By unanimous vote of the board of directors of LancasterHistory, Robin E. Sarratt was chosen to assume the position of president and CEO of LancasterHistory on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, taking over the role from Thomas R. Ryan. Ryan has held the position of president and CEO since Jan. 1, 1997. The transition comes at a pivotal moment for the 138-year-old organization, as LancasterHistory is currently building a new museum in downtown Lancaster, the Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy. Ryan will take on emeritus status and focus his efforts exclusively on completing the new Stevens & Smith Center; he plans to officially retire once the center opens, projected for late 2025.

Sarratt, now in her 18th year at LancasterHistory, joined the organization in August 2007 as director of development and was named vice president three years later. A North Carolina native, Sarratt began her museum career at the Appalachian Cultural Museum in Boone, N.C., and at Doris Duke's home, Rough Point, in Newport, R.I. A graduate of Appalachian State University and the University of Delaware/Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, she spent seven years at the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Garden, & Library as the director of corporate and foundation relations.

Ryan led the Lancaster County Historical Society through nearly three decades of substantial growth and change. Under his leadership, the historical society developed a robust platform for sharing the history of Lancaster County with the public, creating an array of exhibits and educational programs, growing its membership program to include members across the nation, forging relationships with other nonprofits in the region, and substantially increasing the organization's financial resources. In 2009, the Lancaster County Historical Society merged with the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland, reuniting the adjacent properties that once belonged to President Buchanan. Today, the organization operates as LancasterHistory on its 12-acre Campus of History at the corner of Marietta and North President avenues, and it is also home to the Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum.

In 2013, through a $13 million capital campaign led by Ryan and Sarratt, LancasterHistory completed the renovation and expansion of its 1955 headquarters, resulting in a 35,000-square-foot museum and research center. The facility achieved L.E.E.D. Silver Certification due to its energy-efficient designs. A second $3.8 million campaign enabled the organization to incorporate the entire historical collections of the former Heritage Center Museum and the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum into the Richard C. von Hess Decorative Arts Center at LancasterHistory.