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An amazing, exceptional keynote. Relevant breakout sessions. Valuable networking with colleagues. The energy of being around like-minded individuals. And the fun premiere of The Givers band! These were reflections from some of the over 300 participants at our 2018 conference, Inspiring Excellence in Philanthropy, which was held June 7-8 at the Indianapolis Marriot North. Attendees represented a broad cross-section of our sector who came to network and learn alongside their Indiana colleagues.
A huge thank you goes to all the presenters for their thoughtful content, the generous sponsors, the helpful and willing volunteers, our supportive board members, our amazing and dedicated staff, and everyone who attended.
The active engagement, enthusiasm, desire to learn, and spirit of camaraderie we witnessed throughout #IPACON18 was an inspiring illustration of philanthropy seeking excellence in order to transform Indiana.
Paul Schmitz, our keynote speaker was a huge hit. Paul is a senior advisor to the Collective Impact Forum and the author of Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up. He is also the former CEO of Public Allies, where he spent 21 years helping more than 5,600 diverse young leaders turn their passions to make a difference into careers working for community and social change.
IPA members and conference attendees can access Paul's slides under the RESOURCES tab above.
IPA members and conference attendees can access conference handouts, worksheets, and slides under the RESOURCES tab above. Go here to view our photo album.
During the final day of #IPACON18, we recognized the following individuals as outstanding leaders in philanthropy.
Go here for the press release, which includes a video message from Senator David Long.
Senator David Long (R-Ft. Wayne, IN) received the 2018 Public Policy Champion of Philanthropy award. |
Betsy Bikoff, Betsy Bikoff Consulting, was the recipient of the Hazelett Award for Leadership in Grantmaking. |
Margarita White, program director at the Community Foundation of Noble County, achieved the Spirit of Youth Philanthropy Award. |
One of the highlights of #IPACON18 was our collaborative poem, written by poet, creative writer, and University of Indianapolis professor Kevin McKelvey. McKelvey created this poem using keywords, questions, and insights gathered from IPA members by Indiana Humanities and Big Car Collaborative during the first day of our conference. The poem was then read by IPA members during our closing lunch.
Go here to see our poem and to watch a video of our members reciting it. You can even download shareable graphics featuring excerpts of the poem.
During our opening reception, attendees were blown away by some very talented IPA members who came together to form the first-ever IPA band—The Givers! See photos from their performance and watch our videos here.
The Givers featured:
Special thanks again to our presenting sponsor, Goelzer Investment Management, for their generous support! We also thank our many other sponsors, which can be found under the SPONSORS tab above. It is not an understatement to say that IPA could not have provided the quality programming, marketing, mobile app, and low registration fees without the generous financial support of these sponsors. When you require services from companies like theirs, we hope you’ll consider our sponsor partners who helped make Inspiring Excellence in Philanthropy possible.
Through his consulting firm Leading Inside Out and his role as Senior Advisor to The Collective Impact Forum, Paul Schmitz builds the collective leadership of organizations and communities to achieve greater social impact. Paul is the author of Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up, and the former CEO of Public Allies, where he helped more than 5,000 diverse young adults begin careers working for community and social change. Paul is a faculty member of The Asset- Based Community Development Institute, was a social innovation advisor to the Obama White House, and has been named three separate years to The Nonprofit Times list of the 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in America. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife and five children.
Christopher is a managing director and national sales executive within the Specialty Asset Management group at U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. In this role, Chris is responsible for building and managing the sales initiative integrating the sophisticated and disciplined investment approaches of Real Estate, Timberland, Farm & Ranch, Oil & Gas, Minerals and Private Business Group solutions across all lines of business within Bank of America. He works with a team of specialty asset professionals that develop, implement, and execute these strategic non-financial assets into a broader asset allocation and investment strategy for individuals, families, and institutions.
Previously, Chris was a trust consultant and senior trust advisor with Bank of America where he provided guidance in the development of estate planning and investment strategies for high-net-worth clients. Prior to joining Bank of America, he served as a corporate counsel to both Raymond James and Associates and AEGON USA in the field of securities litigation. He has also practiced law in the state of Florida and was a Portfolio Manager with Bank of New York. Chris earned his B.A. degree from Guilford College and his Juris Doctorate from Stetson University.
