Dave Neff leads Purdue University’s name, image and likeness collective, which empowers student-athletes “to become champions in their sport and in their communities.” The Boilermaker Alliance is responsible for generating revenue that works with Purdue coaches and administrators to attract elite athletes to Purdue. Neff’s career in sports and entertainment has ranged from software to philanthropy to professional services. In 2022, he received the John C. Lechleiter Award from Providence Cristo Rey High School for championing and advancing the school’s corporate work-study program.
First job: Youth soccer official, which “taught me conflict resolution, quick decision-making, good judgment and how to manage a broad array of stakeholders.”
Something surprising: He’s never had a cavity.
Challenge overcome: Being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of 15. “Learning to manage and navigate that chronic disease for nearly the past 25 years has given me more resilience, empathy and gratitude for the opportunities and challenges in life.”
Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz began his tenure as 24th president of the University of Evansville in 2018. Under his leadership, the university was awarded a $30 million Promise Neighborhood grant from the U.S. Department of Education—with a total investment of $62 million, including matching funds—to address generational poverty. The Evansville Promise Neighborhood provides cradle-to-career services for six schools in an area that includes four ZIP codes and affects 18% of the Vanderburgh County population. He also oversaw the establishment of the UE Mental Health and Wellness Clinic and Emily M. Young Assessment Center, addressing critical community mental health needs, and helped the institution achieve the second- and third-highest fundraising years in its 170-year history.
First job: McDonald’s. “I was very good at making fries and even made the secret Big Mac sauce when the store ran out.”
Something surprising: “I wear Purple Nike Dunk Low Tops on Fridays to the office.”
Fred Payne became president and CEO of the United Way of Central Indiana in July 2022 with a goal of helping 10,000 central Indiana households escape from poverty within five years. He has launched a strategy focusing on the leading indicators of poverty for residents of central Indiana: basic needs (food, transportation, shelter, etc.); early child care and learning; safe and affordable housing; and economic mobility. Payne previously served as commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and led Indiana’s response to the extreme unemployment brought on by the pandemic. Under his tenure, thousands of Hoosiers were enrolled in job training and credential programs, including work-based learning and apprenticeships.
Something surprising: “I enjoy riding motorcycles and the feeling of speed and freedom on a sport bike. I also enjoy the study of horology. Time pieces and the art of watchmaking fascinate me.”
Walk-up song: “Good Day” by Forrest Frank
Jose Padilla is president of Valparaiso University, a private Lutheran school with about 2,800 students, 846 faculty and staff, a budget of about $110 million and an endowment of about $300 million. He took the job in December 2020, becoming the university’s 19th president. He manages an academic enterprise that has five colleges offering liberal arts and sciences and professional programs such as engineering, social work and nursing and physician assistant programs. Padilla created the Access College, which provides an associate’s degree to first-generation, low-income college students, and led the development of a five-year strategic plan and a review of all current academic and operational programs. He also manages a NCAA Division I athletics program with 19 teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. He previously served as vice president, university counsel and secretary of the University of Colorado system.
First job: Dishwasher. “It showed me the strength of the working men and women of our nation.”
Surprising: “I’m an avid weightlifter.”
Walkup music: “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC.
Chris Lowery was appointed in 2022 to serve on Indiana’s Commission for Higher Education, the agency charged with coordinating strategy, policies, programs, partnerships and need-based financial aid programs for the state’s higher education ecosystem and 36 public and private institutions. The financial aid portfolio is nearly $500 million annually and ranks fifth nationally and first in the Midwest. Lowery collaborates with policymakers, higher education leaders and community partners to maintain college affordability and guarantee that quality higher education is delivered and tied to career relevance as the commission continues its efforts to meet the state’s goal of at least 60% of Hoosiers with quality education and training beyond high school.
First job: Working on a farm at the produce stand, beginning at the age of 12.
Advice: Show up early and stay late. Do the jobs others are unwilling to do, don’t complain, approach each day and assignment with alacrity, don’t gossip, and encourage others.
