President / Executive Director
Art Dykstra came to Trinity Services in 1987 after a distinguished 20-year career with the Illinois Department of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities (DMH/DD). He had been the Superintendent of Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park, and before that, Ludeman Center in Park Forest.
He later became the Chicago Regional Administrator and then a Policy and Program Advisor for DMH/DD.
When the Board of Directors hired Art in 1987, Trinity operated a school for children and adults with developmental disabilities-- as it had since 1950. The staff of 33 served about 50 persons at that time. Since then, Trinity has added numerous programs and services
and now serves more than 1500 individuals with a staff in excess of 1000 at sites in Illinois and Nevada.
Art grew up in Racine, Wisconsin and attended Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1968, he earned a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology from Bradley University in Illinois. Art's first job after college was as an intern at the Elgin State Hospital in Illinois.
He moved into a leadership position early in his career when he became the Director of the Geriatric and Physical Treatment/Rehabilitation Program for the State of Illinois. Art has published articles in the Journal of Mental Health Administration and in the book, Advances in Law and Child Development.
He has also taught at the undergraduate and graduate level, designing such courses as "Human Services Administration," "Clinical Administration," "Psychological Testing," "Management for Non-Profit Organizations" and "Executive Leadership" at Indiana University, Roosevelt University, Northern Illinois, and Northeastern Illinois University.
He is a frequent consultant and speaks nationally to professional and governmental associations and organizations serving people with disabilities. He has written numerous articles for Perdido , the quarterly magazine on leadership which he founded and edits.
His most recent publication is his first book, Outcome Management. This book combines the foundation of an outcome-based management philosophy with the practical, nuts-and-bolts applications for leading an agency serving people with disabilities.
Art has served as the President of the Board of The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL), is a past President of the Illinois Chapter of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
(AAIDD), and was the past President of the Illinois Council of Executive Directors of the Arc. Art was the spokesperson for the Do The Right Thing Campaign in Illinois, which successfully spearheaded efforts to pass legislation to increase the hourly pay rate of direct support staff.
He serves on the board of the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (IARF), where he is currently President as well as numerous other boards and advisory councils.
Art has been recognized for his leadership with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Lewis University and the Zorich Foundation, as well as a Bradley University Distinguished Alumni Award from the Psychology Department, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Art and his wife of over 40 years, Anita Rigg Dykstra, have a son, Thane and two daughters, Heather and Megan. They have six grandchildren, Kelsie, Jarrod, Griffin, Carly Grace, Geneveive, and Gillian. The Dykstras reside in New Lenox, Illinois.
You can send Art Dykstra an e-mail at ADykstra@trinity-services.org or contact him by phone at (815) 485-6197.
Read articles about Art Dykstra and Trinity Services from the November 27, 1997 issue of the Joliet Herald-News and the January 23, 1998 edition of the Daily Southtown.