Samantha adds a dynamic combination of training and hands-on experience in the non-profit sector to the West Foundation’s work in collaborating with high-impact, grassroots international development programs. As the foundation’s inaugural Program Officer, she is responsible for developing and supporting partnerships with its constituent organizations, as well as establishing communications with potential new partners for the gifting program. Ms. Alarie-Leca also holds an M.S. in Nonprofit Leadership from the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, which she earned in 2013. While at Penn, she served as a Fellow for the prestigious Lipman Family Prize with the Leadership Office at the Wharton School of Business. The $100,000 prize is annually awarded to a single non-profit organization in recognition of excellence in the social sector. As a Lipman Fellow, Ms. Alarie-Leca participated with an interdisciplinary team in completing due-diligence research on candidate organizations. She also visited the 2013 winner, READ Global, to conduct field research on their operations in Nepal and co-authored a case study analyzing and documenting the best practices of their model.
Michelle is Director of Financial Stability at United Way of Central Indiana. As a leader on the Community Impact team, she has worked with various community-wide initiatives focused on financial capability for vulnerable populations, including providing oversight to the local Centers for Working Families network. She currently co-chairs the Indianapolis Asset Building Coalition and serves on steering committees for the Indiana chapter of the Asset Funders Network and the Indiana Assets and Opportunity Network. Michelle is also a member of the local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Advisory Board.
In addition to her work with asset building initiatives, Michelle has several years of experience in grant writing and administration, program and organizational evaluation, and volunteer management. Michelle holds a Masters of Social Work from Indiana University Indianapolis and a Bachelors of Social Work from Ball State University. Michelle is a 2013 graduate of the Leadership United Executive Women’s Leadership Series.
Having supported and collaborated with foundations for 20 years, Sara has a deep knowledge of the legal, administrative, governance, and grantmaking functions of foundations. She brings an innate sense of what is practical when working with clients on strategic research and planning; grant program development; family and board engagement and succession; and retreat and meeting facilitation. Sara also understands the deeper work that revolves around managing change and building consensus among boards, staff, and communities. Prior to 2016, Sara shared her time between Intentional Philanthropy and Exponent Philanthropy where she served in senior positions for 15 years. Most recently, she has focused her energy on helping funders achieve impact and engage in evaluation. Prior to the impact work, she authored several publications including The Foundation Guidebook, The Trustee Handbook, and several legal primers. Sara’s prior work was in the field of community and economic development, after receiving her BA with honors in economics from Boston College.
Steve’s career includes 20 years with a small, but nationally prominent fundraising counsel to not-for-profit organizations. In that time he worked with dozens of organizations engaged in local, regional, national, and international capital campaigns, and eventually became responsible for the day-to-day financial operations of the firm. In 2002, he assumed the position of chief operating officer for the Indiana Humanities Council. Three years later, Steve took the position of executive director of the Wayne County Foundation. He is an honors graduate of the Ohio State University with a degree in the liberal arts.
John serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Community Education Coalition (CEC) of Columbus, Indiana. The 20-year-old CEC is a nationally recognized not-for-profit organization committed to the development of an aligned, high quality community learning system supporting learners of all ages. Burnett is a founder of Southeastern Indiana’s EcO Network (Economic Opportunities through Education). The 10-year-old network was initially funded by more than $80 million in grants, including $43 million from Lilly Endowment Inc., and major funding by Cummins Foundation, Indiana’s Department of Workforce Development, and Lumina Foundation. The EcO Network program and services have achieved a high level of sustainability through K-12 and post-secondary education partners, industry, and community partners. As a member of CEC’s CivicLab (an institute for civic collaboration) he serves on the national team which supports Lumina Foundation’s Talent Hub mobilization strategy. Burnett previously served as President of the Irwin Financial Foundation, owned a successful Adecco Personnel Services business in Buffalo, New York, and served as a human resource executive at Cummins Engine Company.
Born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a single mother of four children, Michelle has been affiliated with The Rescue Mission for 14 years. Ten years ago, she started working part time as a third shift resident care staff at Charis House. Nine years ago, she was given the opportunity to come on full-time and was given the position of Intake Coordinator. Upon returning to school, Michelle added Case Manager to her job responsibilities. Two years ago she took on the position of Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Programs. Graduating from Indiana Tech with a BS in Human Services, she is now the Program Coordinator at The Rescue Mission.
