Dr. Leslie Lenkowsky is an expert in volunteering and civic engagement, nonprofits and public policy, civil society in comparative perspective, education and social welfare policy, and social entrepreneurship. A leading scholar on philanthropy, Lenkowsky was a member of SPEA’s faculty since 2004, and, for five years, was the director of Graduate Programs at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in Indianapolis. He also served for many years as professor of philanthropic studies and public policy at Lilly.  He has now retired. 

In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Lenkowsky to be CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a position he held for three years. The Corporation engages more than a million Americans of all ages in improving local communities through three initiatives: AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, and the National Senior ServiceCorps. President Bill Clinton appointed Lenkowsky as one of the founding directors of the Corporation when it was created in 1993.

Among his other positions, Lenkowsky has served as president of the Institute for Educational Affairs, deputy director of the United States Information Agency, research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University, director of the Philanthropy Roundtable, and director of research at the Smith Richardson Foundation. He has also served on a number of for-profit and nonprofit boards, as well as in the administrations of four presidents.

For seven years (1990-97), Lenkowsky served as president of Hudson Institute, an internationally renowned public policy research institution headquartered in Indianapolis. During Lenkowsky’s tenure, Hudson developed an innovative set of programs aimed at providing practical solutions to the nation’s most pressing domestic problems, such as crime, welfare dependency, and inadequate educational skills. A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, Lenkowsky received his doctorate from Harvard University. His writing has appeared in such publications as Commentary, The Weekly Standard, The Wall Street Journal, The Public Interest, The Chronicle of Philanthropy and the Indianapolis Business Journal. He has spoken frequently to educational and philanthropic groups throughout the United States and internationally, as well as been awarded three honorary degrees.

Carly Acree King is the Executive Director of MadJax Maker Force, where she works to support creativity, entrepreneurship, and community collaboration in Muncie and beyond. In her role, Carly focuses on building partnerships, developing inclusive programming, and connecting people with resources that help bring ideas to life.

Carly began her nonprofit career in 2007 and has experience in program development, communication, and nonprofit administration. She holds a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Relations Corporate Communications from Ball State University, along with certifications in Fund Raising Management, Nonprofit Leadership, and Results-Based Accountability.

Before joining MadJax, Carly served as the Relationship and Resource Director at the Nonprofit Support Network, where she helped connect nonprofits to resources, identified gaps in support systems, and worked with partners to create responsive solutions. She also served as Program Officer at The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, managing grant programs focused on rural philanthropy, land conservation, and education, while supporting nonprofits and donors in growing lasting endowment funds.

Carly brings a collaborative, thoughtful approach to her work and cares deeply about helping organizations and individuals thrive—especially when navigating complex or long-standing challenges.

Dr. Jerome Adams was appointed as a Presidential Fellow and the Executive Director of Purdue's Health Equity Initiatives on October 1, 2021. He is also a Distinguished Professor of Practice in the departments of Pharmacy Practice and Public Health.

As the 20th U.S. Surgeon General and a prior member of the President’s Coronavirus task force, Dr. Adams has been at the forefront of America’s most pressing health challenges. A regular communicator via tv, radio, and in print, Dr. Adams is an expert not just in the science, but also in communicating the science to the lay public, and making it relevant to various audiences.

Dr. Adams is a licensed anesthesiologist with a master’s degree in public health, and ran the Indiana State Department of Health prior to becoming Surgeon General. In the State Health Commissioner role he managed a $350 million dollar budget and over 1000 employees, and led Indiana’s response to Ebola, Zika, and HIV crises. Notably, Dr. Adams helped convince the Governor and State Legislature to legalize syringe service programs in the state, and to prioritize $13 million in funding to combat infant mortality. As Surgeon General, Dr. Adams was the operational head of the 6000 person Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and oversaw responses to 3 back to back category 5 hurricanes, and to a once in a century pandemic.

In addition to his recent COVID19 work, Dr. Adams has partnered with and assisted organizations as they navigate the opioid epidemic, maternal health, rising rates of chronic disease, the impacts of rising suicide rates in our Nation, and how businesses can become better stewards and stakeholders in promoting community health (https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/chep-sgr-business-leadersdigest.pdf)

Ifeoma Akobi is a scholar of philanthropic studies in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Her research examines burnout in the nonprofit sector and delivers a framework for its mitigation. Prior to her PhD studies, she worked abroad as a pharmacist and oversaw public health projects including a medicinal drug distribution project involving 5,000 pharmacists. Additionally, she holds an MA in Philanthropic Studies from the Lilly Family School, and a PhD minor in Health Policy and Management from the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. Furthermore, Ifeoma served for three years as a Presidential Fellow in fundraising and special events at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. She is also a graduate of the fifth cohort of the Columbian Community Impact Initiative. Ifeoma has held several leadership roles including being a member of the Lilly Family School Mission and Vision team, and the President of the Golden Key International Honor Society. She has won numerous awards for her work including being the first prize winner in the Lilly Family School Mission Possible competition, a recipient of the IU Elite 50 award, and the runner-up prize winner in a three-minute thesis competition for her presentation on Burnout in the Nonprofit Sector.

Latoya Alexander Botteron serves as president and CFO for the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP). Botteron joined CICP in 2010 as controller and was promoted to CFO in 2013. Botteron’s role was expanded to include COO responsibilities in 2019. She was promoted to president in 2022.

Prior to joining CICP, Botteron served as audit associate for Katz, Sapper & Miller in Indianapolis and served on the audit team for UHY Advisors in Albany, New York.

She is a Certified Public Accountant (Inactive) and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business from State University of New York College at Plattsburgh. She is currently pursuing a master’s in jurisprudence from the IU McKinney School of Law.

In 2018, she was named by the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) as one of its CFO of the Year honorees.

As President/CEO, Kelly Anoe oversees the development, community impact, strategic, and leadership activities at the Legacy Foundation, the community foundation for Lake County, Indiana. Prior to her current role, Kelly served as Vice President and Director of Grants and Partnerships at the Legacy Foundation, where she managed grant making, community engagement, and strategic initiatives of the community foundation. Kelly seeks to build relationships and collaborations with nonprofit organizations, businesses, local government, and the community. Prior to joining Legacy Foundation in 2014, Kelly spent her career in non-profit direct service, development, and leadership roles. Kelly has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master’s in Business Administration from Purdue Northwest, and is a Certified Fundraising Executive. She serves on the Board of the Program Network and on the Public Policy Committee for Indiana Philanthropy Alliance. She is a graduate of Leadership Northwest Indiana, and the Center for Community Progress Community Revitalization Fellowship, and an inductee into the Northwest Indiana Society of Innovators. As a Lake County resident, Kelly is passionate about Lake County communities and people. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends (and her dog), reading, photography, hiking and backpacking, community events, and DIY home improvement projects.

David Barrett is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of the Glick Company, one of the nation’s largest privately held real estate ownership, development and property management firms, headquartered in Indianapolis. David first joined Glick in 2007 as chief operating officer and assumed his current role in 2008. David also plays a key role in Glick Philanthropies, a family of charitable initiatives, programs and organizations, where he serves as vice chair, president and chief executive officer of the Glick Family Foundation, chairman of the Glick Family Housing Foundation, and advisor to the Glick Fund at Central Indiana Community Foundation. A trained lawyer, David started his career at Ice Miller LLP, where he concentrated his practice in corporate law, business transactions and media law. David represented public and private companies, radio and television broadcasters, and sports and entertainment clients. He also served as counsel to the Indiana Broadcasters Association. David then joined Emmis Communications Corporation, a diversified media company, where he served as vice president and corporate counsel. David is actively involved in civic and philanthropic groups throughout Central Indiana. Currently, he serves on the board of directors for the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, and the advisory board of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Center for Real Estate Studies. Previously, David was an Indiana Economic Development Corporation advisory board member, and served on the boards of the Indy Chamber, the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Newfields, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, and the Indiana University Varsity Club. He has also served in various leadership positions for a number of local and national Jewish organizations, including the board of trustees of the Union for Reform Judaism and the board of directors of Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation.

