Actors Theatre of Indiana welcomes new board members & new president

Actors Theatre of Indiana (ATI) welcomes two new members to the Board of Directors. John M. Murphy will join the board, as well as assume the role of board president. Deborah Newman also joins the board. Both bring a work and personal background that will help in ATI’s future growth and success.

Julie Eckert will step into the Vice-President position.

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Murphy

Murphy is a senior insurance executive whose career spans 45 years. He is the retired President of Ivy Tech Foundation, the largest community college foundation in the U.S. In his eight years in that position, he set forth new strategic direction and significantly increased revenue.

Prior to Ivy Tech Murphy was Managing Director of Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Inc., the fourth largest insurance broker internationally. At Wells Fargo, he was a key member of the leadership team and a founder of the former company, Acordia, Inc., which was the sixth largest broker worldwide. Additionally, he co-founded the Wells Fargo Marketing Expansion Committee and was a member of the Corporate International Cross Sell Strategy Advisory Board.

Prior to Wells Fargo, Murphy was a member of the Executive Team that took Anthem to the New York Stock Exchange in 2001. As President of Anthem’s Specialty Business, he increased revenue from $300 million to $1.3 billion. He managed and directed Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana and Kentucky, producing $3 billion in revenue across the bistate area. He was President and CEO of Anthem Life and Acordia Senior Benefits, Inc. and headed the integration of all administrative operations for Anthem of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky.

Murphy earned both his B.S. in Accounting and MBA in Finance from St. John’s University in New York. He has attended executive certification programs at Northwestern, Michigan, and Indiana Universities.

Murphy has served on numerous for-profit subsidiary boards and non-profit boards, has been asked to serve on corporate pension, information technology and international marketing committees and task forces, and has served on the boards of private equity and hedge fund capital management companies. He has been the recipient of several sales and civic leadership awards.

Murphy will take on the position of President of the ATI board, as former President Dan McFeely steps down from that role. McFeely remains an active member of the board.

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Newman

Also joining the ATI Board is Deborah Newman. She was raised in Madison County, studied at Anderson University, and relocated to Carmel in 2007. For the past 29 years she has been a Real Estate Broker and is currently associated with BHHS Indiana Realty.

Newman’s prior occupations include various positions in city and county government and the Unified Court System of Madison County. She has presided over and served on boards of directors, management committees and other governing boards. She has also participated in directing strategic planning efforts that enabled the organization to achieve short-term goals while positioning itself for long term success.

“With a passion for the performing arts and a strong desire to contribute to the city I love, I look forward to offering my time and skills to support the endeavors of ATI,” Newman. “The history of ATI producing high-quality theatrical performances that inspire, engage and entertain audiences has enriched the cultural landscape in Carmel. I’m delighted to play a small part in creating memorable experiences for audiences. Looking forward to joining newly elected board President, John Murphy, and the other board members in developing plans for the future growth of ATI.”

In her free time, Newman enjoys cooking, entertaining, sports, and participating in all the events the City of Carmel and surrounding areas offer.

Learn more about Actors Theatre of Indiana at atistage.org.