Jennifer has provided nonprofit knowledge and leadership in her role as President and CEO of SCCF for the past 7 years, but she has been part of the community for far longer. She was raised in the area and attended Angola High School. While studying French and Business
Administration at Hillsdale College, Jennifer found herself running a campus and community organization in her spare time. Through the encouragement of a mentor, she decided to pursue her passion for nonprofit work and attended the Center on Philanthropy (now Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy) for her Master of Arts degree in Philanthropic Studies. During her time in Indianapolis, Jennifer earned her CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive), Nonprofit Management Certificate, and Certificate in Fundraising Management. After spending a few years at the Goodwill Industries Foundation, Jennifer transitioned to her role at SCCF when their family moved back to Angola.
When she began working at SCCF, Jennifer enjoyed the challenge of learning the technical side of foundation, from funds statements to studying financial data. Today, Jennifer has found herself valuing the emotional connections with donors and community members more and more. One of her favorite parts about the job is that she can view it as a big puzzle with many pieces. Every piece is needed—the donors, community members, nonprofits, schools, businesses—and her job is to connect the puzzle. The puzzle and its pieces are always evolving, and it’s an exciting challenge to find the right people and organizations in the community to get involved.
Rosemary has spent her career in the philanthropic sector. In her current role, she provides leadership to the GIFT program which provides board and staff training, consulting, and networking opportunities for over 90 community foundations in Indiana. Prior to joining GIFT, Rosemary was with Central Indiana Community Foundation from 1993 to 2010, serving in various roles including Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Partnerships and Community Initiatives. She also worked for the United Way of Central Indiana and Community Centers of Indianapolis. Rosemary has served on numerous not-for-profit boards including Indiana Humanities, Indianapolis Parks Foundation, TechPoint Foundation and the Lacy Leadership Association.
As a bilingual executive-level public service and non-profit professional, Marlene Dotson holds more than 17 years of experience in a wide range of roles, both in the public and nonprofit sectors. For the past seventeen years, Mrs. Dotson has dedicated her time to working with the Latino community of Indiana, focusing on education, women’s issues and immigration policy. Mrs. Dotson earned her Masters of Public Affairs from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University Federico Villarreal of Peru.
Maria started her career with La Porte Hospital in 1996 as the Director of Development. In January of 1998, she was named Chief Operating Officer of the La Porte Hospital Foundation and Executive Vice President of La Porte Hospital. She provided overall coordination for all aspects of The Foundation’s important role. She also served as the administrator of several support service departments of the hospital (2011 to 2016) and Community Health and Dental Center (2011 to 2014). Her career with La Porte Hospital and the Foundation followed many years of teaching, community service and business experience. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University Federal Minas Gerais, in Brazil. Mrs. Fruth is a member of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, Association of Fundraising Professionals and Council on Foundations. In 1999, she received her Certification in Fund Raising Management from Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, Fund Raising School. She has served on many not for profit boards in the La Porte area. Maria has resided in La Porte with her husband Greg since 1976 and they have three sons and two grandchildren.
As Director of Strategic Partnerships, Suzy Goelzer is responsible for managing and developing long-standing relationships with the firm’s institutional clients and prospects. These relationships include endowments and foundations, pension plans, and not-for-profit organizations that have entrusted Goelzer Investment Management to manage their portfolios.
With more than 25 years of prior business experience managing key account relationships with Fortune 500 companies, Suzy’s expertise is in creating educational campaigns that help investment boards and committees understand the complexities of serving as fiduciaries, as well as the benefits of building effective relationships with the portfolio managers who serve them. By providing creative, practical, and added-value ideas, Suzy expanded her industry reputation as a trusted advisor to a growing group of institutional investors. Suzy is a graduate of DePauw University where she earned a B.A. degree in English Literature.
Jill serves as the Program Director and primary contact for the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana (YPII), a signature program of Indiana Philanthropy Alliance. Jill oversees YPII's role in providing resources and technical assistance to promote and support youth philanthropy. She facilitates training on how foundations and nonprofit organizations can engage younger generations in their communities through the four pillars of youth philanthropy: serving, giving, leading, and engaging. Originally from Northwest Indiana, Jill brings over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit arena, with a strong focus on program and curriculum development, training/evaluation, grant writing, and nonprofit management. She’s a 2013 Indy’s Best and Brightest finalist that is passionate about lifelong learning, community collaboration, and empowering youth to take action and make a difference. Jill lives in Indianapolis with her curious son, creative husband, and nosey dog.
