As vice president of communications for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Quinn Buckner is the organization’s liaison to the corporate community, leads the Pacers Youth Basketball Program, and is the analyst for Indiana Pacers television games. He serves on the board for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. Before joining the Pacers, he was an analyst with the Cleveland Cavaliers, coached the Dallas Mavericks and played 10 seasons in the NBA. He was captain of Indiana University’s 1976 NCAA Championship team and the 1976 gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team. He chairs the Indiana University board.
First job: “I worked for a janitor at my elementary school, as well as for Head Start delivering supplies (around 10-12 years old). It taught responsibility.”
Something surprising: “I’ve always had an interest in
NHRA racing.”
Toughest challenge: “I grew up shy, so being in front of an audience is the toughest. I am private and shy, but people don’t necessarily see me that way. I overcome in order to give my best.”
Maurice Broaddus is a writer, community organizer and teacher who serves as the resident Afrofuturist at the Indianapolis-based Khewprw Institute and is editor at Apex Magazine. The author of sci-fi and fantasy novels (including “Pimp My Airship”), Broaddus was hired by Marvel Comics and publisher Smart Pop to write “Black Panther: T’Challa Declassified,” to be published in January. He is also a frequent guest of honor at fan conventions throughout the United States and created an annual gathering in Indianapolis known as Mo*Con, which is designed to bring artists of national stature to meet local artists in an informal setting.
Before completing an MBA at Indiana University South Bend in 2000, Isaac Torres founded InterCambio Express Inc.—an international money transfer service provider. The Elkhart-based company now operates in 48 states and sends money to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. Torres subsequently launched the companies InterCambio Realty LLC and InterLoans. In 2019, he established the Isaac P. Torres Family School of Business and Economics Scholarship on IU’s South Bend campus. He serves on the boards of 1st Source Bank, IU Foundation, Women’s Care Center Elkhart and Community Foundation of Elkhart.
Job swap: PGA professional
Love about Indiana: “Welcoming community, pro-business environment and small-town feel.”
Indiana change: “Create better infrastructure designed to facilitate the growth of the Latino generations to come.”
Jim Dora Jr. leads Indianapolis-based General Hotels Corp., which his father, the late Jim Dora Sr., founded in 1962. The younger Dora earned a degree in restaurant, hotel and institutional management, then worked various jobs in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Memphis, Tennessee, along with Germany and Singapore, before returning to Indianapolis. Dora is active in numerous organizations, including the Capital Improvement Board of Managers, Visit Indy and the Indy Chamber. He also serves as a police lieutenant in the reserve division of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
First job: “Dishwasher. In the hotel industry, dishwasher and room attendant are the two hardest jobs in a hotel. They are also the two most important jobs, as the hotel cannot run without either position.”
Sabbatical topic: “Touring every national park in the country.”
Pets: “My wife and I have a pit mix named Fern. Fern is hilarious and provides lots of entertainment.”
Michael Andretti is a former IndyCar driver who now leads Andretti Autosport, which fields multiple entries in the NTT IndyCar Series, Indy Lights Series and the IMSA Sportscar Championship LMP3 division, as well as programs in other series. Andretti teams have won 200 times, with four IndyCar Series championships, four Indy Lights titles and five Indianapolis 500 wins. Last year alone, Andretti Autosport won 20 races—with wins in six of the seven series the team competed in. As a driver, the eldest son of Mario Andretti raced in 16 Indy 500s, leading in nine of them, and won 42 races in the CART series. He also started the Michael Andretti Foundation. Last year, Andretti Global, the parent company of Andretti Autosport, announced it would build its motorsports headquarters in Fishers.
Alan Bacon co-founded cultural not-for-profit GangGang with partner Mali Jeffers. He’s also co-curator for fine arts fair Butter and for the “We. The Culture” exhibit at Newfields. GangGang was among the groups that produced SWISH—an arts festival during the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis—and curated more than 263 performances over four weeks. GangGang is also working with the host committee of the NBA All-Star Game for 2024. Bacon was previously president of Harrison College’s northwest campus and worked as senior director of social innovation at United Way of Central Indiana.
Biggest challenge: “Launching a successful startup during
the pandemic.”
Advice for a young person: “I would share the importance of networking and relationship building. This has proven to be critical. I would also help them understand the power of the youth.”
Walk-up song: “Dream on,” by Aerosmith
Jim Hallett stepped down in March as executive chair and board chair of OpenLane (formerly KAR Global) and continues to serve on the board of the worldwide auto auction services company. During his tenure, the Carmel-based company grew rapidly and now has 4,500 employees across the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Uruguay and Europe. He pioneered the use of big data and digital transformation in the auto auction industry among automakers, dealer groups and financial institutions. As owner of the Indy Fuel hockey team, he also is involved in the development of an 8,500-seat entertainment and event center in Fishers that will serve as the team’s home.
First job: paperboy
Civic contribution: “‘Mabel’s Ride’—a program I developed in collaboration with the Community Health Network Foundation that helps thousands of patients access the health care they need by providing free transportation. Mabel is my mother’s name, and I wanted the program to reflect her generosity and commitment to supporting others in the community.”
Carlie Irsay-Gordon is in her 12th season as vice chair/co-owner of the Indianapolis Colts, the NFL team her father owns. She joined the Colts as vice president in 2008 and, along with sisters Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, represents the next generation of ownership. While she’s involved in all aspects of the organization, she focuses on football operations as well as the team’s growing digital, social media, content and production operations. She is a member of the NFL’s Media Owned & Operated Committee, which oversees the NFL Network, NFL.com, NFL Mobile and other league-owned media properties.
As leader of the Northwest RDA, Sherri Ziller is responsible for formulating policy, planning and program strategies and making financial investment decisions to support economic development and redevelopment throughout the northwest Indiana region. She became CEO of the authority in 2021 after serving as chief operating officer managing daily operations. She has been with the RDA since it was formed in 2006 and has focused on securing funding for two major South Shore rail projects: the West Lake Corridor extension and the double tracking of the existing line from Gary to Michigan City.
Favorite thing about leading: “I want to be able to look back on this time in my life and be able to say that I was part of the positive transformation of Northwest Indiana. That guides me forward, and it gives me something to work towards every day.”
Advice for a young person: “I read somewhere that courage is not not feeling fear, but feeling fear and doing it, anyway. I would tell a young person that it’s OK to be scared. Being scared means you’re about to do something really, really brave.”
In 2019, Elaine Bedel was the first executive named to head the new Indiana Destination Development Corp. by Gov. Eric Holcomb. The organization replaced the Department of Tourism, and Bedel has led its transition to a broader mission that includes enhancing the state's economic development efforts by attracting new workforce talent. A certified financial planner, she also is founder and CEO of Bedel Financial Consulting, which manages more than $2 billion in investment portfolio assets. She is chair of the Hanover College board and has served in the past as chair of the Certified Financial Planning Board of Standards and the Women's Fund and as vice board chair for Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana.
On leadership: "As a leader, put ethics above all else. Set a high standard for yourself. Build a strong reputation for being a good person and protect it. Then, when others want to make disparaging remarks/accusations, there is less chance those comments will be believed. Your reputation will speak louder than their words."
