Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Leaders of Indianapolis of 2024. This year's honorees come from a dynamic city known for its diverse and vibrant economy. Indianapolis is a powerhouse in multiple life sciences fields, including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and agriculture, driving innovation and growth. The city also boasts thriving sectors in manufacturing, information technology, sports, and logistics, providing a rich tapestry of opportunities for its workforce. These exceptional women are leading the way, making significant contributions across these varied industries, and shaping the future of Indianapolis.
Among these leaders, we congratulate Stephanie Shelley, the Vice President of Marketing at Core Lab of Roche, a pharmaceuticals and diagnostics company. Shelley brings experience from her previous tenure at Eli Lilly and Company, where she held several leadership roles.,
We also celebrate the career of Karen Mangia, the President and Chief Strategy Officer of The Engineered Innovation Group. A technology leader, Mangia works with businesses to build software products and data science competencies and models, with a focus on corporate strategy.
Finally, we extend our honors to Yolanda Taylor. She is the Head of Medical Writing at Boehringer-Ingelheim, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. Taylor has a demonstrated history of leading large teams within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders of Indianapolis of 2024.
2). Monique McWilliams
VP, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Head Employee Strategies & Accountability, UnitedHealth Group
Monique McWilliams is the Vice President of DEI and leads employee engagement and analytics for the Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office at UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealth is a Minnesota-based managed healthcare company that provides health insurance products for individuals and businesses.
In this role, McWilliams is responsible for driving the strategy for employee resource groups, enterprise leadership advisory councils, celebrating connections, and DEI-related forums and events. McWilliams also leads the affirmative action compliance program and the strategy for DEI assessments and analytics that drive the advancement of DEI and leadership accountability, among many other core responsibilities. She also has extensive experience in product liability litigation both in private practice and at Lilly.
McWilliams joined UnitedHealth Group in 2021, and prior to that, she worked at Eli Lilly and Company for over 23 years and held numerous roles in the legal department, including as lead counsel on the CHRO’s leadership team while leading a human capital law and immigration team. During that time, she also served as lead counsel advising on global pay equity, affirmative action compliance, ESG reporting, and employee relations, and conducted privileged investigations. She has extensive experience in human capital and DEI strategy and served as chief diversity officer. McWilliams has a BA from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, and a JD from the Indiana University Mauer School of Law in Bloomington, Indiana. She has been active as a director and officer on nonprofit boards.
4). Amanda Witter
Area VP, Salesforce
Amanda Witter serves as Area Vice President at Salesforce, the industry leader in Customer Relationship Management. Her positive and empathetic leadership style, combined with her critical thinking and problem-solving foundation help her inspire her team to uncover possibilities with their customers to transform and grow their businesses. Witter has demonstrated success in customer transformation across multiple segments and verticals, including hi-tech, travel and hospitality, professional services, healthcare, media and entertainment, and communications, as well as helping her teams grow not only in their professional careers but with their personal goals as well.
Before Salesforce, Witter spent 12 years in the pharmaceutical and healthcare technology industry, where she helped companies minimize the risk of their products to their end users. She received a degree in chemical engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, which had previously been an all-male institution. She was also a member of their first-ever women’s basketball team and the first woman inducted into RHIT’s athletic Hall of Fame. She has been a pioneer in paving the way for opportunities for women in heavily male-dominated fields for the span of her career, including college.
Witter has also served as an Elder at her church, is the Treasurer of her daughter’s soccer club team, and volunteers and mentors other young women through the National Charity League.
5). Misty Hall
Executive Director Operations, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Misty Hall is the Executive Director of Operations of JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America, with operations worldwide. Hall has over 15 years of experience in leading and strategizing various operations functions across multiple domestic and international verticals. She is a certified change management professional and holds FINRA Series 6 and 63 licenses, showcasing her expertise and credibility in the financial industry.
Hall’s core competencies include international and domestic operations, business transformation, strategic planning and analytics, P&L management, sales, product development, and new business initiatives. She is currently advancing the firm's capabilities to facilitate more advanced banking offerings by enabling products with innovative platform technology and building products for well-defined client segments. She is also a passionate diversity and inclusion champion and a relationship builder who excels at coaching teams to exceed their goals and exceed customer expectations.