Crystal joined the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana in August 2011. She currently serves as the Director of Community Philanthropy for the Foundation. In this role she implements and oversees the grant-making philosophy and associated activities of the Foundation and provides direction and support to the Foundation’s grant and scholarship programs. In addition, she plays a major role in the Foundation’s outreach and community leadership efforts, representing the Foundation publicly, and implementing strategic initiatives related to the Foundation’s role as a community catalyst and convener. Through her role at the Foundation she plays a leadership role with many community philanthropic initiatives including Education Matters Southern Indiana, Align Southern Indiana, Women’s Foundation Southern Indiana, Youth Philanthropy Council, Ivy Tech Women’s Philanthropy Program, and Leadership Southern Indiana NexGen Program.
Amy is the Executive Director of the Blue River Community Foundation in Shelby County, Indiana. Prior to joining the foundation in 2012, she served as the City of Shelbyville’s Redevelopment Director in role that involved both financing large municipal projects and promoting community development and grantwriting. A primary interest since joining the foundation has been to create meaningful working relationships between sectors, with the understanding that we are often working toward the same goals, and can bring our talents and resources to the table to get more done through partnerships. Amy received her BS degree from Purdue University in Environmental Science and her Masters degree from Duke University in Environmental Management. Prior to moving to Shelbyville, she was an environmental scientist for an engineering firm in NY.
Neel joined the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) in 2010, and became its CEO in 2015. Under Neel's leadership, AAACF and its partners received a national award for "Coordinated Funding," a broad public-private partnership to strengthen the local safety net. AAACF was also named 2016's fastest growing foundation in southeast Michigan by Crain's Detroit. Neel previously served as CEO of Nonprofit Enterprise Work and corporate attorney at Ford Motor Company. For the past decade Neel has taught a graduate course on nonprofit policy and management at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy, and has been named to its teaching honor roll on numerous occasions. He’s been recognized nationally for his nonprofit leadership through two fellowships with the Independent Sector and American Express. Neel holds two degrees from Michigan: a BS with distinction in physics, and in honor of Newton’s third law, he then became a lawyer.
Jack is the Executive Director of CivicLab—an institute dedicated to advancing the practice of civic collaboration. CivicLab’s approach is to learn what makes community collaboration work at its best, document the discoveries, and teach and share the practices broadly. Prior to his work with CivicLab, he was the President of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce where he set in place an aggressive strategy of building on the power of place, increasing member engagement, and promoting the principles of entrepreneurship and innovation. Within two years of implementing its new strategic plan, the Columbus Chamber was named the Indiana Chamber of the Year in 2008. One year later, the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) presented the Columbus Chamber with the National Chamber of the Year Award. While at the Chamber, he helped to champion a number of collaborative projects including the state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence, the formation of a regional learning system through Economic Opportunities 2015, an online training academy for entrepreneurs called SmallBizU, the Indiana University Center for Art+Design, and the formation of the downtown Columbus Arts District.
Eric 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, Hessel 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. Hessel, who grew up in Pittsboro, currently lives in downtown Indianapolis with his rescue dachshund.
Laura is the Clinical Director for Lutheran Social Services of Indiana where she has served for the past six years. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor, and Certified EMDR Therapist with over 20 years of social work experience. Laura was the regional recipient of the National Association of Social Workers -2016 Social Worker of the Year Award. She has served as adjunct faculty for Indiana University’s Masters of Social Work program teaching social work practice and community mental health. Laura has a passion for serving her community’s most vulnerable members and believes in the power of relationship.
Brienne came to the community foundation world just 2 years ago and jumped into the deep end of the pool with no arm floaties on. She fell in love with her community foundation as a volunteer in college, taking staff and grant recipient photos for annual reports, and interning for the arts organization that lives upstairs in the foundation's office building. Brienne enjoys the everyday challenges and joys that working with the community foundation can bring. She welcomes the opportunity to be aware of the deep needs as well as the super heroes of the communities she serves. Brienne has spent her first two years spreading the message of #LoveWhereYouLive to the Jasper and Newton county area and plans to keep learning and build up the community foundation to be the "Grand Central Station" of partnership, support, and connection for local donors and nonprofits. New enough to the field to still have stars in her eyes; Brienne secretly wants to accomplish something so amazing in her community that Oprah will call her for an interview.
