Join us for coffee and conversation at this semester’s Pros at the Pick — a space to make connections and gain insight about what really goes on in museums. This semester we are featuring Jessi Haish LaRue, the Executive Director of the JF Glidden Homestead & Historical Center in DeKalb.

Jessi is proving that history can be innovative, community-powered, and anything but dusty. Leading the organization since 2022, she brings a creative, forward-looking approach to the birthplace of “The Winner” barbed wire—home to two National Register of Historic Places buildings. An eighth-generation DeKalb County resident and descendant of barbed wire baron Jacob Haish, Jessi’s connection to local history is both deeply personal and future-focused. With a journalism background from Kishwaukee College and Northern Illinois University, she pairs strong storytelling with strategic vision, guiding a lean operation of one part-time staff member and a dedicated volunteer team, funded entirely by donations. Under her leadership, the Homestead has expanded programming, fundraising, and public engagement, including the launch of Barbed Wire Weekend in 2024 celebrating the 150th anniversary of Joseph F. Glidden’s patent, and earning a 2026 DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit of the Year nomination.