Before joining JPMorgan Chase & Co., Hall was a director of operations at Clout Financial Services, Inc. Before that, she was a customer experience manager at ubid.com. Earlier in her career, she worked with PNC as a call center operations director. Hall graduated from Purdue University.
7). Dawana Stubbs
Regional VP, Elevance Health
DaWana Stubbs is the Regional Vice President of Elevance Health. Elevance Health, formerly Anthem, Inc., serves people across their entire health journey taking an integrated whole-health approach. Stubbs is a physician executive with over 20 years of medical experience and expertise comprising strategic leadership and governance over multi-state healthcare organizations with sound clinical operations, effective medical education, and quality managed care.
Previously, Stubbs was a vice president of medical services at CareSource. Before that, she was a medical director at the Centene Corporation. Earlier in her career, she worked with IU Medical Group Primary Care as an internal medicine physician.
Stubbs was previously an assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She earned an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and her medical and master’s degrees are from the IU School of Medicine. She is certified as a MillimanCQ Care Guidelines Specialist. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., she has served on the boards of directors for the Marion County Communities Against Rape Initiative, Domestic Violence Network of Greater Indianapolis, Breaking Free Inc., Legacy House, and Indiana Partnership to Prevent Injury and Death.
8). Susan Benson
Medical Director, Women's Service Line, Ascension Indiana
Susan Benson is the Medical Director of the Women's Service Line of Ascension Indiana. Ascension is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit and Catholic health systems, with a mission of delivering compassionate, personalized care to all with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Benson serves as the director for over 70 providers across central Indiana, encompassing internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, breast surgery, plastic surgery, and general surgery. Her responsibilities include quality and growth initiatives, as well as recruitment and retention efforts.
Continuing to provide comprehensive healthcare for women, her focus is on gynecologic care, including preventative care, and gynecologic surgery with an emphasis on minimally-invasive laparoscopic surgery, menopausal care, incontinence care, and adolescent gynecology. She is certified by The Menopause Society for Menopause Care (MSCP). Furthermore, Benson serves as the regional medical director for central primary care, overseeing medical group leadership, quality improvement, performance improvement, recruitment, and physician liaison.
Previously, Benson was an obstetrician and gynecologist at Henry County Hospital. She earned an MD in Obstetrics/Gynecology from Indiana University School of Medicine and an undergraduate degree in biology from Xavier University.
10). Jill Shammas
Head of National Government & Strategic Account Teams, UCB
Jill Shammas elevated to the Head of National, Government, and Strategic Accounts in March of 2024. As part of UCB’s redesign to best position their Market Access Team, Jill assumed responsibilities for the various Account Management Teams supporting multiple launches, while improving organizational efficiency and maintaining UCB’s commitment to delivering the highest standard of patient support. Jill and her team are responsible for analyzing healthcare market dynamics and customer data to identify profitable access opportunities while maximizing pull-through programs. Under Jill’s leadership, her team manages 88% of gross product sales across UCB’s worldwide revenue. Jill is also responsible for driving corporate growth initiatives that are centered on transitioning from volume to value by conceptualizing and implementing innovative solutions across the current and expanding customer base.
Jill Shammas elevated to the Head of National Accounts, Innovative Access & Value Partnerships in February of 2021. She was responsible for leading the National Accounts Team, comprised of National Account Directors and National Account Executives that work with the largest National Payers and PBM’s across the U.S. Jill played a pivotal role in executing payer strategies through innovative and customized approaches for different payer types and segments to enable optimal access for patients.
Jill joined UCB in April 2019 as a National Account Lead. She led national account market access efforts, specific to Ascent, Cigna, Express Scripts, Prime Therapeutics, Humana Health Plan, and Kaiser Permanente. Jill & her team secured favorable formulary access for newly approved indications and products including Cimzia for nr-AxSpa and Nayzilam, each within 30 days of launch, while maintaining access for the entire established UCB portfolio. Jill’s team partnered with the ESI SafeGuard Rx team in launching the ‘first’ Epilepsy focused Care Value Program, while also featuring Cimzia within ESI’s Inflammatory Care Value Program. Jill enjoys working cross-functionally with her internal and external customers to improve access & deliver patient-centric solutions. While at UCB, Jill has served as the pricing & access lead for Early Solutions focused on Atopic Dermatitis. She has also completed a pricing and reimbursement project targeting Neurology for UCB’s International Markets. Jill has received various awards & certifications while at UCB including Pinnacle Club, Patient Value Award, Executive Coaching Certification, and an International Access Pricing Certification.
