Why I love my job: Gillian Greer, executive director, Vinings Historic Preservation Society

What I do: While glass and steel towers rise along the Perimeter in Cobb County and upscale malls and entertainment venues fill with people, Gillian Greer is focused on keeping Vinings connected to its past.

The executive director of the Vinings Historic Preservation Society deals with three buildings that reflect the Vinings of a century or so ago. But her job is hardly stuffy.

Under her direction, the historic Pace House and Old Pavilion are alive with wedding receptions, birthday parties, family reunions and holiday events. The Yarbrough House, across from the Vinings Inn in the village’s downtown, is the society’s headquarters and Greer’s office. Over the holidays, she kept a pot of cocoa ready and sweets on the table for visitors.

“I show the historic properties —- the Pace House and Old Pavilion —- to prospective clients,” said Greer, 56. “I’m the only employee, so I organize everything.”

That includes holidays for children, such as the recent Deck the Halls events, where children made old-fashioned ornaments.

The society was established by the Ruth Carter Vanneman Foundation to preserve historic buildings, including the former home of Vinings founder Hardy Pace. It also moved the old Western & Atlantic pavilion from behind the Vinings Inn to its current location next to the Pace House.

While affairs at the buildings are handled by an event coordinating company, Greer said, “I get a lot of phone calls” to make the arrangements.

“I do all the administrative work for events, public relations, sponsor packets, fund-raisers —- anything that needs to be done,” she said.

In addition, she maintains the society’s membership roll and publishes its quarterly newsletter.

What got me interested in this: “I lucked into this job,” Greer said.

Greer, a longtime Vinings resident, said she was talking with her predecessor at a Vinings Business Association meeting and discovered the job would soon be vacant. She applied and was hired.

Greer had taken early retirement from her job as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, but “I hadn’t thought about taking on another career.”

Greer said her mother once ran an antiques store in the Old Pavilion before it was moved to the Pace House property.

Best part of my job: “It is right here, smack in the middle of Vinings village,” said Greer, who lives within walking distance of her office.

“Vinings has such a village feel,” she said. “People love that. We’re like a huge family, a huge neighborhood.”

Most challenging part: “Growing our membership” to continue historic preservation in Vinings, Greer said.

What people don’t know about my job: “How many people who don’t know what goes on inside this house,” she said. The one-room Yarbrough building has signs and a map out front, but the tiny white structure is easy to overlook by motorists passing through the village on Paces Ferry Road.

What keeps me going: “I just love my job,” Greer said. “The volunteers I have are ever so friendly.”

Preparation needed for this job: “A degree in historic preservation is helpful, or at least a willingness to learn,” Greer said.

You must have computer skills, be an organized person, self-motivated and have a passion for the work, she added.

“You have to be a giving person. It’s not a what’s-in-it-for-me job,” she said, noting that nonprofits “are not known for their high pay scales.”

She said she has learned about historic preservation on the job and continues to learn about the subject and nonprofits through membership in the Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society and the Georgia Center for Nonprofits.

“Just because you have no experience, don’t let the fact keep you from applying,” Greer said. “People skills and my work ethic got me this job.”

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