Don attended local schools and graduated from Chillicothe High School in 1968. Upon high school graduation he attended the University of Illinois where he attained a bachelor’s of architecture degree in 1973. From there he joined the ranks of Phillip Swager and Associates (PSA) as a draftsman and designer. At that time, PSA was a 40 person firm in Peoria. Being a goal setting person, Don then and there set a goal of someday being CEO of that company.

   

In 1981 Don was moved to Dallas, Texas to initiate and operate PSA’s first regional office. It was there he met and married the love of his life, Patricia. In 1989 he was elevated to executive vice president and in 1990 the board of directors elected Don as chairman of the board and CEO. The company had now grown to a 150 person firm with its main office in Peoria.

   

After their first child, Tori, was born, they realized the big city was not where they wanted to raise their children, he knew he wanted to get back to the hometown he grew up in and loved. In 1990 they moved back to Chillicothe and bought a house directly across from the house he grew up in and had two more children, Andrew and Olivia. Upon his return to his hometown, Don became quite active in the surrounding community and served as chairman of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, and on the Illinois United Way and Methodist Medical Center boards.

   

After attaining his goal of becoming CEO of the company,  Don retired from PSA in 1998 to start a new career in Chillicothe as an independent regional architect and planning consultant serving a diverse client base.

   

In 1999, he became very involved with the Chillicothe community and entered local politics. He became the first ward alderman from 1999–2001. From there he went on to become Mayor from 2001–2005 and again in 2017–2021. During those years his community affiliation included; Founding member of the IVC Education Foundation, Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way and   was on the  Three Sisters Advisory.

   

To say Don is involved in the Chillicothe community is an understatement. Presently he is president of the Chillicothe Chamber of Commerce, sits on the boards of  AMT, Chillicothe Fire Protection District, and is the chairman of the Tri-County Planning Commission.

   

When asked what he thought was his greatest  accomplishment, Don replied with a smile and without hesitation, “marrying Patricia.” His second accomplishment he believes was attaining his goal of being CEO of PSA.

   

“I’ve always been a goal oriented person—setting goals and working to obtain those goals,” he says.

   

I tell the kids when I go to the high school to speak at the Everyday Leadership class at IVC; “to make goals, write them down and then work hard to attain those goals.”

   

Don and Patricia still live in the same house they bought since moving back to our town. He says, “I am so glad that we decided to move back to Chillicothe to live and raise a family, because after all; there’s no place like home.”