Community Corner
New Executive Director, Museum Milestone Mark Turning Point For Keeler Tavern In Ridgefield
Keeler Tavern names Tina Malhotra executive director as longtime leader Hildegard Grob retires after 14 years.
RIDGEFIELD, CT — Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center is celebrating a milestone birthday, welcoming a new executive director and saying farewell to the leader who helped transform the historic site into one of Ridgefield's most active cultural institutions.
The museum's Board of Directors has named Ridgefield resident Tina Malhotra as executive director, effective July 1. She succeeds Hildegard Grob, who is retiring after more than 14 years at the helm.
Malhotra has served as chair of the Ridgefield Public Schools Board of Education since 2022. She most recently held leadership positions at Ann’s Place in Danbury, focused on fundraising and development, and is active in a number of local organizations, including the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education A Better Chance, the Ridgefield Youth Commission, and the Ridgefield Rotary Club.
The leadership transition comes as Keeler Tavern prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary as a museum and history center while riding a wave of record attendance, growing educational programs and heightened community engagement.
"It's a testament to the museum's outstanding reputation that we attracted so many applicants from all around the country," KTM&HC Board President David Yaun said in a statement announcing Malhotra's appointment. "Tina's experience dealing with complex organizational issues and her deep connections in Ridgefield and surrounding communities stood out, and they will help her build on the tremendous foundation created by Hildi, the staff, and board over the past decade and a half."
For Yaun, the moment represents both a celebration of the museum's past and a launching point for its future.
Keeler Tavern was incorporated on July 1, 1966, though the property itself dates to 1713, when the original building was constructed. Over the centuries it served as a tavern, hotel, post office and private residence before becoming a museum.
"We have our 60th anniversary coming up," Yaun said, noting that the celebration coincides both with the retirement of the museum's first full-time executive director and preparations for America's upcoming 250th anniversary observances.
Grob arrived in 2012 as the institution's first full-time executive director.
"Back then it was a very different organization," Grob told Patch. "It was half the size."
Her goal, she said, was to help the site reach its full potential.
"The beauty of it is that it has over 300 years of history, and it's impactful, important history," Grob said.
During her tenure, the museum expanded its footprint, strengthened its educational mission and deepened its interpretation of the property's layered history. Grob highlighted a National Endowment for the Humanities grant that funded the site's first comprehensive history and an interpretive plan that guides how stories are told today.
Those efforts helped fuel new exhibits, tours and educational programs focused on connecting the past to contemporary issues.
"The world we live in today didn't just happen," Grob said. "There's a reason it happened."
All About History, But Success is in the Math
The results are visible in the numbers.
This fiscal year, nearly 3,000 students from 44 schools participated in educational programs, while more than 13,000 visitors came through the site. Event spaces, including the Garden House and walled garden, are booked through 2027.
Yaun said those figures are especially notable at a time when many small museums face funding challenges.
"I look at attendance," he said. "That 3,000 figure on students ... tells us we're really coming through on our mission."
He also pointed to the museum's broader impact on Ridgefield.
"The economic impact that we have on the town of Ridgefield" extends beyond the museum grounds, Yaun said, as visitors dine in local restaurants, shop downtown and explore other attractions.
Among the museum's strengths, Yaun said, is its ability to tell stories that span more than three centuries, from the Revolutionary War era and the famous cannonball lodged in the tavern wall to the years when architect Cass Gilbert transformed the property into a summer estate. The museum also highlights the experiences of slaves, immigrants, workers and families who lived or worked there
Golden Past, Brighter Future
Looking ahead, Malhotra said she sees the museum as both a community gathering place and a center for civic engagement.
"When our family moved here 13 years ago, the museum was a place that immediately helped us feel a sense of community," she said. "For more than three centuries, it has had a unique role as a center for civic engagement, a place where the community can come together and where conversations about important issues happen."
Her immediate priorities include fundraising and development to support growing demand for educational and curatorial programs.
As for Grob, she said retirement won't mean disappearing from the institution she helped shape. She plans to continue volunteering and remain involved with selected projects.
Reflecting on her years in Ridgefield, Grob said she is most proud of the partnerships built along the way.
For Keeler Tavern, the changing of the guard arrives at a fitting moment: one chapter closing, another beginning, and a 313-year-old property still finding new ways to tell Ridgefield's story.
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