Illinois Amish Heritage Center hires permanent executive director
•October 14, 2026•
Michael Gramm Coffman, of Juliette, Georgia, has been hired as the first permanent full-time Executive Director of the Illinois Amish Heritage Center in Arthur.
Coffman is a 2021 graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton GA with a BS in History and Political Science, and a 2024 graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC with an MA of History in Museum Studies.
Coffman’s vision is to expand the IAHC Living History Farm and Amish Museum where visitors from the region, nationally, and internationally can visit to learn about Amish and Mennonite history, faith, lifestyle, and heritage. As the Executive Director, he will be responsible for all day-to-day operations and providing support to the nine-member IAHC Board of Directors.
His work experience includes Ride Operations Manager at Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, NC where he managed 40 staff members at a family-oriented Wild West theme park located between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina, with 250,000 visitors each year.