Jessica has more than 18 years of experience providing audit and financial consulting services to nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions at Forvis Mazars, including audits in accordance with Single Audit requirements and Government Auditing Standards. She assists clients in outsourced accounting solutions, identifying best practices, implementing new accounting standards, financial and operational assessments, internal control reviews, financial reporting, and grants management. 
 
She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and The Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants. She frequently presents on various audit and accounting topics at both local organizations and regional industry conferences.

Jessica is a member of Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s WE Lead Class 10 and treasurer of the board of directors of Green Umbrella. 

She is a summa cum laude graduate of Northern Kentucky University and a graduate of University of Cincinnati with an M.S. degree in accounting.

Corinne Becknell Lucas was the very first employee of the Starke County Community Foundation. Previously, she had worked as the Office Manager at Lucas Law Office, Media Producer for Becknell and Lucas Media, and other positions in music and management.

Since joining the Community Foundation, she has served many roles—Administrative Assistant, Program/Scholarship Coordinator, Program/Communication Director, and finally the Associate Director of the NICF. She has experience in both the local and the administrative levels of the Community Foundation. She and her husband, Marty Lucas, are professional musicians and make up the group “Return to Normal.” Corinne enjoys entertaining guests at her home, knitting, playing and discussing music and art, and celebrating life with her family.

Dr. Nicole Behnam is the vice president of strategy, innovation and special projects at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, which works with funders, nongovernmental organizations and other partners to strengthen the ability of communities to withstand disasters and recover equitably when they occur. Prior to joining CDP, Nicole served as the senior director of violence prevention and response at the International Rescue Committee (IRC). In this role, she directed IRC’s efforts on child protection, legal protection of refugees, and protection of women and other vulnerable groups in contexts of crisis and displacement. In her almost 30 years of experience, she has lived in multiple overseas locations and worked directly with programs focused on women, children and others affected by violence worldwide. This includes roles as a fully deployable global emergency response team member and as a donor, serving as the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Senior Advisor in the Office of Global HIV/AIDS at the U.S. Department of State. Nicole has worked and lived in places as varied as Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Mozambique and Jordan, and she has supported programs globally, from Syria to Afghanistan to South Sudan. As a sought-after expert and public speaker, Nicole has engaged multiple audiences on a variety of topics, ranging from challenges faced by adolescent girls in conflict to how to develop partnerships based on feminist principles. She has appeared in interviews on CNN and multiple international fora, representing issues around marginalization and prevention of violence against women and children. Nicole has a master’s degree in German Literature from Harvard, a master’s degree in international development and economics from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She has served as an advisor and leader on multiple conflict-related task forces and also developed a small business (juice bar and guesthouse) in post-conflict Sierra Leone with Sierra Leonean friends and colleagues.

As Vice President of Glick Philanthropies, Ryan works across Glick Philanthropies’ initiatives, programs and organizations to develop and implement strategies that produce positive outcomes for the communities where Glick properties are located. Ryan also serves as a key conduit between Glick’s board, staff and community partners with the goal of maximizing the knowledge, skills and assets of all involved in the grantmaking process.

In Ryan’s 10 years with Glick Philanthropies, he has helped define, organize and prioritize its philanthropic focus areas, developed and implemented the grantmaking process for the Glick Fund at Central Indiana Community Foundation, and launched the Far Eastside Success Initiative, a transformative effort to improve education and economic opportunity on Indianapolis’ far eastside where the Gene B. Glick Company was originally headquartered.

Prior to joining Glick Philanthropies, Ryan worked in the for-profit, government and nonprofit sectors, enabling him to apply business acumen with an on-the-ground understanding of what helps communities thrive. In addition to real-world experience, Ryan attained a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) with a concentration in nonprofit management from Indiana University and is highly-active in the Central Indiana civic community. He is a member of the Stanley K. Lacy (SKL) Executive Leadership Series Class XXXV, was named to the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) Forty under 40 list in 2017, and co-founded Giving Sum, a nonprofit organization focused on engaging young professionals in meaningful philanthropy.

Angela Brito de Rodriguez joined the Arthur Dean Family Foundation in December 2022. A proud Dominican educator, Angie began her career as a high school Spanish teacher on Indy’s Southside. With over a decade of experience in education, she has served as a classroom teacher, behavior specialist, director of instruction, and administrator. Angie is committed to ensuring youth of diverse backgrounds have equitable access to opportunities. As a result, she was a founding member of Axis, an Indianapolis based professional development program for Latinx young professionals. 

At the Arthur Dean Family Foundation, Angie contributes to designing and enhancing program frameworks to foster a trust-based culture of grantmaking. She works to expand the grantee partner portfolio, with a heart for increasing representation of BIPOC-led and BIPOC-serving organizations. Angie builds strong relationships with 40 grantees across Marion, Hamilton and Whitley counties. She promotes learning, reflection, and collaboration among partners and manages the Staff Renewal Fund to support grantee well-being. Angie also launched the Foundation’s inaugural Youth Voice internship with Victory College Prep, providing students with hands-on experience in philanthropy. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants with her husband, and hosting loved ones in their Mapleton Fall Creek home.

Shannon is an Emmy-winning producer with decades of broadcast experience in the Indianapolis market. As a producer for WISH-TV, she not only crafted daily newscasts and special events coverage but also originated long-running sponsored segments. Shannon has worked on many meaningful documentaries as well as producing Indiana Lawmakers with Jon Schwantes and No Limits. Simultaneously, she spent several years at Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick. "I believe it's wrong for the richest country on the planet - and one of the most agriculturally rich states - to have any hungry children.”

The Clowes Fund board hired Beth Casselman in 2000 as its first executive staff leader and charged her with developing a more focused and transparent grantmaking program. Beth’s career in philanthropy spans more than 25 years following a stint in public relations. She majored in journalism, earned a Bachelor of Science from Butler University, and earned professional certificates from the Grantmaking School at Grand Valley State University and the Fundraising School of Indiana University.

In 1992, Beth became the founding executive of the Community Foundation of Boone County (CFBC); then, 15 years after leaving that post, she returned to serve on the CFBC board, retiring as board chair in 2016. She is past chair of the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance (IPA) board, United Way of Central Indiana’s Boone County advisory board and served on executive search committees for IPA, the CFBC and Boone County’s United Way. Beth served on the National Center for Family Philanthropy Friends of the Family advisory committee and the Asset Funders Network Indiana Chapter steering committee and has contributed to a variety of philanthropic conferences and publications. She was honored in 2012 to receive IPA’s Hazelett Award for Leadership in Grantmaking, which recognizes integrity and mentoring of other professionals. 

Outside the office, you are likely to find Beth in a rocking chair with a good book, a cat on her lap, and a dog at her feet; hiking with her husband; or otherwise celebrating life with family and friends. She is most grateful to be mom of two grown sons and a daughter-in-law, and Granny to one precious granddaughter…so far.

Jay Chaudhary (JD 2009) is the outgoing director for the Division of Mental Health and Addictions with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. He is presently transitioning to the role of senior fellow for mental health and community wellness at the Indianapolis-based research organization Sagamore Institute. There Chaudhary also will serve as strategy director for the Indiana Mental Health Roundtable and continue his national leadership in advancing innovative solutions for improving behavioral health.

Prior to joining the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, he served as managing attorney and director of medical Legal Partnerships for Indiana Legal Services. Chaudhary holds an undergraduate degree from Ball State University.

