Mayor Sam Teresi announced the appointment of Ashley Senske to serve in the position of city historian.

She replaces B. Dolores Thompson, who announced her retirement earlier this year after a long and distinguished service as city historian, reaching into four decades.

“It’s very exciting,” Senske said during a Greater Jamestown Riverwalk kiosk dedication on Friday afternoon. “My background is all in history, I am an archivist, I got my bachelors in history and I do geneology just for fun in my own time. I’m really honored (Mayor Teresi) asked if I would be interested.”

Senske, a Western New York native, holds a Master’s of Science Degree in Information Library Sciences with an archival focus from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is also a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the State University of New York at Fredonia with a degree in history, and earned her Associate’s Degree at Jamestown Community College.

For the past three years, she has worked for multiple local historical institutions, including the Oliver Archive Center at the Chautauqua Institution, Robert H. Jackson Center and currently is the Processing Archivist for the National Comedy Center Archives. She has also been serving as an independent consultant for Mayor Teresi’s Papers, during his time as both mayor and director of development for the city of Jamestown. She also previously worked at the James Prendergast Free Library and in New York City as a processing archivist at the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives. Senske serves on the Board of Directors of the Fenton History Center and is an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The Mayor noted that, “While Ashley has big shoes to fill from Dolores’s hard work and dedication as our previous City Historian, I have no doubt that with her credentials, employment experience, and dedication to preserving and celebrating local history that she will build upon Dolores’s legacy and take our local history mission to new heights.”

In her capacity as the City Historian, Ms. Senske will be working to continue to bring to light the history of Jamestown by working with current committees and creating new partnerships within the community.