New executive director leads Montclair History Center

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Angelica Diggs, on staff at the Montclair History Center from 2012-2019, has returned to lead the organization as its new executive director, according to an Aug. 22 press release.

“It’s coming home,” said Diggs, following her appointment by the MHC board of trustees to the nonprofit organization’s leadership. She previously served the MHC in a variety of roles, including assistant director. In 2019, Diggs left MHC to become assistant director of operations at the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts in Madison, where she served until her return to the MHC.

“My first steps returning to the MHC will be to work with the board and staff in updating our strategic plan,” Diggs said. “This will allow the organization to focus our efforts for the next three to five years in ways to expand our programming, explore new partnerships with the community, and delve into long-term goals to update the Orange Road site for ADA accessibility and continue to incorporate the stories of the Glenridge Avenue YWCA into the Crane House and Historic YWCA museum.”

Working closely with MHC’s previous executive director, Jane Eliasof, and the MHC board of trustees for seven years, Diggs was integral to key MHC initiatives, including upgrading the historic property and grounds, creating tours and events on- and off-site, developing the MHC’s website and online programs, recruiting volunteers and interns, and sustaining and advancing the center’s goals.

During the past decade, the most significant development has been a reinterpretation of the Crane House, built in 1796, to include not only its early years as the home of one of the descendants of the town’s founding families, but to now include the stories of its inhabitants from 1920 to the mid-1960s, when it housed an independent YWCA for black women. 

“We welcome Angelica back to the MHC with great fondness and excitement,” MHC board President Elizabeth Hynes said. “Her professional and educational experience, plus her creativity and in-depth knowledge of our organization, allow her to jump right in and keep us moving toward our goals. The reinterpretation and other key initiatives over the past decade significantly raised the profile of our organization locally and further afield; Angelica had a significant role in those efforts, making her well-positioned to continue our progress.” 

Diggs holds a Master of Arts in museum management and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Montclair State University. 

“There’s so much rich history in Montclair for people to connect with,” Diggs said. “It’s important to me that we’re a resource for the entire community.”

In 2017, while working as a manager for the MHC, Diggs also became coordinator of the Montclair Community Farms Coalition, a collaboration of local and regional organizations that promulgates “urban farming” and addresses food insecurity in the community. The MCF’s microfarm is located on the MHC’s Orange Road grounds, replete with a chicken coop.

“MHC and MCF continue to share a strong partnership and find new ways to collaborate on programming that serves the community,” Diggs said. “I’m honored to be in a position to continue to look for new and engaging ways to welcome all of our town’s residents and to preserve and share Montclair’s history. We’ll see what the next chapter will be.”

  Montclair History Center