During his time with Indiana Legal Services, Chaudhary developed a medical-legal partnership between Indiana Legal Services and Eskenazi Midtown Community Mental Health Center that began on a part-time basis and later turned it into a full-time, multi-lawyer program. For his dedication to this partnership, Chaudhary received the Innovation Award from ARC of Indiana. In 2015, the partnership between Indiana Legal Services and Eskenazi Midtown Community Mental Health Center received the Outstanding Medical Legal Partnership award from the National Center for Medical Legal Partnership. Chaudhary currently serves as a board member for the Indiana Health Advocacy Coalition and the Indiana Protection and Advocacy Commission. His level of engagement with the mental health community and energy that he puts into his work set an example for all of our recent graduates.

In 2020, Chaudhary was a receiptent of the Maurer School of Law's Young Alumni Distiguished Service Award.

With grad school all but inevitable, Stephen Crane returned from two years in Asia and stumbled on the noble profession that is journalism, and well, the rest is history. 
Since obtaining his journalism degree, his primary passion has been community newspapers, initially serving as a reporter and photographer and ultimately as editor for seven different publications in three states. 
An "overeducated country boy," Crane finds that community publications are in stark contrast to their urban and suburban counterparts. The newspapers in smaller communities serve a role that transcends the restraints of mere news dissemination. 
They retighten the threads of the community fabric, they inform the community conversations, and they anchor the very identity of a place. The newspapers in those communities are not simply the "rough draft of history," they're often the only draft. 
In that vein, Crane found himself in the surreal position of serving as editor at his hometown newspaper back in 2017. Four years and three ownership shifts later, he refocused his attention on a singular mission — returning local news back to local ownership. 
The result is The Morgan County Correspondent, a traditional print newspaper that just celebrated its one-year anniversary and with community support at every turn. 

Andre Ebron is a passionate educator, leader, organizer and effector of change focused on advancing diversity, equity and inclusion through his work in the southeastern Michigan community. Andre currently serves as an Elder at Kainos International Church, the Senior Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for United Way for Southeastern Michigan, as well as the owner and founder of Ebron & Associates and The Drawing Board Nation. His long and illustrious career includes various roles serving in the education, faith-based and nonprofit sectors. Andre holds a Bachelor's of Science in Criminal Justice from Tri-State University, a Master's of Science in Organizational Leadership and Administration from Concordia University, and he is a Certified Diversity Executive. Andre bears the heart of a servant leader. Whether he’s serving in a social worker role, as an educator at a school or as an administrator for a corporate organization, he strategically challenges those around him to level up in business and life in general.

Also, Deputy Director of the Coalition for Homeless Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) in Indianapolis. Aaron brings 26+ years of social work practice and experience working with multiple populations and communities. I also have 18+ years of experience in nonprofit senior leadership and governance. Aaron also served as a member of the Governance Committee of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) for six years. Aaron is the most recent past chairperson for the Ohio Family Violence Prevention Council, which advises the Ohio Governor on all matters relating to family violence. Aaron has spent years developing and delivering cultural competency/humility and anti-oppression training. In addition, over the past 20 years, Aaron has developed and provided training and program technical assistance throughout the United States. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, they graduated from Upper Arlington High School and Capital University. They began their career in Kentucky working in child protection social work. After graduating with their Master of Social Work from Spalding University, they moved to Chicago, IL, and worked for seven years developing and providing services to those experiencing homelessness. They also have and currently serve on many boards, coalitions, and community committees. Aaron lives in the South Broad Ripple, neighborhood of Indianapolis, IN, and enjoys all things baseball, amateur photography, listening to music, and singing whenever possible. They also love spending time with their partner and two dogs, Neiko and Regina.

State Sen. Ed Charbonneau represents Senate District 5, which includes Pulaski and White counties and portions of Jasper and Porter counties. Charbonneau has served in the Senate since 2007 and is chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services. He also serves as a member of the Senate Committees on Appropriations; Rules and Legislative Procedure; and Tax and Fiscal Policy. 

Prior to being elected, Charbonneau served as president and CEO of The Methodist Hospitals, Inc., president and CEO of the Northwest Indiana Forum, and head of Government and Community Affairs for U.S. Steel. He also served as an administrative law judge for the Police Civil Service Commission in the City of Gary. He has been involved in a variety of civic activities, including the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus, the Council of State Governments – Midwest, the Porter County and Lake County chapters of United Way, the Northwest Indiana Quality of Life Council, Opportunity Enterprises, Home Field Advantage Foundation, and the Board of Trustees of the Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center.

He is a graduate of Wabash College (BA), Loyola University, Chicago, IL (MBA) and South Texas College of Law, Houston, TX (JD). He is licensed to practice law in Indiana, Texas, Pennsylvania and Federal District Court, as well as before the Supreme Court of the United States. A former member of the U.S. Army Reserves (1966-1972), Charbonneau resides in Valparaiso with his wife, Sharon. They have two children and seven grandchildren.

Dagney Faulk, Ph.D. is Director of Research in the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Her research focuses on regional economic development issues and state and local tax policy. She has worked on numerous Indiana-focused policy studies on a variety topics including analysis of fixed-route bus transit, the regional distribution of state government taxes and expenditures, school choice and property tax issues. She is coauthor (with Michael Hicks) of the book Local Government Consolidation in the United States (Cambria Press 2011) and co-editor (with James Connolly and Emily Wornell) of the book Vulnerable Communities: Research, Policy and Practice in Small Cities (Cornell UP 2022). Prior to joining the CBER, she was Associate Professor of Economics at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Indiana. She received her Ph.D. in economics from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.

Kelly is a committed social innovator. Previously she served as Vice President/Chief Program and Strategy Officer at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF) where she led policy innovation, evaluation, grantmaking, and the early capital aggregation pilot. Prior to EMCF, she co-founded Leadwell Partners and New Profit Inc., and held senior leadership positions in nonprofit organizations and served on several foundation and social sector boards and advisory committees. Kelly currently serves as a Leap Community Ambassador and is a member of Results for America’s Invest in What Works Federal Standard of Excellence Advisory Committee and EDSAFE AI Alliance’s Steering Committee. A graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Fitzsimmons holds an MBA from Boston University.

Al Getler is an accomplished publisher with a history of leading award-winning newspapers, magazines, and websites. As the President & Publisher at Burlington Free Press and President & Group Publisher of North of Boston Media Group, he oversaw successful publications including Pulitzer Prize-winning the Eagle Tribune. Al has received accolades such as the Associated Press First Amendment Award for his team's public sector work and the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow. Committed to community involvement, he oversaw the revitalization of a historic theater in Newark, OH and served on nonprofit boards across multiple states. Currently, Al is a volunteer firefighter and EMT in his island community, where he lives with his wife and three rescue dogs. Al attended William Paterson University with a major in Theater Performance and The Ohio State University’s Fischer School of Business where he earned an executive certificate in MBA studies.

Marianne Glick is the President and Owner of GlickArt. An Indianapolis native, she has a deep connection to the community and to philanthropy in the city. Marianne’s personal mission is to ignite, inspire and direct energy for positive action

In 2008 Marianne retired as President of Glick Training Associates, a firm she founded in 1986 to assist organizations enhance employee productivity and effectiveness. She is an accomplished artist, with paintings being accepted into juried competitions and winning awards in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Florida. Marianne often contributes her paintings to assist non-profit organizations, such as the Children’s Bureau, Girls Inc., Dress for Success, Planned Parenthood, United Way and Women’s Fund. She has received the following honors: Sagamore of the Wabash, Michael Carroll Award, first honorary alumni award and Indiana Woman of Influence from Ball State University, Woman of Influence 2012 from the IBJ, Touchstone Award 2011 from Girls Inc., and the Charles Whistler Award 2018 from the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee.
 

