Madison official with Albany ties wins federal preservation award

MADISON — The United States Department of the Interior last Friday recognized Madison Director of Planning Monica Callahan with one of four of the Department’s Historic Preservation Awards.

Callahan, a city of Madison employee for 25 years who is credited with transforming the city’s planning and zoning department, was awarded the Secretary of Interior award for a certified local government historic preservation officer by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

Callahan, according to the U.S. Department of Interior’s website, is the first Georgian to be receive the honor.

Annually, the department honors four individuals in the Federal Preservation Office, State Historic Preservation Office, Tribal Historic Preservation Office and Certified Local Government categories. Callahan received the 2022 Secretary of the Interior’s Historic Preservation award and was notified on Dec. 1. The award was announced on Jan. 19.

“By authority of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Secretary of the Interior established this award program to recognize outstanding individual contributions in historic preservation,” Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Sharon Estenoz said in a letter. “The Secretary’s award, which focuses on the accomplishments of individual employees, is distinguished from other historic preservation honors because it was created as a Cabinet-level recognition through a statutory mandate and recognizes the contributions of public servants at all levels of the national historic preservation partnership.”

Callahan told the Morgan County Citizen the federal recognition “feels unreal.”

“I was kind of gobsmacked for about a week,” she said.

In a press release announcing Callahan’s honor, the U.S. Department of the Interior said under her stewardship, the city of Madison’s Planning Department has led the country in both innovation and knowledge.

“Under her leadership, the city of Madison Downtown Development Authority, which implements Madison’s Urban Redevelopment Plan, has completed two award-winning infill developments in the historic district,” the press release said. “Both the University of Georgia Master of Historic Preservation and the Georgia State University Master of Heritage Preservation Program bring classes to Madison to learn practical application of preservation planning and community development.

“Not only has Monica Callahan helped improve the tools available to the city’s historic preservation commission, she has also made the city of Madison a learning lab and a model for other small communities.”

Callahan was nominated for the award by Madison Historic Preservation Chairman Flynn Clyburn. Clyburn’s application included notification of Callahan’s efforts to redesignate the Madison Historic District and her efforts to both maintain Madison’s Certified Local Government status and gain Preserve America Community designation. According to Clyburn’s application, Madison is one of of the first 35 communities in the nation to have the Preserve America Community designation.

“Ms. Callahan is acutely aware that history and historic resources are the core of Madison’s identity and endeavors for all planning to be informed by this fact,” Clyburn wrote. “The Georgia Historic Preservation Division acknowledged these efforts in 2004 by presenting Ms. Callahan with a Preservation Achievement Award for integrating historic preservation ethics into all levels of city government.”

Callahan is a 1987 graduate of Turner County High School in Ashburn. She has degrees from Mercer University and the University of Georgia. She is the sister of Albany businesswoman Mary Beth McCorvey.

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