CHESTERVILLE — The Illinois Amish Heritage Center (IAHC) in Chesterville near Arthur has a new Executive Director after the Board of Directors selected David King for the role.
King, a native of Richmond, Va. and an eighth-generation descendant of Amish immigrants, joins IAHC with 36 years of experience in management and fundraising for not-for-profit organizations.
King is linked to Amish immigrants in Pennsylvania from the 1730s and 1740s.
He has been an active part of IAHC since 2017 when he was asked to conduct a feasibility study for a potential capital campaign. He has been serving in the role of fundraising counsel for the heritage center since 2018. In that time, he has been able to help raise over $2.4 million to move historic Amish homes and other buildings, which include the Hershberger-Miller Barn to the Chesterville facility.
He has been a fundraising consultant since 2006. In 2012, he established David P. King Fundraising Counsel LLC and has counseled over 35 clients to conduct planning studies, capital and endowment campaigns, annual giving programs, and planned giving programs.
King was raised Mennonite in Goshen, Ind. He would attend Eastern Mennonite University. He received his bachelor’s degree in English literature from Goshen College in 1982. In addition, he holds a Master’s degree in English and linguistics from the University of Arkansas, where he graduated in 1986.
After completing his education, he served with the Mennonite Central Committee, teaching English as a second language in the People’s Republic of China from 1986 to 1988.
He started his career while at the University of Arkansas with the International Agricultural Programs. He has served as a developmental director for the International Institute of Buffalo, business development director for the Immigration and Refugee Services of America, and as senior development director for the not-for-profit State Fair of Virginia.
King’s vision for the Arthur project is to create a living history farm and Amish museum where visitors from throughout the region, across the country, and throughout the world can visit the heritage center to learn about Amish and Mennonite history, faith, lifestyle, and heritage.
King, who took over the role on April 1, will be responsible for all daily operations and provide guidance and direction to the board of directors. A majority of his efforts will be focused on the construction of a welcome center and museum building to house interactive exhibits and serve as a gathering place for visitors. He will also spend a portion of each month on campus with remote work performed from his home in Virginia.
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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.
