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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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
Geoffrey S. Mearns became the 17th president of Ball State University in May 2017. Under his tenure, Ball State had the largest freshman class in its history and increased alumni engagement and fundraising. He has strengthened the university’s relationship with the community, most notably through its partnership with Muncie Community Schools, and in a survey of May 2023 graduates, the university found that 80% of those employed are working in Indiana. Last December, Ball State University received a $35 million Lilly Endowment Inc. grant to revitalize The Village, the commercial district adjacent to Ball State’s campus.
Advice to a young person: “Say yes. When your supervisor comes to you and asks you to take on a new project, say yes. When you’re invited to lunch with somebody—a colleague, a more experienced person in your company or field of business—say yes. Saying yes fosters growth, collaboration, empowerment, innovation and enjoyment in life.”
Worries about: “The declining number of establishments offering vanilla chocolate chip ice cream—my favorite flavor.”
After serving as President and CEO of Rdoor Housing Corp. for three years and for decades in affordable housing, Bruce Baird has made plans this summer to step down from the organization and retire. Rdoor, founded in 1987 as Merchants Affordable Housing Corp., is one of Indiana’s largest not-for-profit affordable housing providers. Baird expanded Rdoor’s affordable housing portfolio to more than 3,000 units across 24 unique properties in Indianapolis, Gary and South Bend. He also developed enhanced asset management programs for RDOOR’s communities. He previously served as executive director of Renew Indianapolis and as the president of Insight Development, the real estate development arm of the Indianapolis Housing Agency. Prior to Insight, Baird worked in leadership positions for the city of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership and Eastside Community Investments.
Malina “Mali” Simone Bacon is the founder and creative director of the creative agency GangGang, a first-of-its-kind cultural startup that advocates for the role and worth of artists. She also serves as the creative director of Butter: A Fine Art Fair, which centers on the care and economic viability of Black visual artists, and was co-curator of We. The Culture, an art exhibit on display at Newfields in 2022 and 2023. Both events were featured by The New York Times as blueprints for equity in the arts. Before GangGang, Bacon immersed herself in Indianapolis arts and culture during her five years at the Arts Council of Indianapolis, followed by a leadership position at Madame Walker Theatre. She also worked on the #loveIndy campaign as project manager and as the marketing lead for Waterside, a $1.3 billion real estate development.
First job: At Blimpie and TCBY. “I learned everything about customer service and tracking.”
Tracy Graham is founder and managing principal of Graham Allen Partners, a private equity firm that specializes in investing in and building technology and technology-enabled companies, with a focus on Midwest-based businesses. Earlier this year, the firm announced it would launch its Data Focus Fund II, a $200 million fund focused on leveraging legacy businesses’ untapped data. Graham started his first company, Internet Services Management Group, immediately after college with an $80,000 investment and built it into the second-largest privately held internet service provider in the country through the acquisition and integration of 23 companies. He currently serves on the boards of the University of Notre Dame and 1st Source Bank.
