John Morris

John D. Morris is the president and CEO of the Peoria Riverfront Museum, appointed by the board of directors in 2017. He leads the nation’s only multidisciplinary museum of art, science, history, and achievement in its mission to unleash the full talent and genius of every individual.
​Morris credits the museum’s success to the exceptional strategic policy-making of its dynamic board of directors and an independent foundation board, which has tripled the endowment to more than $21 million during his tenure. He has helped lead record philanthropic growth, including a tenfold increase in major annual Visionary Society giving. He led the museum's affinity strategy creating advisory councils, exhibitions, programs, and communication for various content areas of the museum, including a Center for American Decoys, artist Preston Jackson's gift of the Bronzeville to Harlem installation, and the nationally recognized Promise of Liberty exhibition that anchored the museum's renowned America 250 celebrations. These content areas engage more than 5,000 donors, and the teamwork of a dedicated and diverse professional staff.

​Committed to using objects to inspire people, Morris initiated the Every Student Initiative (ESI) in 2017 to provide free access for students and families, welcoming over 25,000 this year. Partnerships have grown to 360 schools and organizations, establishing the museum as a community gathering place on pace for 175,000 in-person visitors and 3 million digital interactions this year. The museum has brought national acclaim to Greater Peoria through unique multidisciplinary content, engagement rewards, and the innovative Museum+ initiative—which brings major performances directly into the galleries.

​Guided by the rule that every program must be the “first, best, or only” one of its kind, the team has secured ten international blockbuster exhibitions and over 100 unique self-curated exhibits, leveraging the museum permanent collection of 15,000 objects, which includes recent acquisitions like the Peoria portrait of Abraham Lincoln and one of the tallest amethyst specimens at any museum. With a 74-foot giant screen theater—the nation's biggest film society screen—the museum hosts 1,000 film showings this year alongside the Dome Planetarium, which features the most advanced projection software in the world.

​As the first Peoria native to lead the organization since its Lakeview Museum roots, Morris has spent a four-decade career "teaching people the joy of giving," raising more than $200 million in total. His previous leadership includes serving as founding director of the Ronald W. Reagan Society at Eureka College, vice president for WTVP-PBS, and Lakeview Museum development director. He is former at-large Peoria city councilman and mayor pro tem, in addition to serving on dozens local boards, commissions, and initiatives. Morris earned bachelor's degree and master's degree with honors in public administration from The George Washington University with Phi Beta Kappa honors, and the university's inaugural Presidential Administrative Fellow. He lives in Peoria with his wife, Cindy Morris, president of the Peoria Public Schools Foundation.