Mason is an Economic Development Project Coordinator at HWC that is passionate about the revitalization of rural communities across the State. His passion for rural development took him to Ireland where he spent a year pursuing a master’s degree and gaining an international context to rural problem solving. Mason excels in securing funding for projects with over $60 million secured for communities to date. Mason has recently been named a recipient of the 2024 Indianapolis Business Journal’s 20 in their Twenties award.

Nathan Gotsch is the founder of Centerton Group, an Indiana-based consulting firm that provides small businesses and non-profit organizations with marketing and communications, content strategy, and media and event production services. He has successfully generated in-depth media coverage for his non-profit clients in local, regional, and national news outlets, including The Washington Post and NBC News.

Laura is a member of the Nonprofit Practice and has more than ten years of assurance and advisory experience in public accounting. Her expertise includes nonprofit financial reporting, audit preparation, outsourced accounting functions, technology solutions and implementation, and advisory services. She also has experience performing audits and attest engagements. She has experience working in several accounting systems including Sage Intacct, QuickBooks Online, MIP Fund Accounting, ACS Realm, and others. She is a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor.

Laura is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Indiana CPA Society. She previously served as treasurer on the board of directors of Hancock Hope House. She previously served as a member of the finance committee at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and actively volunteers with numerous local organizations. She also previously served as a member of the Forvis Mazars Indianapolis and Bloomington offices’ community engagement committee.

She is a graduate of Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, Bloomington, with a B.S. degree in accounting and an M.B.A. degree in accounting.

As Executive Director and one of the Founders of the Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank, Anita leads the organizations efforts to ensure that ALL residents in Hamilton County have access to healthy food.  The Food Bank serves all of the Hamilton County food support network with healthy staples, produce, meat and network support.  As the population of Hamilton County rises rapidly, so does the rising number of The Working Hungry who live and try to get by in our own local Hamilton County community.  Ensuring we not only acknowledge but actively evaluate our food support services to best fit and welcome friends who are working multiple jobs, tackling our increased cost of living and are much more culturally diverse are just some of the key initiatives we address daily.  Anita is a lifelong Hoosier growing up on a farm in southeastern Indiana, graduating Purdue with her Engineering degree, and working for several manufacturing firms before switching careers to her current position. Her husband and son are active volunteers for the Food Bank also. 

Chris is HWC’s Director of Economic Development. His responsibilities include providing a variety of urban planning and economic development services including comprehensive planning, land use regulations, economic and demographic analysis, strategic planning, and specialized studies. He has a diverse economic development and planning background, having previously served as Senior Planner and Economic Development Director for the City of Noblesville, Indiana for 12 years. Chris also served as President and CEO of the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance, Vice President of Republic Development, (a private land development firm), owner of a business, whose focus was entitlement and incentive negotiations services, and a senior-level private sector planning and economic development consultant.

Andrew Hanauer is the President and CEO of the One America Movement, an organization founded by faith leaders to fight toxic polarization. One America supports faith leaders and faith communities to reject toxic forms of division and offer a moral vision that transcends our divisive and disconnected culture. Under Andrew’s leadership, the One America Movement has become one of the largest and fastest growing organizations combating division in American society, quintupling in size in the past three years. Andrew is a frequent public speaker at houses of worship of all kinds and has represented One America before gatherings of the National Governors' Association, Americorps, Points of Light, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and many more, and podcasts as wide ranging as Fuller Seminary and Islamic Relief USA. His work has been published or featured by USA Today, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, Salon, the Christian Citizen, and media outlets across the US. When he is not fighting toxic polarization, Andrew is spending time with his family, coaching little league, rooting for the Golden State Warriors and Arkansas Razorbacks, and participating in small groups at his church.

Dr. Molly K. Hare is an accomplished educator with extensive experience in higher education and leadership in her 24 years at Indiana State University. In her current role, Molly has been at the forefront of educational innovation, leveraging AI to enhance both teaching and learning experiences. Since 2022, Molly has delivered numerous presentations and workshops focusing on AI's applications. Notable among these is the workshop on the commitment to integrating AI to create more engaging and effective assignments for students. Dr. Hare has led sessions across the range of user ability on practical uses of AI tools, particularly aimed at helping educators and students harness the power of these technologies for improved academic outcomes. In addition to practical workshops, Molly’s work includes investigating the impact of AI on education. This work explores how AI-driven analytics can provide deeper insights into learner behaviors and outcomes, helping to inform more personalized and effective teaching strategies. Her contributions to AI in education highlight a dedication to fostering an adaptive, data-driven learning environment that prepares students for the complexities of the modern world.

A critical thinker, Kara assesses all aspects of a scenario and visualizes possible outcomes before setting an end goal. It’s a method that has suited her well both in her role as a consultant at Hedges and previously as a Community Investment and Grants Officer at a Community Foundation and an Executive Director at a mental health-focused nonprofit. With nonprofit leadership and funder experience, she comes to Hedges with a broad and balanced outlook.

“I am inspired by people at organizations that strategically think outside of the box, pushing the status quo, to create real solutions that change lives.”

Kara holds a BoardSource Certificate of Nonprofit Board Consulting and a Change Management Certificate from Cornell University. She aims to create productive relationships between nonprofit staff and board members. Coming from direct service, philanthropy, and nonprofit leadership, Kara can relate to clients while also considering best practices for operating efficient and effective organizations. “Nonprofits are the avenue for investing in people and our community. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?”

In her free time, Kara and her husband make it a priority to introduce their children to new activities, people, and places, with the goal of instilling a sense of understanding and respect for the community.

Grant development and strategy are a longtime career focus, part of a lifetime of nonprofit leadership; strategic analysis and tactical planning; innovative use of resources; developing relationships with new stakeholders; advising and mentoring emerging grantees; and increased revenue generation. 

Highlights: 
1) Create, launch and manage replicable programs and initiatives; 
2) Provide prospect research, strategy, and subject matter expertise;
3) To-date awarded $75 million+ in grants from private, public, and United Way funders; 
4) Lead multiple project teams to achieve and maintain local and national accreditations. 

Leadership: 
1) Regional trade organizations, board president;
2) Regular presenter of best practices in grant management workshops for start-ups and small organizations; 
3) Utilize in-person, virtual, and streaming platforms for to present education and best-practice workshops, mostly for start-up and small organizations;
4) Train emerging professionals, from internship program management to advice over coffee.

Shana Hayes is a Senior Vice President at Northern Trust. As the Director of Corporate Philanthropy, Shana is responsible for the company’s philanthropic strategy that reflects Northern Trust’s longstanding role as a leading corporate citizen.

Eric Hessel started working with the Community Foundation in 2003 as a youth grantmaker and has since worked in both the direct service and funding areas of nonprofits. Prior to joining HCCF full time, Eric worked in youth programming and with the US Census Bureau, in addition to building relationships in the local community that assist in strategic and effective grantmaking decisions. Eric grew up in Pittsboro and currently lives in Carmel, IN with his two dogs.

Eric Holcomb is the 51st Governor of Indiana. In 2020, he was elected to his second term with the most votes for governor in Indiana history.

A lifelong Hoosier, Gov. Holcomb is a veteran of the United States Navy, served as the state’s 51st Lt. Governor, was a trusted advisor to both Gov. Mitch Daniels and Sen. Dan Coats, worked for Congressman John Hostettler and is a former state chairman of the Indiana Republican Party.

He was elected governor in November 2016, following an unprecedented 106-day campaign and was sworn in on Jan. 9, 2017.

In 2018, Gov. Holcomb partnered with the Markle Foundation to launch “Skillful Indiana,” to bridge the divide between the skills Hoosiers have and the skills businesses need. Indiana is just the second state to have this program.