Prior to joining UCB, Jill was a Senior Director of National Accounts at Eli Lilly where she managed Lilly’s client relations and business with Express Scripts. She had a variety of roles during her 18 years at Lilly growing in scope and responsibility. Jill completed Green Belt Certification and held numerous mini kaizens. She received various awards including President’s Council, Lilly Divisional Sales Award, Master Performer, and Coach of the Year.
Jill holds a Pharmacy Doctorate from the University of Southern California as well as a B.S. from the University of Evansville. She is married with two children, Natalia, and Sam.
12). Angelica Jewett
VP, Value Based Solutions, Elevance Health
Angelica Jewett is the Vice President of Value-Based Solutions at Elevance Health. She first joined the company in 2020 as staff VP of enterprise strategy. Elevance Health is a lifetime, trusted health partner fueled by its purpose to improve the health of humanity. Jewett is an executive leader focused on supporting managed care organizations with a demonstrated ability to lead major complex enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, drive innovation, and evaluate strategic partnerships and investments across healthcare themes (consumer, clinical, and growth).
Jewett has extensive experience with government programs, specializing in conducting business opportunity assessments, partnership considerations, leading federal and state government procurements, discussions with regulatory bodies, and planning and managing cross-functional business implications. Her focus is on care delivery transformation through value-based payment models, contracting with innovative providers, and evaluating next-gen operating models to enable innovation.
Previously, Jewett was a director of enterprise strategy, enterprise consulting, and alliances at Blue Cross NC. Before that, she was a director of management and strategy consulting at HealthScape Advisors. Earlier in her career, she worked with Deloitte Tax LLP as an audit and tax consultant. Jewett earned an undergraduate degree in accounting and finance from the University of Illinois Chicago.
View the complete list of awardees.
13). Karen Bodach
Managing Director, Forvis Mazars
Karen Bodach has been a member of Forvis Mazars Technology Consulting practice unit since 2005. After spending roughly 15 years implementing Microsoft products (Axapta 3.0, AX 4.0, AX 2009, AX 2012, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations), she has led the Sage practice (Sage Intacct, Sage 100) since 2019. Bodach has helped the practice achieve Sage Intacct’s President’s Club and Sage’s Platinum Level honors. In addition to team leadership, her role includes software assessments, business process redesign, requirement definition, project management, and client software implementations.
Prior to joining the Technology Consulting team, Bodach was an auditor for the Indianapolis office. Her client base primarily consisted of nonprofit and manufacturing and distribution organizations. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Indiana CPA Society. She is a Microsoft Business Solutions Certified Professional (MBSCP) in Financials. Bodach was selected as a protégé in the SKY Initiative Sponsor-Protégé Program and the Emerging Leaders Academy.
Bodach is a regular speaker at seminars and conferences and has authored articles for Forvis Mazars e-newsletters, the Construction Financial Management Association, and Texas SAE. She is a graduate of Butler University, Indian.
16). Tatijana Narwold
Executive Director, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
Tatijana Narwold's professional journey spans decades of dedicated service to her communities, culminating in her current role as the youngest Executive Director for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. With a rich background in nonprofit work, she has seamlessly blended her expertise in business development, project management, marketing, and communication. Her passion lies in forging connections between companies and organizations to bolster community support. Known for her adeptness in navigating fast-paced environments, Tatijana is a dynamic leader who inspires others to achieve success.
Tatijana commenced her impactful journey in professional nonprofit work as a Community Development Manager for the American Cancer Society, where she managed a diverse portfolio of fundraising events. Recognized for her success, she was promoted to Senior Community Development Manager, Preparing for a Career in Excellence graduate, and CEO’s All Regions Club recipient. Transitioning to the role of Campaign Manager for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man and Woman of the Year campaign, Tatijana led efforts to recruit and mentor community leaders, resulting in the campaign's nationwide #1 ranking within their MSA. Her leadership and team's commitment were pivotal to this achievement.
Tatijana’s commitment to community service began long before her professional nonprofit roles. As a supporter of the Indiana Volunteer Firefighters Association, she represented 62 volunteer fire departments as District 19 Miss Flame, later earning recognition as Indiana State Miss Congeniality and District 19 Global Award winner. Leveraging her connections within first response systems, Tatijana led an autism awareness study spanning from Poland to Indiana, aiming to improve outcomes in emergency response calls. Presently, she continues her community involvement as a member of Indy Dress for Success and as History Chair of the Indianapolis Rotary Club, embodying their motto of "Service Above Self."
