News & Insights

The Lumpkin Family Foundation, a nonprofit grantmaking organization dedicated to building healthy, sustainable communities in East Central Illinois and across the United States, is excited to announce Heidi Dusek as its new Executive Director, effective August 1, 2025.

Heidi has spent more than 20 years leading cross-sector efforts at the intersection of community development, philanthropy, and systems change. Her background spans grantmaking foundations, research and evaluation, public health, and K–12 education—offering a broad perspective on how lasting change takes root across diverse communities. She specializes in aligning vision with action, helping organizations bring bold ideas to life through thoughtful strategy, operational discipline, and collaborative leadership.

Prior to her intentional pause and consulting work, Heidi served as Executive Director of the J.J. Keller Foundation, a family foundation in Wisconsin, where she led strategic refresh efforts, strengthened the focus on social innovation and capacity building, and evolved collaborative funding models. She brought greater intentionality to the Foundation’s portfolio and infrastructure, while cultivating partnerships across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to advance community-driven solutions.

Dusek’s values, leadership style, and creative energy are a strong match for The Foundation’s mission, and for the next chapter of its work with grantees and funding partners in the promotion of health and wellness through sustainable food systems, mental health initiatives and regenerative agriculture, along with other community-based initiatives which support the overall mission.

“What excites me most is the Foundation’s heart for community. As my family and I settle into the Mattoon-Charleston area, I’m looking forward to listening, learning, and building relationships. It’s a privilege to step into this role and work alongside the Lumpkin family, our partners, and local leaders to help strengthen the places people call home,” said Dusek.  

The Foundation and the members of the Lumpkin family share their sincere congratulations and gratitude to retiring Executive Director Bruce Karmazin for his 24 years of leadership and innovation, and for positioning the Foundation to transition seamlessly to this next era with Dusek at the helm.

Deep appreciation is also given to the Search Committee, Chair Steve Shirar, President Ila Duncan, Natalie Beck, Debbi Gillespie, Pam Keon, and Michael Smith for their commitment and insight during this process; and to the BoardWalk Consulting team of Sam Pettway and Lysondra Somerville, who led the search effort.