cultural sites. The Watch enabled WMF to become deeply involved in protecting sites in parts of the world it previously had no contact with.