19). Meagan Chisholm
Executive Director, The Light for Levi Foundation
Meagan Chisholm is the Executive Director for the Light for Levi Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that serves as a Beacon of Hope to families in need. Based in Zionsville, Indiana, Light for Levi assists organizations and families across the country.
The Light for Levi Foundation was established in 2021, following a life-altering incident in which Meagan’s twin children suffered a near-fatal drowning. Inspired by the overwhelming community support her family received, Chisholm founded LFLF to aid families facing similar challenges. The foundation offers two main programs: a $3,500 grant for children with brain injuries and the Beacon Bag program, which provides essential items to families during hospital stays. Looking ahead, LFLF aims to launch a water safety awareness program for schools.
As the Executive Director, Chisholm leads the foundation's vision and growth. Her passion for community service drives her efforts to forge significant corporate partnerships, thereby enhancing the foundation's fundraising initiatives. Her professional background includes extensive experience in sales, management, and national account growth with Fortune 500 companies. Before establishing LFLF, Chisholm worked with Careforth, focusing on community outreach and providing resources to caregivers.
In addition to her volunteer efforts for LFLF, Meagan is a dedicated wife and mother of four. She blogs about her family's journey, sharing personal stories on the Facebook page "Light for Levi and Lainey," which she hopes will serve a deeper look into the life of a special needs family and be an inspiration to all who read it. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications from Indiana University, where she was an active member of Chi Omega.
21). Lakeesha Smith
VP, Sales, Cassling
Lakeesha Smith is the Vice President of Sales at Cassling. She joined the team in 2024. Cassling strengthens community healthcare through customer-centric imaging and therapeutic technology, services, and solutions. From critical access hospitals and diagnostic imaging centers to large health systems and IDNs, Cassling is committed to helping healthcare organizations improve access and outcomes, create efficiencies, and lower costs.
Smith is a results-oriented, successful business-to-business sales professional in the diagnostic and pharmaceutical industry. With progressive experience as a sales representative, sales manager, and in sales training and marketing, she is accomplished in people leadership, project management, and competitive and corporate training. She can influence thought leaders, work effectively as a team leader and individual contributor, and build sales methodology based on the needs of the organization. She consistently delivers positive and timely results.
Previously, Smith was an area vice president of sales-north America and point of care at Siemens Healthineers. Before that, she was a regional business manager at Roche. Earlier in her career, she worked with Procter & Gamble as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Smith earned an undergraduate degree in English from Wittenberg University.
22). Kimberly Hurd
Executive VP, Property Management, KCG Companies
Kimberly Hurd is the Executive Vice President of Property Management for KCG Companies, where she is responsible for the long-term growth, strategic direction, and oversight of all operations for the company’s property portfolio. Since its founding in 2015, KCG has grown to national recognition through its portfolio of nearly 4200 multifamily rental housing units spanning eight states. With over 25 years of experience in the residential property management industry, Hurd is skilled in maximizing value, improving portfolio performance, and increasing bottom-line profitability. She has experience in conventional multifamily, workforce and affordable housing, new construction luxury lease-ups, mixed-use developments, purpose-built student housing, and troubled asset turnaround.
Before KCG, Hurd worked for 13 years at Buckingham Companies in marketing and professional development leadership roles and later launched Milhaus Property Management, LLC, as the senior director of residential services. Most recently, she was responsible for the operational success of Sundance Property Management, a 7,000-unit, third-party fee management company with communities in seven states. Hurd is passionate about the residential property management industry and regularly gives back through her time and talent. She is a volunteer instructor and guest speaker for several area apartment associations, a frequent Apartmentalize (NAA Education Conference) speaker, an NAAEI faculty member, and a recurring presenter of the Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) designation program. She has also chaired several committees at the national level.
Hurd earned her bachelor's degree from Franklin College and attained her NALP, CAM, and CAPS designations from the National Apartment Association’s Education Institute (NAAEI). She is a graduate of the National Apartment Association Leadership Lyceum and currently serves as President of the NAAEI Board of Directors.
