Lake Wales Museum appoints director
The Lake Wales History Museum has appointed Melissa Stoller as its executive director.
Stoller has served the past eight years as executive director of the Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation, the museum said in a news release. She will begin her new position on July 12.
“We are very excited to welcome Melissa to the Lake Wales History Museum team and look forward to working with her. We believe that Melissa will have a powerful impact on our museum and continue to lead us into a bright future,” Brandon Alvarado, President of museum’s Board of Directors, said in the release. “As we approach the museum's 50th anniversary in 2026, the Board of Directors and I are confident in her ability to fulfill the museum’s mission, facilitate the growth of the museum and its events, and introduce the museum to a new generation of Lake Waleans.”
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Stoller earned a doctorate in historic and cultural aspects of the near environment from Oregon State University, the release said. She also holds a master of science degree in historic preservation from the University of Oregon.
In her role with the Tallahassee organization, Stoller performed architectural surveys of resources ranging from mid-century modern structures to historic neighborhoods around Florida A&M University. She also conducted education and outreach programs, including a walking tour of 1930s-era architecture, the release said.
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Stoller’s leadership helped list residential and commercial properties on both the local and National Register of Historic Places, including Tallahassee’s Water Works building dating to 1909, the release said. She served on the City of Tallahassee’s Historic Property Grant and Loan program committee and actively advocated for the preservation and rehabilitation of local historic properties.
Stoller spent her childhood in Tampa.
“I’m proud of my time at the Tallahassee Trust, but I’m ready for the next adventure and to return home to Central Florida,” said Stoller. “Rest assured that although I received my education on the West Coast, I am a Florida girl at heart.”
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Stoller will succeed Jennifer D’hollander, who left the Lake Wales History Museum in March after four years to become director of business development for Z Axis Solutions in Winter Haven. Anderson Hanna, the curator of collections, is serving as interim executive director.
The museum, founded in 1976 and previously known as the Lake Wales Depot Museum, occupies the 1928 Atlantic Coast Line Railroad station, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It holds an estimated 25,000 items in its historic collection.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lake Wales Museum hires director from Tallahassee organization