Heather Jackson is a seasoned entrepreneur, strategist, public speaker, mentor, and educator with over 25 years of experience empowering communities and driving social change. As the CEO and co-founder of iXplore, Heather leads the development of innovative programs that emphasize immersive career discovery and experiential learning for students and adults, meeting national demands for motivated talent needed to fill critical roles.
 
Heather’s journey from educator to technology leader showcases her ability to overcome obstacles and create impactful solutions across various sectors. Known for her resilience and adaptability, she has successfully navigated the challenges faced by women leaders in predominantly male-driven environments. Through her work, Heather has empowered tens of thousands of individuals to find their paths, realize their potential, and navigate their careers more effectively.
 
A dedicated advocate for women’s leadership, Heather is committed to increasing diversity at decision-making tables and mentoring the next generation of female leaders. Her deep understanding of both the for-profit and non-profit worlds has allowed her to build strong partnerships and drive significant impact.
 
Heather Jackson’s passion for leadership, education, and community engagement makes her an inspiring voice for change, encouraging others to rise above barriers and lead with confidence.

Embarking on her role as President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation (TPF) in January 2009, Debra Jacobs brought with her a rich tapestry of experiences from various leadership positions across banking, education, and philanthropy. This transition represented a continuation of her journey towards enhancing community well-being through strategic philanthropic efforts. At TPF, Jacobs has championed the cause of creative collaboration, steering the foundation to work with partners to accelerate positive change by sharing fresh perspectives, contributing innovative ideas, and providing critical resources. Before her pivotal role at TPF, Jacobs served as President of the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation in Sarasota, overseeing its operations alongside the management of eight other independent foundations. Her career path also included significant roles at Ringling College of Art and Design and SunTrust Bank, Gulf Coast, where she developed a foundation in institutional advancement and financial management. Throughout her career, Jacobs has been an advocate for community development, serving on numerous boards and earning recognition for her leadership skills and philanthropic vision. Her journey reflects a commitment to leveraging her vast experiences to inspire change and make a lasting impact on the philanthropic landscape.

Dana James, Founder of Collective Experience Solutions & Executive Administrator for the Community-Centric Fundraising Global Council, provides coaching and consulting dedicated to supporting folks’ working to nurture intersectional connectivity and belonging within their own practices. Recognized as an expert in workflow design, engagement strategies, and power dynamics in collective spaces, Dana has been a featured speaker at Dreamforce, the Annual Emergency Preparedness Summit, Impact Nation, We Give Summit, and more. She is a passionate data nerd, a classic music-theater kid, and an unapologetic voice celebrating the bittersweet symphony that is the human experience.

A native of Winchester, Lisa had previously served on the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation as Treasurer. She has a B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Management Information Science from Ball State University, as well as a B.S. in Accounting. Prior to joining the Foundation as Executive Director, Lisa worked in the Wealth Management Divisions of First Merchants Trust Company and Old National Trust Company for a combined 15 years. She is married to David Jennings and together they have twins, Ashley and Alex.

Amanda is the Chief Community Partner for Programs and Nonprofit Relations at The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, where she oversees grantmaking processes and collaborates with volunteers on related committees. She works closely with local nonprofit organizations, fostering strong relationships to drive lasting change. Amanda led the shift to the Foundation's own trust-based philanthropy and grantmaking philosophy, focusing on continuous improvement and using evaluations to make impactful micro-changes. She believes in the power of communication, mutual respect, and accountability to build strong connections, supporting partners beyond funding by helping them develop strategies, overcome barriers, and find solutions. With a background in grant writing, project management, event coordination, and communication, Amanda is continually inspired by Muncie and Delaware County’s collective ability to achieve a shared vision and is proud to be part of a community full of people with big hearts who are willing to work together to make great things happen.

Amy Kent serves as a Deputy Health Commissioner and Chief Strategy Officer for the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH). As Chief Strategy Officer, Amy leads key strategic priorities, advises agency leadership through changes, and supports coordination and communication across the agency and with external stakeholders. 
 
She has been with IDOH since December 2017, previously serving as the Legislative & External Affairs Director and Assistant Commissioner for Consumer Services & Health Care Regulation. 
 
Amy is a career public servant, joining the state in 2009 after graduating from Indiana University with a B.S. in Political Science. She has held several positions within state government, including with the Indiana Department of Correction and Department of Child Services.
 
In her time with the state, Amy has played a critical role in securing policy and funding support for key priorities and building and maintaining relationships across state agencies, private sector partners, healthcare entities, and local government officials.
 
 

Dr. Josh Kornberg is a speaker, academic, and executive with experience in philanthropy, business, and higher education. He has worked with organizations across sectors to create partnerships that lead to quality outcomes for students and communities.

In his current role as executive director of the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County, he provides strategic, operational, and team leadership to the foundation. Dr. Kornberg manages more than $45 million in assets and oversees more than $3 million annual grantmaking, which is disbursed through non-profit grants, scholarships, and small business loans. 

Dr. Kornberg is deeply engaged in his community, where he served as the National Chair of the Indiana University Alumni Association, Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, and works with YouthLink Southern Indiana – which named him a 2019 Champion for Children – and vice chair for Metro United Way. In 2020, Dr. Kornberg was named Young Professional of the Year by One Southern Indiana and Leadership Southern Indiana.

Philip Li is the President & CEO of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation which seeks to build a more equitable and vibrant New York City by investing in her people. The Foundation was an early adopter of using a trust-based approach in its work. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer at The Century Foundation, a public policy thinktank, and at the Brooklyn Community Foundation, which he helped convert from a corporate entity. He served as Executive Director of Coro New York Leadership Center after being a participant in it mid-career program. He came to the nonprofit sector from Wall Street where he started his career at Merrill Lynch and ended it rating junk bonds at Moody’s. Phil is on the Steering Committee of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, Co-chair of the Leadership Funders Group, Treasurer of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and a past board chair of Philanthropy New York. Phil has a BA in Economics and Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Finance and Strategic Planning from The Wharton School.

Following a 28-year career at Eli Lilly and Co., Dave has spent 14 years leading multiple anti-hunger organizations. He leads Bread for the World in Indiana, and served on the national Board of Directors in Washington, DC. Dave was founding President of Indy Hunger Network, and chairs the board of the Alliance to End Hunger. In 2014, he received the Jefferson Award for Community Service. "Having to stop at a food pantry after a hard day’s work is not right. I wanted the voices of families to be heard.”

Marcy Minton is President of The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County. She was recently promoted to that role after serving more than six years as Senior Program Officer and previously serving as Community Engagement Director for almost two years.  Prior to working for The Foundation, she served as Assistant Director for Resource Development for Ivy Tech Foundation East Central Region.  Marcy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, Computer Information Systems from Indiana University in 1999 and master’s degrees in Adult and Community Education and Executive Development for Public Service from Ball State University in 2014.

Marcy’s current and former community service includes board service on the NonproFIT Support Network, Delaware County BY5 Early Childhood Initiative, Muncie Action Plan, secretary/treasurer of the Muncie Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, president of the Altrusa Foundation of Muncie, service and communications chair of Altrusa International of Muncie, Indiana Inc., and president of the Blackhawk Athletic Booster Club and Cowan K-12 PTO.  She and her husband, Jason, live in Muncie with their son and daughter.  

Since joining in 2022, Mark Montoya has been a cornerstone of the akoyaGO leadership team. His previous roles at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona including Chief Operating Officer, Interim President, and Chief Experience Officer gave him valuable industry insights, which he now channels into driving efficient impact through technology and building key relationships with clients at akoyaGO. The journey from Chief Experience Officer to President is a testament to his unwavering integrity, inspiration, and forward-thinking approach to solutions in the philanthropic sector. That focus has directly led to the akoyaGO customer base growing by 80% in two years.

