Volunteer Leaders: Mike English

Dyersville Area Community Foundation

Founding board member

• Hometown: Dyersville, IA
• Education: St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN and University of Northern Iowa, class of 1980
• Career: Retired owner of English Pub, Dyersville
• Board member since: 1980s

Tell us about yourself!

I started in the hospitality business in the ‘70s. I’m four years into retirement now. I have been serving on city council since 1986. I'm interested in geneology: On the English side, which is Irish, a relative and I are doing research to pinpoint what area we came from. I enjoy reading newspapers, historical novels, and nonfiction.

What inspired the establishment of the Foundation? 

Friends of mine had seen a foundation in Eagle Grove, and we thought it would be good thing to start. I was an elected city official. Our group included attorneys, a newspaper publisher, a representative from the Ertl company and some agricultural leaders. We all pitched in to get it started back in the late ‘80s. 

Shortly after that, Ertl Manufacturing came to us about the lack of childcare. They wanted to contribute some money, and that’s how we started The Kid Project. Through the '90s, it was our primary job to keep it going. We’re still involved and are lucky to have very good management there. Now we can focus on other things as well.