David Toland, a seventh-generation Allen Countian, began as Thrive Allen County’s executive director in January 2008, after having worked for 8 years in Washington, DC. During his tenure, Thrive has grown from an all-volunteer coalition based primarily in Iola to an organization known nationally for innovative approaches to improving the quality of life and economic vitality in rural communities.

Under Toland’s leadership, Thrive Allen County has been instrumental in a variety of major projects in Allen County over the past decade, including:

• The Year of the Hospital effort that ultimately resulted in 72% voter approval to construct the new 25-bed Allen County Regional Hospital and returning the hospital to local control;
• The development of over 20 miles of new trails in the county, most notably the Southwind Rail Trail and Lehigh Portland Trails;
• The construction of a new 17,000 square foot G&W Foods supermarket after a 9-year absence of a standalone grocery store in Iola;
• A reduction in Allen County’s uninsured rate from 21% in 2013 to the current 9%;
• Allen County’s selection as a 2017 Robert Wood Johnson national Culture of Health Prize winner;
• Co-creation of highly successful healthy lifestyles events, most notably the Charley Melvin Mad Bomber Run;
• Development of a variety of quality-of-life projects, ranging from Happy Tails Dog Park in Iola to a playground in Elsmore to storm sirens in Mildred and Petrolia to bike routes in Humboldt;
• Designing and implementing the redevelopment of the former Allen County Hospital site, including G&W as well as construction of the first new apartment building in Iola in more than 20 years and rezoning remaining parcels for additional apartment construction;
• The successful recruitment and retention of Dr. Brian Neely, MD; Dr. Ryan Coffield, DDS; Dr. David Andersen, DDS and a variety of other medical and business professionals to Allen County;
• Attaining a $500,000 grant to begin the Allen County Community Foundation, now known as My Community Foundation;
• Establishing a series of community conversations that occur regularly throughout the county to improve communications and remove barriers between communities;
• The successful conversion of Stub’s Market in Moran into a community-owned co-op, the Marmaton Market;
• The successful recruitment of Catalyst Artificial Lift to purchase and occupy the 170,000 square foot former Haldex production facility in Iola;
• The recruitment of a retail bike shop to Allen County, and the establishment of Allen County Bike Share, a 30-unit system that is one of the largest free bike share systems in Kansas;
• Passage in Iola of the first rural community Tobacco 21 ordinance in Kansas (3rd in the state), and the first rural Complete Streets ordinance in the state (9th in Kansas);
• Providing technical assistance on grant writing for a variety of organizations and projects countywide, including Elm Creek Community Garden; Iola CITF; La Harpe PRIDE; Moran Thrive/PRIDE; the City of Humboldt; the City of Iola; and Allen County Government. Thrive has brought nearly $8 million in outside grant dollars to Allen County over the past decade.

The Thrive Allen County organization was an all-volunteer coalition with a $50,000 grant from the REACH Healthcare Foundation when Toland was hired as the organization’s Executive Director. Today, the organization is the largest coalition of its type in Kansas with 10 full-time staff positions, an annual operating budget of nearly $1 million, and owns a 15,000 square foot building that serves as its headquarters.

The organization has a strong and stable funding base that includes a mix of private foundation, state and federal grant funding, as well as contracts for services and private donations. Most recently Thrive launched a statewide initiative, Thrive Kansas, and is engaged in a major planning process for development of the former Waugh-Yokum property in Iola.

In January 2019, Toland left Thrive to become Secretary of Commerce for the State of Kansas. Allen County thanks Toland for his years of service and dedication. His exemplary vision, strong leadership, and relentless work ethic has improved Allen County in countless ways, and built a Culture of Health that will benefit our community for years to come. Thrive is confident that he will continue to make an overwhelmingly positive impact in our state.