February 25, 2010—
Over the course of two years, artists from North Dakota and South Dakota collaborated with the Bush Foundation to explore new ways of supporting the professional development of artists in the region through the Dakota Creative Connections grant program
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After 35 years of commitment to the Bush Foundation and its mission, John Archabal has announced he will retire on June 1. He is a senior program officer and director of the Bush Leadership Fellows Program.
“Over my time at the Foundation, I’ve been privileged to witness the work of hundreds of committed, smart, industrious people who’ve used the resources of the Foundation to change themselves, their organizations and their communities,” Archabal said. “It’s been my particular honor to have been a part of the Bush Leadership Fellows Program, a transformational opportunity for mid-career leaders.”
Archabal’s tenure at the Foundation is unique in its length and in that he is one of the few staff members to have worked alongside all three Foundation presidents—Humphrey Doermann (1971-1996), Anita M. Pampusch (1996-2007) and the Foundation’s current leader Peter C. Hutchinson.
Hutchinson said, “John has touched hundreds of lives through our fellowship programs and worked with countless institutions. All are better for his critical friendship—a uniquely powerful combination of challenge and support. He epitomizes our vision of a catalytic leader. He is a catalytic leader who has made a difference.”
The grandson of immigrants from the Basque region of Spain, the young Bostonian came to Minnesota in 1967. Archabal took jobs as the dean of men at Hamline University in Saint Paul and program director for extension classes at the University of Minnesota. He was induced by then-Bush Foundation President Doermann to consult on behalf of the Foundation, and in 1973 Doermann hired him as a program associate.
Archabal later became director of the Bush Leadership Fellows (BLF) Program and participated in the Foundation’s organizational grantmaking as a senior program officer. In this later arena, Archabal was instrumental in guiding the Foundation’s programs in higher education, particularly related to regional, historically black and tribal colleges and universities.
Archabal holds a bachelor of arts degree in government from Harvard College and a master of arts in teaching degree in history from Wesleyan University. After coming to Minnesota, he pursued doctoral work in American studies at the University of Minnesota.
Pamela Wheelock, who joined the Foundation in January as vice president and leadership/community engagement team leader, heads the team of which Archabal is an integral part. She said, “John describes himself as a generalist who attributes much of his work over the years to the support of his Foundation colleagues and to access to the specialized consultants with whom he’s worked. He is a forthright and respectful collaborator on whom I’ve come to rely during my short tenure.”
In 1989, Archabal took over the directorship of the BLF Program, which will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2010. The Foundation recently announced 18 new Bush Leadership Fellows for 2009, the final cohort over which Archabal will have presided. Of the 1,335 fellows named between 1965 and 2009, 504 became fellows during Archabal’s tenure as director.
Wheelock said, “John’s enthusiasm for the Bush Leadership Fellows is clearly apparent. He’s like a proud parent as he shares their accomplishments. He’s been engaged in the development of the program and over the years has consistently displayed an ability to both appreciate its strengths while being open to ways to improve the program’s effectiveness.”
Today, Bush Leadership Fellows exert influence at all levels of nonprofit and for-profit business management, government and education. They encompass a wide diversity of educational paths, cultural backgrounds and fields of work.
Well-known Bush Leadership Fellows include current Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives Margaret Anderson Kelliher; Dr. Ellen E. Chaffee, who was formerly president at the same time of both Valley City State University and Mayville State University in North Dakota; and Cynthia Lindquist, president of Cankdeska Cikana Community College in Fort Totten, ND. Thomas Moss, chief operating officer at the Public Strategies Group in Saint Paul, was in the first cohort of leadership fellows for which Archabal was responsible; Moss subsequently served as a selection process panelist for the program.
The Foundation invites Archabal’s fellows, grantees, colleagues and friends to visit www.bushfoundation.org to learn about ways to share their stories of accomplishment and learning during Archabal’s 35 years at the Foundation.
The Bush Foundation was established in 1953 by 3M executive Archibald Bush and his wife Edyth. The Foundation strives to be a catalyst to shape vibrant communities in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota by investing in courageous and effective leadership that significantly strengthens and improves the well-being of people in these three states.
Beginning in 2009, the Bush Foundation is pursuing its Goals for a Decade—in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota to develop courageous leaders and engage entire communities in solving problems, to support the self-determination of Native nations and to increase educational achievement. (For more information about Goals for a Decade, visit www.bushfoundation.org.)
For additional information contact: Victoria Tirrel, Communications Associate, 651-379-2238
Ka Vang
David Larson
Bill Allen
What is a Bush Fellow?