Mayor Fadness appoints nine voting members to newly codified committee
The City of Fishers has announced the nine Mayoral-appointed members of the newly codified Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability.
The committee will further assist the city’s efforts of becoming a community where persons of all abilities are recognized as a key component to the city’s vibrancy; where persons with disabilities are recognized as vital members of the community; and to establish priorities and strategies to address the various challenges and needs facing the disability community.
The committee is charged with providing strategic direction and guidance of the annual March Disability Awareness Month celebration and the Fishers ADA Transition Plan, along with providing feedback on the city’s current services, policies, and practices. The committee will also work in partnership with local area employers and community partners to increase employment and meaningful work opportunities of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the city.
The Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability met for the first time in this new capacity on April 14, where Cecilia Coble and Kelly Hartman were elected Co-Chairs for 2022-2023. The committee also approved funding for an Accessible Housing Study to be completed later this year.
“I am proud of what the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability has accomplished while working informally with the City of Fishers and our community partners,” Coble said. “The codification to formally establish the committee is being celebrated by the disability community because it reflects the city’s commitment to disability inclusion, awareness, and the advancement of the quality of life for people with disabilities in Fishers.”
“I am so honored to serve the community of Fishers with the support of visionary city leadership,” Hartman said. “Reading the ordinance brought tears to my eyes – I’m so proud to live in a city that strives to include all people as vital members of the community.”
The Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability Mayoral Appointment Committee Members for 2022-2023 include:
Cecilia Coble
Fishers City Councilwoman
Coble has served on the Fishers City Council since 2015, where she currently serves on the Non-Profit and Finance Committees. In January 2020, she made history as the first woman to serve as Fishers City Council President. She is a special-needs parent and strong advocate for the disability community, serving as Co-Chair the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability. She also serves on the Fishers Arts and Culture Commission.
Coble received her B.A. from the University of Arizona and holds a J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis. After law school, she worked as a Government Relations Representative for Bank One Consumer Lending Group, and as a Project/Account Manager for Pangea Lingua Translations & Communications in Indianapolis. She currently serves on the boards of the Accelerate Indiana Municipalities and the Thrive Social Club.
Coble is an associate member of the Christamore House Guild and a former member of the Junior League of Indianapolis. She is also a former Co-Chair of the Indiana Chapter of The Autism Community in Action (TACA), and a former board member of the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, and the Bev Hartig Huntington’s Disease Foundation.
Coble has been married to her husband, Mike, for 28 years. They have two daughters, Capri, a college junior and Crysta, a high school student with developmental disabilities. She enjoys the performing arts and traveling with her family.
Kelly Hartman, MA
Insights Consulting, Inc., President & CEO; Outside the Box, Inc., Co-Founder/Board Member; Professional Liaison at Indiana Association of Behavioral Consultants
Hartman has been working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for more than 32 years. As the President & CEO of Insights, she is a leader in the industry known for innovation and passionate advocacy. Insights provides residential, behavioral, and music therapy services to more than 1,100 people statewide.
While she wears many hats, here at home she currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Fishers Advisory Council on Disability with City Councilwoman Cecilia Coble. She is also the Co-Founder of Outside the Box, Inc. (OTB), a curriculum-based program that focuses on skill development, job training and expressive arts through small, peer matched groups. OTB supports more than 350 individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities at their Indianapolis campus but are planning to expand their programming into the Fishers community.
Darcy Keith
Award-winning Public Speaker
Keith has experienced brain injury for over 30 years. As the only backseat survivor in her fatal car crash, Keith, a 22-year-old Ball State senior, had to learn how to begin life again – mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially – from injuries she sustained.
Over the years, Keith has overcome her many life-altering experiences with success and has emerged as an expert on surviving and thriving through life’s challenges and trials. She is a national award-winning keynote speaker for seminars, conferences, and meetings for corporations, non-profits, and associations, as well as for the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens rookies as part of the NFL’s Rookie Success Program. She is also on the Brain Injury Advisory Council for the Brain Injury Association of America.
Keith resides with her husband and daughter in Fishers.
Stacey Oldham
Author, resident and past Co-Chair of the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability
Oldham has been a resident of Fishers for 28 years. Her passion for helping those with physical and intellectual disabilities stems from her 37-year battle with Multiple Sclerosis.
