Gail F. Serfaty has been Director of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, Department of State and Curator of the Blair House since March, 1995. The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, a suite of rooms in which the Secretary of State, Vice President, and Members of Cabinet entertain official guests, are furnished with an outstanding collection of American fine and decorative arts of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The Blair House, constructed in 1824, is presently a four building complex used as the official guest house of the President of the United States. This is a historic house, containing a collection of fine furnishings, many with associations to the Blair-Lee families. Mrs. Serfaty is responsible for the management and preservation of both collections. Mrs. Serfaty served as Acting Curator from January - October, 1992 and as Associate Curator of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms since 1972. As the collection grew in size and in value, Mrs. Serfaty assumed primary responsibility for such special projects as the architectural transformation of the Benjamin Franklin State Room, and the Seventh Floor Treaty Room Suite.