Chad currently serves as the Education Program Officer for the Tipton County Foundation in Tipton, Indiana. Chad is 28, and a native of the county in which he lives and works. He earned his BA in Public Relations from Ball State in 2012, and has been involved personally and professionally with community benefit organizations since 2007. In his current role, his focus is on the improvement of the educational state of the Foundation’s service area through scholarship administration, community programs, and research.
As senior vice president, Don leads Goelzer Investment Management’s Institutional Advisory Group and is a member of the firm’s Executive Management and Investment Policy Committees. With more than 23 years of financial industry experience, Don has achieved a long record in managing institutional, OCIO, and HNW private client portfolios. Before joining Goelzer Investment Management in 2007, Don was a Managing Director and Senior Vice President at JPMorgan. He also served as an Institutional Investment Consultant at Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., where he co-managed larger institutional client portfolios.
Don is a licensed International Financial Analyst. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Financial Planning from Purdue University. He is founding Board Member and the Treasurer for New York based Cookies for Kid’s Cancer Foundation and serves on the Board of Cornea Research Foundation of America.
Wyatt is president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin. Prior to this position, Wyatt served the Community Foundation of Crawford County (CFCC) in southern Indiana as the Programs and Operations Manager. He also has served as the CFCC Interim Director, Dubois County Community Foundation Lilly Endowment Graduate Intern, an assistant to the Indiana University Foundation President, intern within IU Foundation’s Corporate Relations Department, and member of the IU Student Foundation’s Little 500 Steering Committee. He has served on the Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis Division of Student Affairs development team and brings experience in nonprofit curriculum and development from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy’s The Fundraising School.
Wyatt is currently a doctoral student with the Indiana University School of Education’s Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs Program. He holds a Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, as well as a Bachelor Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from Indiana University – Bloomington.
Jennifer is the Executive Director of Wellspring Interfaith Social Services. Her background includes earning a Human Services degree from Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne in 2012 and her Certificate in Executive Nonprofit Leadership from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in 2017. Jennifer’s professional and volunteer experiences are concentrated in the nonprofit field. She has worked with a variety of organizations in DeKalb County and Allen County through internships, employment and Board service. Jennifer is passionate about evaluation, servant leadership, and changing the world!
David is the Karen Lake Buttrey Director of Lake Institute on Faith & Giving as well as Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies within the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. He arrived at IUPUI in 2014 after serving as Assistant Professor of Christian History at Memphis Theological Seminary in Memphis,TN. He earned his Ph.D. from Emory University with a specific interest in American religious history and its intersections with the growing field of world Christianity. His recent research focuses on the rise of evangelical relief and development NGOs, religious humanitarianism, and religion’s engagement with international affairs. He is passionate about research and teaching but as an ordained minister having served local churches and national faith-based organizations, he is also fueled by facilitating conversations with faith leaders, donors, and fundraisers (of all generations) around the intersections of faith and giving.
Mindy, founder and president of Limelight Analytics, has worked as a program evaluator for 18 years, with expertise evaluating afterschool programs, early childhood environments, and healthy community initiatives. Prior to opening her own evaluation and assessment company, Dr. Hightower King served as a Research Scientist for the Center of Education and Lifelong Learning at Indiana University and the Director of Research and Policy Analysis at the Indiana Youth Institute. She currently holds an adjunct appointment in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University where she teaches courses on evaluation and performance. Dr. Hightower King earned her Ph.D. in Health Psychology from the University of California, Irvine and her BA in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Marc McAleavey is known for often quoting the African proverb “When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion”. This sense of collaboration and service has driven his work of nearly two decades as a community and organizational leader. Prior to joining Serve Indiana as their executive director, Marc served as the founding executive director of Playworks Indiana and, prior to that, the founding executive director of Public Allies Indianapolis at the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center, where he also served as the evaluation and documentation manager. McAleavey founded The Zawadi Exchange, an Asset Based Community Development organization in Indianapolis’ Mapleton-Fall Creek Neighborhood. Marc formerly served as chair of the Board of Directors for Broadway United Methodist Church, member of the Board of Directors for Mapleton-Fall Creek Community Development Corporation, member of the Board of Visitors at Marion University School of Education, and the Indiana University School of Social Work Alumni Association Board of Directors. He currently serves as board president for the Crooked Creek Community Development Corporation’s Board of Directors, board member for the Tamerlaine Farm Animal Sanctuary in New Jersey, as well as secretary of the Board of Directors for the Indiana Afterschool Network. McAleavey has provided keynote addresses for numerous gatherings, authored articles and book chapters, and routinely presents at conferences and symposia. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from Indiana University as well as a Master of Social Work degree from the Indiana University School of Social Work, where he is an Adjunct Professor. Marc lives near downtown Indianapolis with his wife and two young children where they love to run, play baseball, and sing and dance after dinner.
A Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®, Tony consults with donor families, grantmakers, and their advisors and associations about purpose, use of resources, action planning, and learning. In four years as executive director of the Roy A. Hunt Foundation, he facilitated changes in visioning, impact investing, grantmaking, trustee education, and operations for a multi-generation family. In twelve years and four roles at the Central Indiana Community Foundation, he led grantmaking and community change initiatives, advised generous entrepreneurs and families on philanthropic tools and strategy, attracted $39 million in assets and co-investments, and co-founded a social enterprise. Based in Fort Wayne, IN, Tony is a Senior Advisor to the Impact Finance Center, Associate with Ekstrom Alley Clontz & Associates, and consultant with the National Center for Family Philanthropy's community foundation network. He’s volunteered for more committees, task forces, and boards than he can remember.
Dawn has been with the Foellinger Foundation since 1990 and has served as the Senior Program Officer since 2002. Dawn provides the lead staff support for the program operations of the Foundation and monitors the grant administrative processes. In addition, she is responsible for the implementation of the Foundation’s evaluation strategy. Prior to joining the Foundation, Dawn was the Financial Development Director for the YWCA and worked in Economic Development for the City of Fort Wayne. Dawn earned her B.A. in Business and her M.S. in Education from Indiana University.
Brett joined Goelzer Investment Management in 1990 and became President and Chief Operating Officer in 2003. A member of Goelzer’s Executive Management Committee, Brett also serves as Chairman of the Investment Policy Committee, a member of the Account Review Committee, and as trustee of the firm’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Prior to joining Goelzer Investment Management, Brett served as a Financial Consultant with Shearson Lehman. He began his business career with InterFirst Bank of Dallas, serving in both Dallas, Texas and London, England.
Brett graduated from Indiana University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and later earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) designation. He is an active member of the CFA Society of Indianapolis. Brett is a recipient of the 2000 Indianapolis Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty” award, recognizing his achievements as a business and professional leader in the Indianapolis area.
Brett has long been active in civic, educational, and philanthropic organizations including the following: Indiana Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, Lincoln Collection Foundation, Indiana Landmarks Foundation, Indiana University School of Medicine Planned Giving Committee, Indiana University Kelly School of Business Dean’s Council, and Booth Tarkington Civic Theater's Board of Trustees.
Rose joined the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County when it was established in 1992. Under her leadership, the Foundation has grown to be one of the top 100 community foundations in the United States. Meissner holds an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and a MA in English Literature, and a BA in Economics from the University of Notre Dame.
Joel joined Merrill Lynch in 2015, after 12 years with Morgan Stanley. He provides investment consulting services to institutions and families. His experience includes assisting clients with wealth management strategies, asset allocation, investment manager research, donor education, donor development, and overall relationship management. His other area of interest includes sustainable impact investing strategies, where he facilitates client education, thought leadership and portfolio implementation.
Joel graduated from Rockford University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Joel serves on the Rockford University board of trustees, investment committee and human resources committee. He has volunteered on various committees with Forefront Illinois, Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, and the Sustainable Local Food Investment Group (SLoFIG). Joel lives in Chicago with his wife, Brooke, and two young daughters, Ava and Londyn. He spends his free time with family, enjoying the city and visiting relatives throughout the upper Midwest.
