<b>By MINDY LUCAS</b>

One of the country’s leading authorities on the economics of historic preservation is coming to Beaufort.

Donovan Rypkema will be the keynote speaker at the Historic Beaufort Foundation’s annual meeting this month.

A principal at a Washington, D.C.-based real estate and economic development-consulting firm, Rypkema has worked with clients in both the public and non-profit sector. He teaches a course on the economics of historic preservation at the University of Pennsylvania where he received the 2008 G. Holmes Perkins Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Rypkema holds a Master of Science degree in Historic Preservation from Columbia University and has authored several publications including Community Initiated Development, The Economics of Rehabilitation, and the Feasibility Assessment Manual for Reusing Historic Buildings.

Rypkema’s book, The Economics of Historic Preservation: A Community Leader’s Guide is widely used by preservationists nationwide and has been translated in to Russian and Korean.

The lecture is co-sponsored by the City of Beaufort and will be at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, at USC Beaufort’s Center for the Arts, at 805 Carteret Street. A reception will follow the lecture.

Ticket prices are $25 with discounts and free tickets available for members at various levels. Call 843-379-3331 for reservations.