One Carolyn's core strengths lies in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, enabling enhanced outreach to underserved communities, increased stakeholder diversity, and measurable progress toward inclusivity goals. She has also achieved recognition for orchestrating award-winning integrated marketing campaigns for global service organizations, always with a focus on membership growth and advancing mission-driven objectives.

John Mutz is a distinguished business leader, philanthropist, politician, and author. He was the president of Lilly Endowment Inc. at the launch of the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) program, which continues to support the growth and development of community foundations in each of Indiana's 92 counties.

In Indiana politics, Mutz served as State Representative from 1967 to 1970, State Senator from 1971 to 1980, and as the 45th Lieutenant Governor, serving under Robert D. Orr from 1980 to 1988. As a member of the Indiana General Assembly, Mutz was author of Unigov legislation, which unified the government and tax structures of the City of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana.

In addition to more than two decades in public life, Mutz has been a business entrepreneur and philanthropic leader. He has served as president of PSI Energy, chaired the board of Lumina Foundation for Education, and worked in public relations for Alcoa. He also established a chain of restaurant franchises that grew to 31 locations and helped develop a major national equipment-leasing firm. Before joining Lilly Endowment Inc., Mutz served as trustee or director to a number of educational, religious, and community development nonprofit organizations that the Endowment supported. Mutz was also a co-chairman of Hoosier Initiative 21, a human services task force sponsored by Indiana United Way, the State of Indiana, the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce, and the A.F.L.-C.I.O.

Mutz is the author of Fundraising for Dummies, now in its third printing, and An Examined Life: The John Mutz Story. A graduate of Northwestern University, Mutz is the recipient of nine honorary degrees.

JoAnna works with the GIFT Team to develop and deliver programming that provides resources and technical assistance to Indiana’s community foundations.  

Previously, JoAnna was employed as the communications director at Steuben County Community Foundation (SCCF). In addition to managing donor communications and marketing, JoAnna participated in a variety of projects related to grantmaking and program development. JoAnna led the development of a regular nonprofit capacity building series to provide support and learning opportunities for nonprofit leaders in Steuben County. JoAnna also managed the intern program and served as a navigator for SCCF’s youth philanthropy program, FIST. Her appreciation for the community foundation sector began as a participant in youth philanthropy and later internships with the Community Foundation of Noble County.

JoAnna graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management and earned her master’s in Philanthropic Studies through the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in Indianapolis.

Bryan is founder and president of Charitable Advisors. In addition to creating and publishing the Not-for-profit News, an e-newsletter for 14,000 subscribers in Central Indiana, Bryan co-founded the “Get on Board,” an annual board member recruiting event hosted by Leadership Indianapolis. He started Charitable Advisors in 2000 after more than 20 years of experience in leadership, management and consulting. In 2010, Charitable Advisors published the first Central Indiana Nonprofit Salary Survey.

Stephanie Overbey is the CEO of Kosciusko County Community Foundation. She began her tenure with the community foundation on February 14, 2000 when she was hired to fill the Foundation’s newly created Program Officer Position. Since that time, Stephanie has been promoted numerous times, serving as Program Director, Communications Director and Associate Director. Stephanie earned an undergraduate degree in Communications from Ball State University and a Masters of Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University. She is also a graduate of Kosciusko Leadership Academy and the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Services Series. Stephanie and her husband, Jamie, reside in Silver Lake with their three children.
 

As a Regional Director with Northern Trust, I work exclusively with Foundations, Endowments and Nonprofits to help them steward their financial resources for maximum impact. My previous roles include direct nonprofit management as well as various roles supporting ETF creation and distribution. Beyond my work, I serve as the Tresurer for the Northern Illinois University Foundation and also serve as an advisory board member for HOPE International, a global micro-finance institution.  
 

Amber is a writer, editor, and content creator with over a decade of experience across different mediums and channels. From social media content to video essays and book reviews, her direct style and bold approach help clients claim their stake in the crowded realm of online marketing. Her can-do attitude and willingness to experiment make her an asset and cheerleader to her customers in all phases of their business and all seasons of need. She currently serves as the Communications Director for Women & Hi Tech, an Indiana-founded nonprofit on a mission to change the landscape of women represented in STEM to be equally inclusive to all. In this role, she helps the organization scale its reach and message to women and girls across Indiana. As the founder of Eclectic Peckham, LLC, she supports other solopreneurs, small businesses, nonprofits, and companies in their writing, editing, and design needs. She holds a bachelor's degree in writing and philosophy from DePauw University and a Master of Fine Arts in creative nonfiction writing from Northwestern University.

John Qualls, a self-proclaimed “world purpose maker” and passionate AI enthusiast, has spent decades at the forefront of leadership, technology, and workforce development. From his early days leading tech teams in the U.S. Marine Corps to transforming companies as the CEO of PurposeHQ, John has consistently driven innovation by linking individual purpose with organizational growth. Today, as the Executive Director of Blaizing Academy, he leads initiatives to enhance AI literacy and workforce readiness, empowering leaders and entrepreneurs to harness the potential of artificial intelligence for impactful change.

Mel Raines has been with Pacers Sports & Entertainment since 2015, now serving as President and COO Officer as well as President of the 2024 NBA All-Star Local Organizing Committee. Raines is responsible for Corporate Communications, Community Engagement, Facility and Event Operations and Management, Human Resources, and IT in addition to the Fieldhouse of the Future construction project and all capital construction projects. Raines has more than 30 years of event operations, legislative, political, corporate, and public affairs experience. Prior to joining PS&E, she was chief of staff to Indiana Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks overseeing three offices as well as all legislative, constituent services and communications staff.

As Deputy Executive Director for IHCDA, Matt is responsible for both the development and attainment of strategic objectives to ensure the fulfillment of the agency's mission of providing housing opportunities, promoting self-sufficiency and strengthening communities. In his role as Chief Real Estate Development Officer Matt oversees the policies, procedures and personnel of IHCDA's Real Estate Department to ensure that resources are used in a manner that accomplishes agency priorities and complies with Federal and State regulations. This includes oversight of the Section 42 Low-income Housing Tax Credit, HOME, CDBG, NSP and Affordable Housing and Community Development Fund. In addition to these responsibilities, Matt is also the lead for IHCDA's disaster recovery efforts and serves on inter-agency disaster recovery planning committees for the state. Matt is active on a number of advisory boards and authors a quarterly compliance article in AHAIN's Affordable Housing News publication. He has earned the HCCP, TCS, SCS, NCP-E, C6P, and TaCCs industry certifications and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Hanover College.

Heidi Reijm, Ph.D. is a principal community development specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In this role, she leads outreach and engagement to advance strategies for creating opportunity and improving economic outcomes for low- and moderate-income people and communities. Prior to this role, Reijm was Senior Program and Learning Officer at the Hudson-Webber Foundation in Detroit, Michigan, where she led programmatic, learning and evaluation, and grant making activities of the Foundation. Prior to this position, Reijm was Project Director at JFM Consulting Group, a Detroit-based research, evaluation, and strategy firm leading projects community and economic development, public health, education, community safety and racial equity. Earlier in her career, Reijm was a Program Officer with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a national non-profit financial intermediary. Working on both the national and local level in New York City, she managed research, lending and grantmaking for community development programs. Reijm received a B.A. from Hampshire College, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the City University of New York Graduate Center. Her Ph.D dissertation studied local public-private sector responses to the mortgage foreclosure crisis in Baltimore, Maryland, and Detroit, Michigan.

