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Since 2021, Leadership Connection has served its mission to connect today’s leaders with the next generation to build a stronger community. The annual Leadership Day brings together high school juniors and seniors from Carmel and Indianapolis to engage with distinguished professionals from both the public and private sectors.
A spectacular line-up of local leaders will address students at this year’s Leadership Day, taking place Nov. 6 at the Carmel Clay Public Library. The interactions will help students develop leadership skills, explore future opportunities and learn how they can positively impact their communities.
Several of the leaders will serve as panelists addressing the students, as well as sharing a lunch table with four or five students, volunteers, and Rotary members. During the panel discussion, guest speakers will share how they lead in a changing world and how they have leveraged their personal power to make a positive impact in their community or organization.
During the luncheon, attendees will have the ability to ask questions and share dialogue with the leaders who will share words of wisdom on navigating obstacles in their journey and becoming more confident, competent, and courageous leaders themselves.
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One of the guest speakers is Kim Thomas. She serves as the chief human resources officer for OneAmerica Financial®. She has 30 years of experience in multiple industries including financial services, medical diagnostics, health insurance and commercial printing. With OneAmerica, she has led many teams, including HR, corporate security, community affairs and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). She was named chief diversity officer in 2020 and appointed to lead the community affairs team in 2023. She was honored with an ASPIRE award in 2020 in recognition of her outstanding contributions to making significant impacts on organizational goals.
Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial organizational psychology from Purdue University. She currently serves on The American College of Financial Services’ Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality advisory council.
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Gloria Sachdev is the Secretary of Health and Family Services for Indiana Governor Mike Braun. Overseeing the Family Social Services Administration, Department of Health, Department of Child Services, Department of Veteran Affairs, and other health-related agencies, Dr. Sachdev currently serves as president and CEO of the Employers’ Forum of Indiana, where she has led initiatives to improve healthcare transparency and affordability.
Under her leadership, Dr. Sachdev commissioned groundbreaking hospital cost transparency studies and developed Sage Transparency 2.0, a public dashboard for healthcare cost and quality data. Her advocacy has resulted in over two dozen state laws to improve healthcare affordability.
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Eddie Gill is a former NBA point guard who played for seven seasons with several NBA teams including the Indiana Pacers. He played college basketball at Weber State and is known for being the MVP of the 1999 Big Sky Conference tournament. Since 2016, he has served as a studio analyst for Pacers games on FOX Sports Indiana and works as a financial advisor.
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Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam served 12 years on the Carmel City Council prior to being elected Mayor. During this time, she held various leadership roles. She also launched her own full-service marketing agency, FireStarter, LLC, in the city.
After earning her undergraduate degree at Central Michigan University and her Master of Science at Indiana Wesleyan, Mayor Finkam settled in Carmel. She co-founded LetsTalkCarmel.com, a City of Carmel community transparency portal, and Carmel Porchfest, a music festival held on front porches north of Main Street. She has been named as an Enterprising Women of the Year Award Honoree and a Woman of Influence by Indianapolis Business Journal. She was also awarded the 2023 Universal Women’s Network, Vision Builder Award.
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Marlin Jackson is a graduate of the University of Michigan and a former cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts. He started Fight for Life Foundation, a non-profit, because of his experiences growing up as a youth that faced and overcame adversity within his household and community. As a former collegiate and professional athlete, he was groomed and developed within a structured, organized, and challenging environment. This experience of learning in life, the classroom, and in the arena of collegiate and professional football, caused Jackson to develop a unique perspective and skill set that is embedded in resilience, structure, organization, time-management, leadership, creativity, and passion.
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Peter Dunn is an award-winning financial expert. For the past two decades, Dunn has been one of foremost voices in America on personal finance and corporate financial wellness. He is the host of the popular radio show and podcast The Pete the Planner Show. He has authored 10 books, been a USA TODAY columnist, and appeared regularly on CNN, Fox, and nationally syndicated radio programs.
His previous career as a comedian can be seen as he regularly entertains audiences at conferences and corporate events. In addition to his work educating the public, Dunn is also the founder and CEO of Your Money Line.
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State Representative Dr. Victoria Garcia Wilburn serves House District 32, which includes Nora, Fishers, and Carmel. She holds a doctorate in health science and is both a healthcare professional and researcher. Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor at Indiana University Indianapolis and as the Program Director of the IU School of Health & Human Sciences Post professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program.
As an educator, mom and legislator, she continues to advocate for mental health initiatives for first responders and to promote funding for problem solving courts statewide, as well as serving as the Ranking Minority Member of the House Judiciary Committee.
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Seamus Boyce is one of the top-rated schools & education attorneys in Indianapolis. Boyce began his law practice in 2006. He has been a frequent presenter, writer, and contributor for many organizations, including the Indiana Association of School Principals (IASP). He is the founder of the Indiana Council of School Attorneys (ICOSA). He has served on the board of the Council of School Attorneys (COSA) and is on the national School District Attorney Committee (SDAC) to help shape federal education policy and provide legal resources for education leaders.
Boyce attended the University of New Hampshire School of Law, concurrently earning a law degree and master’s in education law. He is an alumnus of Wabash College and is on the board of the Wabash Club of Indianapolis. While at Wabash, he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and Sphinx Club through which he reinstalled the “Chapel Talk” speaker series. He is on the board of OneZone Chamber of Commerce and is chair of OneZone’s state advocacy committee and ZonePAC.
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Brian Henning is a Senior Vice President in Corporate Banking for Old National Bank (ONB). Since 2012, Henning has served in a variety of leadership and management roles. He previously represented the Indianapolis market on the ONB Foundation Board. He joined ONB in 2006 as a Vice President. Prior to ONB, he spent 10 years working with Chase Bank in the Corporate Audit and Middle Market Commercial Lending Divisions. He graduated from the IU Kelly School of Business with a degree in Finance.
Henning is currently Board Chair of the One Zone Chamber of Commerce and serves as Treasurer of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee. He is past Board Chair of the Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity and is a past Treasurer of the Salvation Army’s Indiana Advisory Board. He is a past president of Indy Chamber Ambassadors and was subsequently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by this organization for his leadership.
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As part of Leadership Connection, students will not only have the opportunity to learn from these amazing local leaders, but seniors may also compete for six $2,000 scholarships and laptop computers, generously funded by Danny Portee and the Rotary Club of Carmel.
Well over 500 juniors and seniors have participated in Leadership Connection’s activities from leadership development workshops to community service projects since its inception. Students hail from Carmel High School, Brebeuf Jesuit, Christel House, Proact Indy, Elevate Indy, and the Simon Youth Academy.
Leadership Connection is a branded event of the Rotary Club of Carmel in partnership with iTeam Think Tank, Carmel Clay Schools, Carmel Fire Department, Christel House Watanabe, Brebeuf Jesuit, and Elevate Indy. Leadership Connection has also worked with over 100 businesses as well as community and non-profit executives and leaders since its inception.
For more information on how you can partner, volunteer for upcoming events, or support Leadership Connection, visit carmelrotary.com/leadership-connection.