Coupeville resident Lisbeth Cort has been selected to serve as interim manager of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve.

She will be filling in for the next three months as Reserve Manager Mark Preiss is leaving for a job in Montana.

His last day is July 26.

“I think we are very fortunate to have (Cort) apply for the job,” said Jan Pickard, a trust board member. “She has great knowledge of the reserve and preservation.”

“She has professional experience that makes us feel very confident about making the transition to a permanent hire.”

Before opening an interior decorating firm in 2011, Cort had a 30-year nonprofit career, primarily in the field of historic preservation.

She served as executive director of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and Utah Heritage Foundation as well as assistant director of the Western Regional Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Cort is also a former Trust Board member, has served as communications consultant for Ebey’s Forever Conference, technical editor of the design review guidelines and trainer for the first series of Historic Preservation Commission workshops last year.

Given her background, Cort said she decided to apply for the job because it was a way to help the reserve through the transition.

“They have so many things going on,” Cort said. “It’s basically just to keep the momentum going and not miss a beat.”

Her tenure will include assisting with several field school projects but be largely dominated by helping with the search for a permanent replacement.

Her contract ends at the end of October.