N. Clay Robbins joined Lilly Endowment’s staff in January 1993 as vice president for community development to supervise that division’s grant-making activities. In 1994, he was elected president, and in 1999 he was elected to the board. In 2012, he was named CEO, and in September 2015, he was elected chair, president and CEO. Since February 2022, he has served as the endowment’s chair and CEO. Before joining the endowment, Robbins was a partner at Baker & Daniels. In 2021, IBJ named him one of 40 persons who have significantly influenced the central Indiana region in the past 40 years.
First job: William H. Block department store. “I was working when leisure suits for men first became available in the early 1970s. They were so popular that I had to referee conflicts between customers who were fighting over who got to them first. This experience taught me never to buy a leisure suit, and I never have.”
C. Todd Richardson has served as the chief human resources officer and vice president at his alma mater, Indiana University, for two years. There, he is responsible for overseeing the talent acquisition, talent development and overall people strategies related to roughly 50,000 employees across nine campuses. Previously, he was CEO of EDGE Mentoring, executive vice president of Salesforce/ExactTarget, executive vice president of CP Morgan, and an attorney at Hall Render.
First job: Ritz Charles doorman. “In engaging with thousands of guests each day, it taught me early what love, common decency and compassion for people looks like (and does not). Treat ALL of those you encounter with respect and compassion.”
Lesson learned: “I fail literally every day and have worked to ensure that it doesn’t derail me.”
Worries about: “That everyone has lost their minds and cannot maintain proper decorum in engaging with those that think, believe, love, worship, etc., differently than themselves. Life is not a zero-sum game.”
Karen Plaut oversees Purdue University’s Office of Research, which brings together researchers and resources to drive discoveries designed to improve health outcomes, protect the environment while finding efficient energy sources, strengthen national defense, support infrastructure, enhance the digital economy through artificial intelligence and ensure food security. Its active research portfolio is $2.8 billion. Previously, Plaut led mammary gland biology and breast cancer research at the University of Vermont. She then joined NASA and served as lead scientist for International Space Station biological research building life sciences habitats for zero gravity. She joined Purdue in 2010 as associate dean of research in the College of Agriculture.
Advice for a young person: Take advantage of opportunities when they come, even if they’re not part of your career trajectory. “I had the rare opportunity to send animals up on the space shuttle with NASA to experience microgravity. It was not something I expected to do, but it sounded like fun. It led to many additional opportunities.”
Pamela Whitten serves as Indiana University’s 19th president and is the first woman to lead the university. Her focus is on three core areas: student success, transformative research, and service to the state of Indiana. Since she took office in July 2021, applications to IU increased by 6.75% for 2022-23 and 7.44% for 2023-24, and a focus on research has yielded $772 million in total sponsored research awards in 2023. IU also unveiled IU Innovates, a university-wide program that expands the expertise, mentorship, connections and other resources needed to cultivate successful startups and propel economic growth. She’s led the split of IUPUI into IU Indianapolis and Purdue in Indianapolis, which officially takes effect July 1.
Walkup music: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Career advice: “Continuous learning is paramount. Seek out opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge, whether through online courses, workshops, or independent exploration.”
Latha Ramchand is the first chancellor of Indiana University Indianapolis. Her goal is “to provide relevant, rigorous and affordable education that meets the state’s most pressing workforce needs. This includes graduating more students that are tech- and industry-ready, especially in the bio- and life-science areas and upskilling our current workforce in Indiana by offering adult learner certification programs.” Ramchand was born and raised in India and was a first-generation college student. She started her higher-education career at the University of Houston and ultimately served as dean of the College of Business. In 2018, she became executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of Missouri.
Leadership lesson: “Leadership is not a title; rather, it is a privilege that has to be earned every day. As a wise person said, ‘Your title makes you a manager and your people make you a leader.'”
Advice for a young person: “Embrace the opportunities and the challenges. Your challenges make you stronger and lead you to your next big assignment.”
