Ms. Erin Carlson Mast has over 20 years of experience in cultural nonprofit excellence and leadership. She joined the Lincoln Presidential Foundation as its President & CEO in 2021. She has led the organizational revisioning, rebranding and relaunch, establishment of new partnerships, including with the National Park Service, and award-winning programming.
Prior to serving as the Foundation’s leader, Mast was the CEO & Executive Director of President Lincoln’s Cottage, a National Monument in Washington, DC. As CEO, Mast built and led the organization through steady growth, groundbreaking scholarship and programming, unprecedented press and awards recognition, and its transition to an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Under her leadership, the organization received over two dozen awards and diverse recognition including a Presidential Medal for its international Students Opposing Slavery program, “50 Great Places to Work” in Washington DC, “Best Museum off the Mall” four years in a row, and a must-see destination by Time magazine. In 2017, Mast received the EXCEL Award for Chief Executive Leadership from the Center for Nonprofit Advancement. Prior to serving as the CEO & Executive Director, Mast had served the organization in other leadership roles, including Curator & Site Administrator. She was an original member of the capital project team leading to the National Monument’s grand opening in 2008.
Mast’s current service to the field includes Vice Chair of the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), Board of the Association of Midwest Museums, Executive Committee of the Lincoln Forum, Board of the Abraham Lincoln Institute, Commissioner for the Barrington Cultural Commission, Chair of the AASLH Making History Matter fundraising campaign for the U.S. 250th, and Educating for American Democracy Task Force member. Her past service includes American Alliance of Museums Host Committee and National History Day Advisory Council. Mast is a regular guest speaker for professional conferences and institutions. She has authored brief biographies of Abraham and Mary Lincoln, articles for a variety of professional and popular periodicals, and has contributed chapters and essays to several books including Change is Required: Preparing for the Post-Pandemic Museum; Mission Matters: Relevance and Museums in the 21st Century; and Reimagining Historic House Museums.
In addition to her executive leadership, Mast has a depth and breadth of work experience including the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Building Museum, and the Smithsonian Institution. She is an alumna of The George Washington University and Ohio University.