Doran serves as Executive Director of Statewide Diversity & Community Engagement for Ivy Tech Community College. Previously, he worked in the offices of United States Senator Evan Bayh and Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson. His education policy experiences include EdChoice, an education think tank and Rocketship Education, a kindergarten through 5th grade charter school operator. Doran serves as board chair for RecycleForce, a social enterprise focused on reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals. He also serves on the boards of Indiana Humanities, Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, and United Way of Central Indiana. Doran graduated from Indiana University with a degree in political science and is pursuing a PhD in American studies from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Candice began her nonprofit career in 1993 with Albion Fellows Bacon Center, a domestic and sexual violence shelter/advocacy center in Evansville, IN. While spending 23 years at Albion, Candice spent 15 years supplying direct services to victims. As a Legal Advocacy Program Coordinator, she collaboratively worked with multi-sector leaders in the legal, medical and social service systems. Transitioning to Albion’s Executive Director in 2008, she remained a steadfast advocate for abuse victims and abuse prevention while leading the organization to increased funding levels, program development, and operational expansion. In 2016, Candice joined the Welborn Baptist Foundation as the Nonprofit Excellence program officer, tasked with building capacity among nonprofits in the areas of Next Generation Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness.
With a social service and Psychology emphasis, Candice attended the University of Maryland, Asian Division, Yokota Air Force Base, Japan and graduated from the University of Southern Indiana. She holds certificates from the Fundraising School, IU SPEA and is a past ATHENA Leadership Award nominee- displaying contributions of leadership such as living authentically, learning constantly, advocating fiercely, acting courageously, fostering collaboration, building relationships, giving back and celebrating.
Brittany is working to cultivate new and existing relationships with donors and professional advisors in Hamilton County. Prior to her position at Legacy Fund, Brittany served as a part of CICF’s community investment team. Her portfolio included the issues of food insecurity, nutrition, health care and scholarships, working primarily with donors and selection committee members. She also worked closely with organizations exclusively serving Hamilton County as the community investment officer for Legacy Fund’s competitive grant process. Rayburn also facilitated LINK Advisory Council and Carmel Green Teen, both youth-led grant-making programs of Legacy Fund.
Brittany has a master’s in nonprofit management from IUPUI and while in school, worked as a graduate assistant for CICF. Brittany currently serves on the board of Hamilton County Purdue Extension, Association of Fundraising Professionals Indiana Chapter, and graduated from Hamilton County Leadership Academy in 2016.
Kimberly is a program officer at the Dekko Foundation in Kendallville, Indiana, but perhaps a more appropriate title for her is “paradigm changer” as she works to fulfill the foundation’s mission of helping young people grow up to be economically free. She is a graduate of the School of Optometry at Indiana University, and went on to a successful career as a store manager and trainer for Pearle Vision, serving the company in Bloomington, Indiana, Springfield, Missouri, and Cleveland, Ohio. An Indiana native, she began working at the Dekko Foundation in March 1999 as a 7 Habits trainer as well as overseeing the foundation’s youth philanthropy efforts and serving as a program officer. During her 19 years with the foundation, the number of its youth philanthropy groups has grown from six to 13, and she’s been instrumental in creating and leading the foundation’s proactive grantmaking initiatives, including before5, a mentoring program for parents of young children, and bloom!, which helps educators transform their classrooms to provide rich learning environments for children. She and her husband live in Kendallville and have two daughters.
Kristen is senior manager in the office of the president at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. In her position, Kristen supports the priorities of the president and CEO, facilitates the work of GEO’s Board of Directors, manages place based partnerships in California and North Carolina, and conducts research and develops programming on emerging topics in philanthropy.
Previously, Kristen worked for the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council, a membership organization that promotes the use of cooperatives as a development paradigm. For four years she was managing director at The Bhutan Canada Foundation, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to improving education in the Kingdom of Bhutan. Kristen began her career in communications and operations at The Unusual Suspects Theater Company in Los Angeles before working in fundraising at The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health in Palo Alto, CA and Macmillan Cancer Support in London, UK. Kristen received her master of public administration from American University’s School of Public Affairs. She is an alumna of the University of Southern California and a recipient of the Nonprofit Executive Scholarship at the Richard Ivey School of Business.
Lebaron is Senior Research Manager at Prosperity Now. As a member of the Applied Research team, Lebaron is one of the leads on the Prosperity Now Scorecard, providing data analysis, visualization and writing support for the initiative. He also provides analysis for Prosperity Now policy and programs teams, and for the Prosperity Now Community. Previously, Lebaron was a Research Associate at LISC MetroEdge in Chicago, IL, where he provided technical support, analysis, and data visualization for local economic development initiatives in cities across the country. Lebaron holds an M.A. in Urban Affairs from Loyola University Chicago, and a B.A. in Economics from California State University, Fresno.
