CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. -- Daniel P. Jordan, president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation since 1985, will leave his position as Monticello's chief executive effective Nov. 1, 2008, Jeffrey C. Walker, chairman of the foundation's Board of Trustees, announced today (Friday, Sept. 21).

Jordan, 69, said that he and his wife, Lou, made the decision after consultation with members of the foundation's board and that the announcement was being made more than a year in advance in the best interests of Monticello.

This time frame will allow the board and the foundation to conduct a proper search for a successor, Jordan said, and it should make for a smooth transition for a tremendous organization that -- thanks to the efforts and contributions of so many dedicated people -- it has been a privilege to serve for more than two decades.

Walker praised Jordan's contributions to Monticello.

Dan Jordan has done an amazing job in bringing the Thomas Jefferson Foundation to the place it is today, Walker said. We are all incredibly grateful for the job he has done for us and Monticello. His will be tough shoes to fill.

And right from the start, Lou Jordan has been Dan's committed partner and has contributed to Monticello in many substantial ways.

The foundation has formed a search committee consisting of Walker, board Vice Chairman and Treasurer Alice W. Handy, Trustees H. Eugene Lockhart, Jr., and Howard P. Milstein, and Emeritus Trustee Rebecca W. Rimel, and will retain an executive search firm to assist in the process of hiring a new president.

Jordan is a native of Mississippi and a U.S. Army infantry veteran who holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi, where he was scholarship athlete in baseball and basketball, and a doctorate in American history from the University of Virginia. Prior to joining Monticello, he was a member of the history faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The author of three books and more than 70 articles, essays and reviews, he has received several state and national awards for contributions to historic preservation as well as the U.S. Department of the Interior's Public Service Award, its highest award to a private citizen.

Jordan has served on numerous state and national boards, including terms as chairman of the Advisory Board of the National Park Service and the Review Board of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He also has served on planning groups for Independence Hall, the White House, and the U.S. Capitol.

During Jordan's tenure as president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello has realized many significant accomplishments, among them the founding of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, and the Monticello Education Department; the establishment in 1993 of an endowment that now stands at more than $100 million; the development of the Thomas Jefferson Parkway (including Kemper Park, Saunders Bridge, and the Saunders-Monticello Trail); the opening of the Jefferson Library; the 1993 observance of the 250th anniversary of Jefferson's birth; the 2003 commemoration of the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition; the start of editorial work on and the publication of the first volumes of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series; the publication of more than 30 other books; the launch of Monticello's Web site; the purchase of Montalto; the constant expansion in both depth and scope of numerous interpretive, research, education, and restoration programs; and inclusion on the United Nations' World Heritage List.

Jordan said that upon leaving Monticello he plans to open a consultancy with a longtime friend and colleague and that he and his wife would continue to reside in the Charlottesville area.

He also said he plans to finish strong and remain deeply involved in Monticello's operations and projects, especially the construction of and fund-raising for the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith History Center, which is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2008.