Welcome to IBJ Media’s second annual Indiana 250, our list of the most influential and impactful leaders across the state.
Like last year, our list is made up primarily of business leaders, including executives who are guiding our state’s largest and most important public and private companies. So you won’t be surprised to see Eli Lilly and Co.’s David Ricks, Elevance Health’s Gail Boudreaux and Cook Group’s Pete Yonkman in this publication.
But we’ve also recognized leaders of companies that might not employ tens of thousands but are making huge impacts, nonetheless—people like Kem Krest’s Amish Shah, Langham Logistics’ Cathy Langham and Knowledge Services’ Julie Bielawski.
And the list is packed with people who are contributing in government, education, the not-for-profit sector, the arts and philanthropy. So you’ll read about Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush, Valparaiso University’s José Padilla, United Way of Central Indiana’s Fred Payne, author John Green and philanthropist Marianne Glick.
We have strived to reflect the breadth of industries that make up Indiana’s economy—manufacturing, life sciences, agriculture, technology, law and more—while also representing all parts of the state. To that end, the people on the list come, of course from central Indiana, but also from Crown Point, Elkhart, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Lafayette, Richmond, Terre Haute and every other region.
That regional diversity is especially important to IBJ Media as we grow our footprint across Indiana. Those in central Indiana know us best as the publisher of the Indianapolis Business Journal, while leaders in the legal community are familiar with our newspaper the Indiana Lawyer.
But in many areas of the state, Inside INdiana Business—which IBJ Media acquired in 2021—is our best-known brand. And we’ve taken steps to strengthen our statewide impact by expanding our Engage Indiana series, which started only as an Indianapolis event, to more Indiana cities—with events this year in Terre Haute, Valparaiso and West Lafayette, in addition to second-year events in Evansville, Fort Wayne and South Bend.
Also this year, Inside INdiana Business launched a weekly newsletter focused on the Evansville area, with plans to do the same in South Bend and other cities.
Our goal is to bring these regions together by telling the stories of organizations and people who are making a difference. This Indiana 250 magazine is part of that effort.
We celebrated the leaders on our Indiana 250 list at an event July 20 during an exclusive reception on the 47th floor of Salesforce Tower, an event made possible by our generous sponsors.
Thank you to our host sponsor, Salesforce, and our title sponsors, CareSource, Ice Miller, and Pacers Sports and Entertainment. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Thanks as well to our premier sponsors, Bank of America and Indiana University.
Enjoy the profiles on the following pages, and let us know what you think—and who should be included next year—by emailing us at Indiana250@IBJ.com.
Nate Feltman
IBJ Media CEO