The Lindsborg Old Mill and Swedish Heritage Museum announces the hiring of its new Executive Director, Kay Quinn, effective mid-August. 

 According to the organization, the historical attraction, formerly known as the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, will transfer ownership in early August from McPherson County to a private non-profit organization whose mission will be to focus on the Swedish heritage and pioneering innovations of the region.

 The newly organized entity will be led by a staff of four and a board of directors comprised of: Board Chairman Les Sperling, who is the retired CEO of Central Kansas Foundation; Vice Chair and McPherson attorney Britt Colle; Treasurer Dr. Anna Hultquist Erickson, who isretired Dean of the School of Counseling and Human Services, Capella University; board member and Lindsborg City Council member Kirsten Bruce, and board member and Inman Mayor Jim Toews.

 Kay Quinn is a marketing and fundraising professional with more than 30 years’ experience in growing and leading organizations in Kansas and in the Southeast. Most recently, she has served in a dual role for the City of Salina, as development coordinator for the Smoky Hill Museum, also handling all marketing and branding and some fundraising for the nationally known Smoky Hill River Festival.

 A fourth-generation Kansan whose family has farmed and ranched in Ottawa County since 1858, Quinn also has worked in Manhattan and Topeka, KS. She lived in Gainesville, FL for 21 years, helping lead the Florida Magazine Association and serving as founding editor for the national publication Student Leader. During her time in Florida, Quinn also owned a boutique public-relations firm, Morgan & Quinn, handling clients including book authors, art galleries, public speakers and others. 

 Quinn is a graduate of K-State Manhattan and also studied at Kansas Wesleyan University and at the graduate level at the University of Florida. While in the South, she traveled to Central and South America, the Caribbean and Mexico, and is conversant in Spanish, French, and other languages.

 Board chairman Les Sperling says, “We are fortunate to have Kay Quinn to lead this experienced team, as the museum positions itself as a key player in the community, county and region. We look forward to helping the staff work cohesively and to set and share its goals.”

At the Lindsborg Old Mill and Swedish Heritage Museum, Quinn and longtime staffers Lenora Lynam and Jim Malm, along with the museum’s board of directors, will evaluate the historical attraction’s potential to attract regional guests and tourism dollars, while prioritizing its facility needs. 

Holly Lofton, executive director of Visit Lindsborg, the area’s convention and visitors bureau, says, “We look forward to all the possibilities that a re-imagined Old Mill will bring, not only for the Smoky Valley, but also to visitors that come to this region seeking memorable experiences for themselves and their families.  We see this partnership with the Lindsborg Old Mill and Swedish Heritage Museum as one that is promising and honestly…exciting!”

The museum’s staff and board hope to share plans for visible property improvements, along with some early programming goals, closer to the time of Svensk Hyllningsfest, held in Lindsborg in October of each odd-numbered year.