Greg Werkheiser

Founding Partner
703.408.2002

**Catch Greg in March at the 2024 SXSW Conference where he will talk about battles to preserve black and indigenous cultural heritage!**

Greg Werkheiser’s mission is connecting the lessons of our past to the leadership of our future. He believes this is achieved by protecting, conveying, and applying wisdom gleaned from history and diverse cultures to solve modern challenges and build a better society. To realize these goals, has Greg pursued three professional practices – cultural heritage and civil rights law, augmented reality technology entrepreneurship, and innovation in leadership education.

Greg is a Founding Partner of Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC the world’s premier law firm in its field. Through this law firm, Greg serves clients worldwide who are committed to addressing complex challenges related to the preservation and protection of artifacts, art, architecture, landscapes, sacred places, and living traditions. Greg’s advocacy has achieved significant victories, particularly in the realm of Indigenous and Black cultural heritage and civil rights.

In addition, Greg is Co-founder and CEO of ARtGlass, the global leader in bringing augmented reality (AR) to cultural tourism. ARtGlass groundbreaking software and insights empower iconic museums, historic sites, and cultural attractions to provide AR tours to millions of visitors, conveying wisdom through intellectual and emotional immersive storytelling.

Greg has also pioneered influential new methods of leadership education. Greg spent over two decades establishing and leading five national centers. These groundbreaking institutions include the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia, which focuses on bipartisan civic engagement and civic capacity engagement among youth; the Phoenix Project, promoting social entrepreneurship and civic capacity-building in distressed communities; the George Mason University Center for Social Innovation; the Presidio Institute, specializing in cross-sector leadership; and the ARCUS academy, providing emerging leaders with training in heritage preservation. The Carnegie Foundation for Teaching recognized Greg as one of America’s top civic educators.

In all such pursuits, Greg collaborated with teams of talented and dedicated colleagues.

Early in his career, Greg was heavily involved in direct political service, which included standing as a candidate for the Virginia legislature, writing speeches for a President and First Lady, US Ambassador to France, and US Senator, and advocating for state investment in public higher education.

In October 2023, Greg and Marion Werkheiser received the prestigious Simons Medal of Excellence.  

Greg is an alumnus of the College of William and Mary, his education made possible thanks to a stranger who learned of Greg’s financial situation and helped fund his tuition, in return for Greg’s pledge to continue the cycle of generosity. Greg earned his law degree from the University of Virginia.

Greg, along with his wife Marion, daughter Amelia, and extended family call Richmond, Virginia home. His hobbies include adventurous travel, creative writing, pun-making (black belt), and befriending wild crows.

See also: gregwerkheiser.com

REPRESENTATIVE ENGAGEMENTS

  • Advised the Mayor of Richmond, VA, in the successful removal of 13 city-owned “Lost-Cause” Confederate monuments from the infamous Monument Avenue. Represented 50 neighbors living in direct lines of sight to the Robert E. Lee Monument, filing a state Supreme Court brief in successful litigation securing the monument’s removal. Represented the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia in taking ownership of Richmond’s removed monuments.
  • Represented the Montpelier Descendants Committee, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring the narratives of enslaved Americans at plantation sites in Central Virginia and comprised of the descendants of those enslaved individuals, in their successful efforts to achieve shared governance on the board of U.S. President James Madison’s Montpelier, the first achievement of its kind in the museum world. Represented the Montpelier Foundation during its reconstitution under new leadership and structural parity.
  • Protected Rassawek, the ancestral capital of the Monacan Indian Nation, from destruction by the construction of water pumping facilities, preventing the disturbance of ancestral burials and destruction of rich cultural resources. Rassawek was named by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as among America’s most endangered historic sites. The four-year battle to protect Rassawek enlisted tens of thousands of citizens and preservation organizations nationwide.
  • Secured the return of the Wounded Indian sculpture to its rightful owner, the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association (“MCMA”). The celebrated life-sized statue had been the subject of a decades-long ownership dispute between MCMA and the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. 
  • Represent six of the most recently federally recognized Tribal Nations in advancing their efforts to strengthen their sovereign governments and secure their cultural heritage. On behalf of six federally recognized tribes in Virginia, negotiated an Executive Order with the Governor to affirm the Commonwealth’s obligation to consult with tribal nations on state permits. 
  • Led successful federal and state civil rights lawsuits on behalf of an American Indian tribe against the State of New Jersey for undermining long-held recognition of the Tribe and interfering in its sovereignty and programs.
  • Counseled foreign governments seeking international cooperation on strategies for protecting their cultural heritage sites suffering losses looting as part of a $4 billion black market trade in looted antiquities.
  • Negotiated a successful conclusion to the historic resources review process for the nation’s first offshore wind farm, resulting in multi-million dollar investments in historic preservation.
  • Protected the Black Creek Site, a major American Indian archaeological and sacred site, through 5-years of precedent-setting litigation – now a state park.