After working as a juvenile probation officer and social worker in Central Indiana, Andi moved to the corporate world, where she worked for over 20 years. In 2022, Andi started Hijinx Marketing to help businesses improve their content and content marketing strategies. She specializes in helping businesses create strong content operations, focusing on people, processes, and technology. She also assists them in developing, analyzing, and improving content for product and content marketing campaigns. She writes for several SaaS and media companies and is an Adjunct Faculty member teaching marketing at the Lacy School of Business at Butler University. Andi is the author of "The Content Puzzle...and the Missing Piece," which focuses on the basics of content marketing strategy and how you can use the psychology of your audience to improve your content. She is the 2021 Content Marketing Institute’s Community Champion and is a multi-year speaker at Content Marketing World. You can find her across all social media platforms @hijinxmarketing.

James L. Ross, II, AIF®, Managing Director, and Senior Investment Consultant, joined Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc. in April 2016. In the 12 years prior to joining Mason, Mr. Ross gained valuable institutional investing experience as Vice President of Institutional Investments at Lancaster Pollard in addition to portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley and financial advisor at Merrill Lynch. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History and Economics from Denison University in 1999. He earned his Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation in 2016. Mr. Ross is a member of Mason’s Investment Committee. He has worked with over 100 nonprofits and continues to speak at investment conferences and continuing education forums across the country, covering topics critical to nonprofit institutions. 

Keith Schuh is the founder and president of AI Gatecrashers, where he specializes in providing AI training, coaching, and implementation for businesses and entrepreneurs. With over 20 years of corporate IT experience, including roles as a senior consultant and IT manager, he has a deep expertise in optimizing systems and leading teams. Passionate about AI, Keith has developed impactful tools including a Sobriety Bot, a Brand Voice Bot, and the Social Media Maestro Bot. He is committed to helping clients achieve their goals and get results through AI integration, combining technical knowledge with a genuine dedication to their success. At the Philanthropy Leads Conference, he will guide grant makers on how AI can enhance their impact, offering practical, hands-on experience.

Genevieve Shaker, Ph.D., is Professor of Philanthropic Studies and the Donald A. Campbell Chair in Fundraising Leadership at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Professor Shaker’s research focuses on fundraising practice, the fundraising profession, higher education philanthropy, and philanthropy education. Two decades of fundraising experience inform her approach as an award-winning teacher, researcher, writer, and community member. She is the lead editor of "Achieving Excellence in Fundraising" (5th edition, 2022), a best-selling text for fundraising education, and an instructor for The Fund Raising School. Her work helps fundraisers from Indiana--and around the country and world--build their fundraising acumen, enabling nonprofits to expand their resources and do more for their causes and communities.

Brian joined the HWC team after serving as the Director of Special Projects and Community Development for the City of Rushville from 2016 to 2023. In that role, he helped lead an array of impressive accomplishments that greatly benefited the Rushville community and gave him the knowledge and experience to assist our clients with successfully improving their own communities.

Jake Sipe has devoted the past twenty-three years to serving the needs of families and individuals with low to moderate incomes in Indiana. Jake joined the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) in September 1999; he learned the ropes and advanced into positions of greater responsibility. In July of 2012, Jake was appointed Executive Director in January 2013.  He is a graduate of Indiana University’s School of Public Environmental Affairs and currently serves on the advisory council for LISC Indianapolis and is a board member of the Community Investment Fund of Indiana, Inc., Indiana Community Finance CDE, and National Council of State Housing Agencies.

In his former position as head of the Real Estate Department at IHCDA, Jake was responsible for administering the Section 42 Rental Housing Tax Credit Program, Federal programs such as HOME and CDBG, and State monies including Indiana’s Housing Development Fund and Neighborhood Assistance Program.  His prior responsibilities with IHCDA also include managing the Community Development and Multi-Family Departments. 

At the 2011 Indiana Statewide Conference on Housing and Community Economic Development, Jake was awarded the Michael Carroll Community Economic Development Leadership Award for his dedication to the advancement of affordable housing partnerships and production.  He is a graduate of Indiana University’s School of Public Environmental Affairs and currently serves on the advisory council for LISC Indianapolis and is a board member of the Community Investment Fund of Indiana, Inc., and Indiana Community Finance CDE.

Jeff Small joined the Trust in September 2014 after working with nonprofit groups in Indianapolis for more than a decade. Small served as a writer and project manager at Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates (JGA), a philanthropic consulting firm in Indianapolis specializing in strategic planning, development planning, feasibility studies and capital campaign counsel. Prior to his time with JGA, he held positions in the Research Department of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis. In addition, he holds a master’s degree in philanthropic studies from Indiana University.

In his current position, Small oversees the Trust’s giving areas, sets grantmaking standards, designs grantmaking infrastructure, directs the program staff and evaluates the impact of various Trust programs on grantees, beneficiaries and the communities of metropolitan Phoenix and Indianapolis.

Patricia Snell Herzog is Melvin Simon Chair and Associate Professor in the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. As a sociologist engaged in the interdisciplinary study of philanthropy, Herzog is intrigued by the social contexts of generosity, including socialization to give in religious communities, as youth within families, and among voluntary associations. She has authored and co-authored numerous articles and books, including The Science of Generosity: Manifestations, Causes, and Consequences with Palgrave Macmillan and American Generosity: Who Gives and Why with Oxford University Press. Herzog is intrigued by the role that artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science technologies have in advancing efforts to promote the welfare of others. This includes applications in data for good, tech for good, philanthropy data analytics, data philanthropy, ethical decision-making in data-informed practices, and social impacts of technological advancements.

As Chief Community Partner for Outreach and Donor Relations at The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County, Kallie partners with donors to help them realize their charitable goals and connects the community with the work of The Community Foundation. Kallie has built a career in marketing and outreach, working within for-profit and nonprofit organizations. She believes relationships are the key to moving big work forward, and understands that strong relationships are built on shared experiences and good storytelling. Through strong relationships with donors and nonprofit leaders, she has helped The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County embrace its own brand of trust-based philanthropy. 
 

Carole is a lifelong resident of Central Indiana and a former board member of Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Inc. Over the past seven years, she has led many walking and biking tours on the Cultural Trail. As an active bicycle advocate, Carole loves how the Cultural Trail provides safe commuting options to those living and working downtown.

Gary, Senior Partner and Co-Owner of LEAP Managed IT, is a respected leader in technology and cybersecurity. With a deep passion for helping organizations harness technology to foster sustainable business practices, Gary is highly sought after as a cybersecurity speaker. He is a strong advocate of the NIST cybersecurity framework, guiding hundreds of organizations toward adopting more resilient cybersecurity standards. Gary’s leadership was instrumental in transforming a nearly century-old company into one of the Midwest's largest and most respected IT consulting firms. Outside of his professional endeavors, Gary is an active contributor to various non-profit boards and a world-class athlete, having completed 13 Ironman triathlons.

Mary knows that there is incredible momentum in the community foundation field to do more community leadership. With over 25 years of experience in the community foundation field, Mary is adept at amplifying community voice through grassroots leadership training and is a tireless advocate for racial equity. As the President & CEO, Mary is using her skills as a dynamic leader, connector and relationship-builder to identify opportunities, develop strategies and implement initiatives that will help strengthen community foundations’ capacity to do more community leadership.

As Senior Partner and Co-Owner of LEAP Managed IT, Michael leads a team of dedicated technology professionals committed to solving complex business challenges and uncovering growth opportunities for clients. Drawing on his experience as a business leader in a Fortune 200 organization, Michael helps organizations leverage technology and data to drive innovation, improve the customer experience, and enhance the work lives of team members. Michael specializes in guiding clients through the development of IT master plans that not only fuel growth but also integrate best-in-class cybersecurity standards. Outside of his professional activities, Michael spends his free time coaching youth sports and playing pickleball.