Oldham co-chaired the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability with Cecilia Coble from 2016 to 2018. In these early days, the committee received the 2017 Champions of Inclusion Award from the Governor’s Council on Disability. In her role on the committee, she will work closely with city employees and committee members to identify projects related to the city’s infrastructure. She will also spearhead those working on a solution for accessible transportation.
Oldham and her subcommittee are excited about the current pilot program for driverless transportation among many other initiatives set to increase the freedom of mobility for residents with disabilities. Her motto is, “I don’t have a Bucket List. I have a To Do List for others.”
Oldham says she believes the Fishers Advisory Committee is on the verge of some fantastic projects and opportunities that showcase Fishers as a model for inclusion.
Chrissy Pogue
Transition Specialist for Hamilton Southeastern Schools
Pogue’s responsibilities include working with both high school programs and overseeing Hamilton Southeastern School’s four transition programs. She has four job coaches on her team who help find volunteer and paid positions for students within the city.
Pogue has been in this role for almost 11 years when it started with one transition program/classroom and an off-campus site. From there, it is has evolved into four different programs/classrooms servicing over 40 young adults. She enjoys helping families prepare for life after high school in whatever way is most meaningful for the young adult. Integrating all four programs within the community in various ways throughout the week and helping Fishers continue to be an inclusive city continues to be her goal every day.
Pogue conducts parent trainings as well as training for other district employees throughout the year. She is currently on the board at Janus Developmental Services, co-facilitator for the Central Indiana Transition Cadre, and co-facilitator for the Inclusion in the Workplace Networking Group. She has been involved with the Fishers Disability Council since 2017, specifically within the employment subcommittee. Prior to her current position, she was a Life Skills teacher at HSE High School.
In her free time, Pogue enjoys being with family and friends, watching the Colts, running, and traveling to warm destinations. She is married, has four children, and has lived in Fishers since 2002.
Wilbur E. Sutton
Advocate and resident
Sutton has more than 52 years of experience with Patterson Dental Company in Dental Equipment Sales and Management. He is now retired from working with clients in Indiana and Illinois on new office designs and expansions.
Sutton currently serves on the Board of Directors for Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis, a homeless family housing program, on the Hamilton County Housing Coalition, and serves on the Fishers Advisory Council for Disability Awareness with a focus on accessible and affordable housing.
Sutton is an active member of Fishers United Methodist Church.
Michelle Steltz
Financial Controller for Opportunities for Positive Growth, Inc.
A Fishers resident since 2003, Steltz is married with a teenage daughter who attends Hamilton Southeastern Schools and dances. She grew up in central Indiana and graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Industrial Management. Currently, she is the Financial Controller for Opportunities for Positive Growth and she also serve as The ESOP Association Indiana Chapter President.
Steltz has been involved with the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability for several years and has enjoyed learning more about the city through the process.
In her free time, Steltz enjoys attending Purdue Football and Basketball games, watching her daughter dance, and enjoys historical documentaries, podcasts and books.
Steltz resides with her husband and daughter in Fishers.
Shelby Slowik
Associate Vice President of Human Resources for Conner Prairie
Slowik is the Associate Vice President of Human Resources at Conner Prairie Museum. Her role includes overseeing employee relations, recruitment, payroll, training and volunteer and internship programs. She has been with Conner Prairie for seven years working with some of the most talented and diverse humans. Working with and connecting “Prairie People” to their passions is a position she plans to enjoy until retirement.
Slowik has over 30 years of human resources experience, predominantly in healthcare and nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining Conner Prairie, she worked for 17 years at St. Vincent Medical Group in various leadership roles. She holds several certifications in the human resources field.
Slowick is a long-term Hamilton County resident and has served on the Fishers Advisory Council on Disability and its employment subcommittee since established.
Ross Hilleary
Asst. Director of Planning & Zoning and ADA Coordinator for the City of Fishers
Hilleary currently serves as the Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning and is the ADA Coordinator for the City of Fishers.
A native of central Illinois, Hilleary moved to Fishers in 2017. He has a passion for looking at ways to improve the built environment and the community through sustainable measures, smart growth practices, and community design standards. Hilleary says he believes that public art and cultural programming are essential for a vibrant community and quality of life.
In 2021, Hilleary was awarded the Nickel Plate Arts Emerging Arts Champion. He has a bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning and Development from Ball State University and is CNU-Accredited.
Hilleary resides with his husband in Fishers.
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Learn more about the committee and their full list of roles and responsibilities at fishers.in.us/DisabilityCommittee.