To help you get to know who’s who in Illinois tourism, ITN profiles an industry leader each month. This month, we introduce Susan Mogerman, Chief Operating Officer of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.

Barely five months into her new position as chief operating officer of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, Susan Mogerman is understandably proud of the growing list of Foundation accomplishments and is prepared to tackle the long list of responsibilities that lie ahead.

Upon accepting the job as COO in July, Mogerman realized there would be little time to get organized, with the library scheduled to open in the fall and the long-anticipated completion of the museum projected for the spring of 2005. She had nine months total to establish an office, hire a full-time professional staff, get a credible database up and running, reactivate fundraising activities after more than a year of dormancy, raise a half million dollars in private funding to pay for the dedication of the museum and approach as many potential donors as possible in the super-charged period leading up to the four-day event celebrating the opening of the Museum.

Today, the office is in high gear. More than 50 presentations, large and small, have been made. With the aid of a new database, unfulfilled pledges have been identified and collections have begun. Mogerman is working with the newly contracted retail store managers as decisions are made on buying and manufacturing merchandise. And, the hunt is on for a restaurateur and/or catering company to provide food service in the museum.

The most daunting goal is the $50 million endowment fund that will pay for a dazzling array of programs envisioned by Library, Museum and Foundation Director Richard Norton Smith to enrich daily operations at the cultural institution, from educational programming to special events, temporary exhibits and more. Even the most rigorous fundraising plans estimate that achieving that goal is years away. But long-range goals are nothing new to Mogerman, who has been involved in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum for more than a decade.

Mogerman began her government service in 1983 as deputy press secretary to Governor Jim Thompson, following her work as media coordinator for Thompson’s 1982 re-election campaign. “Even back in the ‘80s, people wandered into the press office to complain that President Lincoln didn’t have a library of his own,” Mogerman said.

In 1991, Governor Jim Edgar named Mogerman director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) after having served a year as deputy director of the agency. Her leadership in tourism and preservation during her 12 years at the agency brought improvements at state historic sites, including the construction of visitor centers at Cahokia Mounds, New Salem and the Lincoln Log Cabin. Mogerman and IHPA Board of Trustees Chairman Julie Cellini convinced Edgar that construction of the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site had to be completed in time for the bicentennial of the Corps of Discovery Expedition.

The dream of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum crept forward slowly, overcoming obstacle after obstacle for more than a decade. As frustrating as the pace of progress was, it turned out to be providential. “Had we been successful in building the library during the early years, it would have been technologically obsolete today, and our vision of the museum needed time to grow as well,” Mogerman said.

By the time Mogerman took early retirement in 2002 after more than 20 years of state service, the library was finally under construction. After a five-week retirement, she accepted the position of executive director of Downtown Springfield, Inc. and turned her attention to the commercial and development needs of downtown Springfield in preparation for the opening of the library and museum. Two years later, Mogerman and Richard Norton Smith discussed the possibility of her joining the Foundation. During a four-hour meeting, they spoke about the library’s history, its future, and the crucial role the Foundation would play in its success. It was an opportunity she could not pass up.

Mogerman looks forward to the museum opening and perhaps a slightly less frantic work schedule that will allow more time with family and friends, travel and a return to swimming and bicycling. But for now, each walk through the nearly complete museum provides all the thrills she needs.

Originally from Chicago, Mogerman and her husband Jay met while they were students at the University of Missouri. Jay joined the Army after getting his master’s degree in social work. The couple expected him to go to Vietnam, so got married and the next three years were spent at Ft. Campbell, Ky. Mogerman credits having weathered those tense wartime days with having a great marriage.

The Mogermans are empty nesters with a son in Chicago and another in St. Louis. They love movies, theater and dining out with friends. Biking has become a passion since both she and her husband have back problems due to a strenuous 35 years of running (for him) and 30 years of racquetball (for her).

With the intention to move out west, the Mogermans moved to Springfield anticipating a year of transition after her husband got out of the Army. That was 34 years ago and they continue to make the Land of Lincoln their home.