Eileen R. Mackevich was the Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. She resigned under pressure from Governor Rauner on October 16, 2015, serving as the longest sitting director. She was unanimously recommended for this position by the Board of Trustees for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), and the title was officially bestowed upon her in December 2010, by former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. Prior to Mackevich, IHPA director Jan Grimes, served as interim director.
Mackevich co-founded the Chicago Humanities Festival with Richard J. Franke. She served as president from 1989 to 2005.
From 2006 to 2009, Mackevich was the Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
For 18 years, Mackevich had a career as a broadcast journalist and talk show host on WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio.
In 2004, she was named one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in Chicago" by the Chicago Sun Times.
She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Master's degree in British history at Northeastern Illinois University, and took additional graduate coursework at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Also, she has an honorary doctorate from both Dominican University and Lincoln College.
Mackevich is a member of the Order of the British Empire.