REPRESENTATIVE PRESENTATIONS

  • Presenter: “Requiring Balance Between Offshore Wind Development and Preservation,” Town of New Shoreham (Block Island), RI, 2023.
  • Keynote Speaker: “Cultural Heritage as a Human Right,” Simons Medal of Excellence Award, College of Charleston and the Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program, Charleston, SC, 2023.
  • Keynote Speaker: “Cultural Heritage Law: Stories from the Battlefront,” College of Charleston and the Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program, Charleston, SC, 2023.
  • Keynote Speaker: “Introducing Cultural Heritage Law,” University of Chicago School of Law, Chicago, IL, 2023.
  • Panelist: “Cultural and Environmental Resources Law,” Virginia Environmental Law Journal’s Fall Symposium, University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, VA, 2018.
  • Keynote Speaker: “National Native American Heritage Month,” National Labor Relations Board, Office of EEO, Washington, DC 2017.
  • Opening Keynote: “The Future of History,” U.S. Naval Academy, The Old Line State Summit, Annapolis, MD 2017.
  • Opening Keynote: “The Future of History,” Adler Theatre, Preserve Iowa Summit, Davenport, IA 2016.
  • Presenter: “Preservation50,” National Trust for Historic Preservation, PastForward Conference, Washington, DC, 2015.
  • Keynote Speaker, “The Future of Cultural Property Law,” Santa Clara University School of Law, Cultural Heritage Law Society, Santa Clara, CA, 2015.
  • Plenary Speaker, “Tribal Energy Development & Cultural Preservation,” Ute Tribe Energy Conference & Expo, Denver, CO, 2014.
  • Opening Speaker, “Building A Cross-Sector Leadership Movement,” The Presidio Institute & White House Forum on Cross-Sector Leadership, San Francisco, CA, 2013.
  • Keynote Speaker, “Keys to Success for Community Action Outcomes,” Community Action Partnership Management & Leadership Training Conference, San Diego, CA, 2013.
  • Panel Moderator, “Social Enterprise for Nonprofits,” Nonprofit Bootcamp 2013, Microsoft Campus, Mountain View, CA, 2013.
  • Keynote Speaker, “Solving Complex Social Challenges,” Social Innovation Program Commencement Ceremony, The Newseum, Washington, DC, 2012.
  • Opening Speaker, “Entrepreneurship in the Age of Austerity,” Accelerating Social Entrepreneurship Conference, Arlington, VA, 2011.
  • Speaker, “On New Forms of Public Leadership,” Active Citizen’s Conference, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 2011.
  • Keynote Speaker, “The Power of Social Innovation Education,” Launch of the George Mason University Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Fairfax, VA, 2011.
  • Keynote Speaker, “The Story of Your Founding,” NAACP William and Mary Chapter 15th Anniversary Celebration, Williamsburg, VA, 2009.
  • Presenter: “Preservation Litigation: The Battle to Save the Black Creek Site,” William and Mary School of Law, Williamsburg, VA, 2010.
  • Commencement Keynote, “Leading Your Life in Exponential Times,” South County High School, Fairfax, VA, 2010.
  • Keynote Speaker, “Phoenix Rising: Reviving Economically Distressed Communities,” Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement at Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA, 2008.

REPRESENTATIVE PRESS

Greg’s work has appeared in more than 500 media outlets, including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on National Public Radio. Examples include:

 

For more press coverage, see here.

ADMISSIONS

  • District of Columbia Bar
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
  • U.S District Court for the Western District of Virginia
  • U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, pro hac vice
  • Virginia State Bar
  • Virginia Supreme Court