Kathy A. Fleming served as Executive Director of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, a post she held for 28 years. She has experience in senior leadership of a maritime museum, marine archaeological research program, and running an active, private aid-to-navigation.
Kathy has been married to Andy Fleming for over thirty years. They are the proud parents of Phoebe, an economist, and the principal of Fleming Insights LLC and her twin brothers, Jack Fleming of Blacksburg VA and Zeke Fleming of Charlotte NC.
In 1999, Fleming helped found the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) to investigate shipwrecks in waters of the Nation's Oldest Port (sm). Today, LAMP employs seven scientists and holds an annual field-school for university students across the U.S.
In 2003, the National Trust for Historic Preservation presented its National Preservation Award to Ms. Fleming and the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, Inc. for helping to pass a new federal law, The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The Act allowed ownership of lighthouses by private non-profits and government entities, and the St. Augustine Lighthouse was transferred to the Museum by the USCG through the National Park Service and General Services Administration. In a rare move, the Museum also received ownership of the first order, Fresnel lens, crafted in Paris, France, in 1874 for the St. Augustine Lighthouse. The Museum today operates the front porch light for its community. In 2019, the Museum received the Hershel Shepherd Award for Historic Preservation from the St. Augustine Historical Society.
In her retirement Fleming enjoys painting, writing and volunteering to help nonprofits and lighthouses. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Association of Museums as a past president. Fleming is the principal at Allen Fleming Consulting, an LLC that helps small nonprofits with operations and planning advice.