Sharon retired from the Dekko Foundation earlier this year, after 20 years serving in the roles of Communications Director and Program Director. Prior to joining the Dekko Foundation, she was the executive director of the Whitley County Communication Foundation from 1991-97. Sharon holds a BS in journalism and has been a communications specialist in both consultant and staff roles for numerous nonprofit and for-profit businesses. Sharon served on the IPA Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Member Services Committee.
Linda is the President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana. She has sixteen years of experience in the community foundation field. Before joining CFSI, her nonprofit work experience includes serving as the Vice President of Development & Stewardship for the Community Foundation of Louisville, Vice President of Gift and Trust Administration for the Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation, and Director of the Samuel L. Greenebaum Public Service Program at the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. She is a former litigation attorney with the Louisville law firm of Frost Brown Todd. She received her B.S. from the University of Kentucky and J.D. from the Vanderbilt University School of Law.
Linda serves on the boards of the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance (Vice-Chair) and the Louisville, Kentucky-based Center for Nonprofit Excellence. She is a member and Past President of the Southern Indiana Estate Planning Council, the Kentuckiana Partnership for Philanthropic Planning and the Fund Raising Executives of Metro Louisville, and she is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Metro Louisville.
Nicole currently manages Strada Education Network’s strategic philanthropy program. In her role, Thompson collaborates with executive leadership to set the national nonprofit’s overarching philanthropic strategy and oversees its grant-making process and analysis.
Formerly, she served as president and CEO of EmployIndy, having been promoted from chief operating officer and serving previously as vice president of development and administration. In addition, she previously worked for the State of Indiana’s Department of Workforce Development and Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Thompson has a successful track record for securing federal and non-federal funding, managing departmental budgets, establishing effective policy and procedure and initiating, and developing and implementing project plans. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.
Jenna is a program officer with Ball Brothers Foundation, a family foundation based in Muncie. She joined the foundation staff in 2014 after working for social service agencies in Indianapolis, Saint Louis, and Washington, D.C. Jenna completed her Master’s Degree in Philanthropic Studies at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy where she focused her studies on foundation giving. She writes occasional blogs for Exponent Philanthropy where she also completed the Next Gen program in 2016.
Stephen serves as the Senior Information Systems Auditor at Ball State University where he works with the University to assess the impact of information system controls on financial reporting. Previously, Stephen held the role of Senior Manager at CapinCrouse, a national public accounting firm, where he spent 10 years focused on the nonprofit industry, providing financial reporting and information technology assurance and consulting services to many types of organizations including colleges and universities, foundations, social service agencies, and global mission organizations. His experience affords him a unique perspective on nonprofit financial reporting and information technology/systems impacting financial reporting. He holds professional certifications including the CPA, CITP, and CISA.
Margarita is the Program Director for the Community Foundation of Noble County. She oversees the grantmaking activities of the foundation, and provides direction, and support for the foundation’s various grantmaking programs. Margarita empowers the next generation of philanthropists through her role as the Navigator for PULSE, the foundation’s youth philanthropy group, and her leadership of the Teens on Boards Program.
Kenton Wooden joined the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana in 2013 and serves as the Director of Community Outreach. Sharing the Foundation’s story through marketing and development efforts, Kenton helps connect people to the causes they care most about. After graduating from Ball State University he worked in advertising at the Courier-Journal and then transitioned to public service, becoming the Southeast Regional Director for US Senator Evan Bayh until his retirement. Before joining the Community Foundation, Kenton served as Director of Development at New Hope Services.
Kenton is a member of the Jeffersonville Rotary Club, Fund Raising Executives of Southern Indiana, serves on the Falls of the Ohio Leadership Council and planning committee for Leadership Southern Indiana. Kenton has been recognized as a volunteer of the year from Leadership Sothern Indiana and was selected as one of Southern Indiana Business Source Magazine’s 20 Under 40.
Indianapolis Marriott North provides for your effortless stay. Delight in easy access to an array of Northside attractions including the city of Carmel, Grand Park sports complex and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. We are also within walking distance of Keystone Crossing shopping and business district.
Attendees who book a room at the discounted rate in our block at the Indianapolis Marriott North will also receive:
Room Description
Hotel Features
Book your room now to receive the discounted rate of $164 per night. This rate will be available until Wednesday, May 23, but may sell out earlier.
To book a room, use the link below or call 1-317-705-0000 and mention you are booking as part of the 2018 IPA Conference block.