David L. Thompson is Vice President of Public Policy for the National Council of Nonprofits, the nation’s largest network of nonprofit organizations. The organization is active at the local, state, and federal levels advancing nonprofit policy priorities in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. Through its member state associations and nonprofit allies, the Council of Nonprofits amplifies the voices of America’s local community-based nonprofit organizations, helping them engage in critical policy issues affecting the sector, manage and lead more effectively, collaborate and exchange solutions, and achieve greater impact in their communities. Thompson has served in all three sectors over the course of his career. He practiced law for 17 years specializing in labor relations, employment law, government contracting, and subsequently directed federal and state advocacy for a government relations firm. He served in the public sector from 2001 to 2007 as a Senior Counsel and as Policy Director to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, notably as Counsel to the Pension Protection Act conference committee. Those experiences have served him well in guiding advocacy efforts for the network of the National Council of Nonprofits. He has been honored as one of the NonProfit Times Power & Influence Top 50 for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024. David Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree from Emory University and a law degree from the University of Georgia Law School.

As the Chief Marketing and Development Officer, Will leads Mason's marketing and sales team with a special focus on Mason's institutional division. Will has presented at industry conferences and presented to nonprofit organizations for over 20 years on all aspects of investment policy, asset allocation, rebalancing, manager selection, private equity, aggregated performance reporting, and more. Will helped to lead the development of Mason’s institutional practice from less than $100M in 2003 to nearly $7B in 2024. Mason manages approximately $1B in assets for Indiana nonprofits. Will joined Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc. in October 2003. He received both his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance in and his MBA, with a concentration in Finance in from The University of Maryland. Mr. Thorpe is a member of Mason’s Investment Committee and a member of Mason’s Management Committee. Will lives in Bethesda, MD with his wife, two teenagers, two rabbits, and a cat. He is an avid sports fan and Maryland Terrapin basketball season ticket holder. Will enjoys time with his family, playing basketball, and running.

Stephanie Wang is the communications strategy officer for Lumina Foundation, an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. Stephanie works on Lumina’s media grants to nonprofit and public news organizations. Prior to joining Lumina, Stephanie was an award-winning journalist at Chalkbeat, where she worked as Indiana bureau chief, and the Indianapolis Star, where she shaped the newspaper’s emerging coverage of diversity and equity. Stephanie has completed a Higher Education Media Fellowship through the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, and her work has been published in places including NPR’s This American Life, the Associated Press, and USA Today. She serves on the board of the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation, which provides scholarships and annually sponsors a writing contest for college journalists.

Jeff Williams joined the Johnson Center as the director of the Community Data and Research Lab (CDRL) in February 2020. In this role, he leads a team of researchers, evaluators, database experts, and web developers who provide insights into nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and activities. With expertise in operations, strategy, data analytics, and public policy, Jeff is passionate about connecting data to people to action. He oversees CDRL’s annual research agenda, as well as relationships with partner organizations and communities. Jeff also serves as a member of the Johnson Center’s leadership team. Previously, Jeff served in executive leadership roles at a nonpartisan public policy firm, Public Sector Consultants, and at Michigan Saves, a nonprofit dedicated to making energy improvements easier. He currently serves on the boards of directors for Michigan Virtual and the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts. He is also a member of the Research Advisory Network of the National Center on Nonprofit Enterprise and the Michigan ALICE Research Advisory Committee.

Shari Williams is an urban planner with nearly 15 years of experience working in the non-profit industry. Currently, Shari serves as the Director of Equitable Neighborhood Planning at Detroit Future City (DFC) where she provides leadership to advance equitable neighborhood development initiatives that grow the number of resilient, thriving neighborhoods and disrupts systemic inequities. Prior to assuming this role, Shari served as Director of Community Engagement with DFC’s Center for Equity, Engagement, and Research where she designed and implemented community engagement strategies to ensure the inclusion of community voice in all DFC initiatives. Personally and professionally, Shari is passionate about advancing sustainable and equitable economic opportunities for the greater good in a way that cultivates prosperity and stability. She has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a Master of Urban Planning from Wayne State University. Shari also serves as a board member for Detroit Champions for Hope and Michigan Association of Planning. Outside of the office, Shari finds peace and serenity when outdoors in her garden.

Tamara Winfrey-Harris, is the president of Women’s Fund of Central Indiana that convenes, invests and advocates so all who identify as women or girls in Central Indiana have equitable access to opportunity to reach their full potential – no matter place, race or identity. Tamara is also a nationally renowned writer, speaker and thought leader, focusing on issues of race and gender and their intersection with politics, popular culture and current events. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Times, Ms. magazine and other media. She is the author of the award-winning book, The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America, Dear Black Girl: Letters from Your Sisters on Stepping into Your Power and A Black Woman’s Guide to Getting Free.

Justin is a strategic marketing leader best described as customer focused, creatively inspired and performance driven. He draws on experience and expertise working for 20 years at agencies in account management, planning and leadership, and in customer experience in the marketing-tech industry with a leading content marketing platform. In these roles, he has solved marketing and branding problems for clients across a number of industries. Justin’s curious nature and resistance to the ordinary motivate him in leading the marketing and branding efforts for Borshoff and implementing growth strategies that drive the agency and its clients forward. He serves Borshoff collaborating across all departments to help develop new ideas, services and products to best meet the needs of clients. Outside of the shop, you can find Justin spending time with his family, on a ski trip, or in his basement watching hockey.

Edward Wood is a Senior Vice President and the Head of Community Development & Impact Investing. He oversees Northern Trust’s Community Development capital deployment and an Impact Investment portfolio of over $1.5 billion. Northern Trust’s investments are long-term, patient capital with a primary focus of creating positive impacts in underserved communities. Northern’s place based investment strategy has led the bank to receiving an Outstanding Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rating for the last 28 years. Ed is an early adopter of innovative community finance structures and works to fill capital gaps in underserved communities across the United States through direct investment in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), high performing non-profits, social enterprise businesses, Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs), New Market Tax Credits (NMTCs), and Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs). Ed also works with clients to help them invest their capital for direct community impact.

Jeremy York, SHRM-SCP, SPHR is the Lead Consultant and President of InvigorateHR and coauthor of the “JoyPowered Organization.” He has over 20 years' experience in human resource strategy and business operations where he has worked with and advised all levels of management on critical business and people-related issues. Jeremy's expertise in defining and understanding the "big picture" enables him to translate business needs into tangible solutions. With his guidance, organizations have improved employee relations, increased performance, and developed cultures based on mutual trust and respect. Jeremy holds a master’s degree in management from Indiana Wesleyan University and a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Purdue University. He has served as an adjunct faculty member for Purdue University Indianapolis for over 15 years teaching various leadership and human resources curriculums. Jeremy is a national speaker and currently serves as an advisor on the Society for Human Resource Management’s Diversity Taskforce.

As the director of partner strategies at the Center for Public Interest Communications, Aaron Zeiler (he/him) helps translate research for practitioners building their social change strategies and strategy for researchers hoping to expand the reach of their research. In addition to research projects and strategic consulting, the Center provides training on its core frameworks that helps changemakers develop actionable, research-based strategies and make pragmatic, human-centered decisions to make change possible. Aaron will present the Center’s Back-of-the-Envelope Guide to Strategy—a tool that helps organizations identify the change they want to make, who they need to take action, and how to reach those actors.

In 2024, Aaron co-authored a report at the Center titled “Philanthropy’s New Voice: Building Trust With Deeper Stories and Clear Language.” The largest study about narratives about philanthropy, this report provides research-based recommendations on how foundations can improve their storytelling habits to help fill the narrative vacuum around philanthropy. 

In his previous roles, Aaron has focused on helping nonprofits and foundations expand their communication skills, develop public interest campaigns, and build social media and media relations strategy. He has worked with organizations working on issues ranging from public interest technology, prison abolition, and public health.