Nike Whitcomb, Executive Director, American Writers Museum

(CHICAGO, IL -- January 14, 2014)  Nike Whitcomb will serve as the first Executive Director of the American Writers Museum, it was announced today. 

Whitcomb is a well-respected advocate for nonprofits in every sector, serving as consultant, feasibility expert, and fundraiser for many arts and cultural institutions. 

 

"As an avid reader and a Chicagoan, working to establish the first national museum in the U.S. to celebrate American writing right here in my hometown is something I am truly passionate about," says Whitcomb.  

 

Whitcomb is founder and principal of Whitcomb Associates.

Her former clients include the Winnetka Historical Society, Roosevelt University, Millikin University, the Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation, National 4-H and four of its local divisions, the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and twenty-eight of its chapters, and the American College of Surgeons, as well as many local churches and synagogues, social service agencies, and health/hospital organizations.

Whitcomb was the first female president of the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and has received the organization's President's Award. She helped author the original certification test for AFP, and is a regular trainer and presenter at local, regional, and national conferences on fundraising and nonprofit management. She frequently presents at seminars and conferences across the country for leaders of nonprofit organizations and philanthropic leaders.

According to the American Writers Museum Foundation Chairman Malcolm O'Hagan, the momentum for establishing the museum is growing, with donations during the past year rising dramatically. The Museum is currently developing its first traveling exhibit, From our Neighborhoods: Four Chicago Writers Who Changed America, which will open in area libraries and cultural centers in March 2014. A detailed design plan has been published, and a physical museum is expected to open in Chicago within two years. A number of sites in the Chicago downtown area are under consideration.  

 

The mission of the American Writers Museum Foundation is to establish the first national museum in the United States dedicated to engaging the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on our history, our identity, our culture, and our daily lives. 

 

For more information, visit www.americanwritersmuseum.org.  

  

Media contact:
Helen Sullivan
703.606.7622 

sullivan@americanwritersmuseum.org