25). Danielle Dillard
VP, Finance & Operations, WSI
Danielle Dillard is Vice President of Finance and Operations for WSI Technologies, a technology provider of critical recording services in law enforcement, emergency dispatch, and child advocacy. Their products and services enable agency compliance and accountability across the globe. As a strategic and operational leader, she and her team are passionate about delivering solutions that have a profound and direct impact on public safety for millions of people across the communities they serve.
Danielle has over 20 years of experience across a range of industries, including food, consumer products, building materials, and technology. Her career advancement and professional successes have included leadership roles with increasing responsibility within Fortune 500 companies Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Owens Corning. Her roles have spanned across sales, marketing, international treasury, capital strategy, and operations. Defining moments in her career have included multi-million-dollar transformation mandates, including the establishment of the world's largest tempeh facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her strategic insight, financial leadership, and operational management experience were instrumental in delivering the project on time and under budget. Danielle loves the challenge of bringing groups together to develop winning solutions for the business and customer through process improvements, and IT-based solutions. Her leadership has been described as confident, analytical, balanced, and heartfelt.
Danielle holds an MBA from The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, and an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.
26). Yolanda Taylor
Head of Medical Writing, Boehringer-Ingelheim
Yolanda Taylor is the Head of Medical Writing at Boehringer-Ingelheim. She first joined the company in 2019. C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. As of 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and the largest private one.
Taylor is a highly experienced senior leader with a demonstrated history of leading large teams within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. She is skilled in medical affairs leadership, medical writing leadership, oncology, clinical development leadership, Six Sigma, budget management, cross-functional strategy, and Good Clinical Practice (GCP).
Previously, Taylor was a senior director of regulatory affairs medical writing at Medpace. Before that, she was a director of scientific communications commercialization capabilities at Eli Lilly and Company. Taylor earned a PharmD in Pharmacy and an undergraduate degree in biology from The University of Kansas.
View the complete list of awardees.
27). Tonya Combs
Senior VP, General Patent Counsel, Eli Lilly & Company
Tonya Combs serves as Senior Vice President and General Patent Counsel, where she advises senior leaders at Eli Lilly and Company on IP strategy. Lilly is a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world. They've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly 150 years, and today their medicines help more than 51 million people across the globe.
Combs has the good fortune to lead a group of talented and experienced patent attorneys and professionals responsible for global patent and trademark procurement (drafting and prosecuting), maintenance, and enforcement aspects for Lilly. In addition, she and her team assess third-party patents for potential impact on Lilly’s development efforts and value in business due diligence. Combs started her career at Lilly as a chemical engineer in research and development with responsibility for optimizing scale-up production of clinical trial material. She’s held several positions of increasing responsibility in Lilly Legal, focusing on patent preparation and prosecution, multi-jurisdictional patent litigation, brand support, trade secret protection and enforcement, general counsel for the oncology business unit, and others.
Combs joined Lilly Research Labs in 2001 after receiving a BS in Chemical Engineering from RoseHulman Inst. of Tech. She received a JD, summa cum laude, from Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2006. She currently sits on the IPO Board of Directors and was newly appointed to the Executive Committee. She previously served as the co-chair and board liaison to IPO’s Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Issues Committee (and is a former co-chair), and is active in AIPLA, where she was named a Woman to Watch in January 2019. Combs also serves on the boards of Butler University, RoseHulman Institute of Technology, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and the Foundation for Advancement of Diversity in IP Law.
28). Justin Phillips
Chief Executive Officer, Overdose Lifeline
Justin Phillips, MA and White House Champion of Change for Advocacy, Prevention, and Treatment is the Founder and Executive Director of Overdose Lifeline, Inc. (ODL) Based in Indiana, ODL is a non-profit dedicated to reducing the stigma of substance use disorder and preventing deaths resulting from opioid overdose. Operating statewide, ODL addresses the opioid public health crisis through subject matter expertise, education, advocacy, and support for affected families.
In 2013 Justin lost her middle child Aaron Sims to a preventable drug overdose death and since then has dedicated her life to creating awareness that can save other lives through the work of ODL. In 2015 she tirelessly worked to pass Aaron’s Law, named after her son, that allows for over-the-counter access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone (Narcan). Prior to ODL, Justin spent most of her career in public health and the prevention of unintentional injury and death to children and is still active in providing counseling services. Justin holds a Master’s in Clinical Addiction Counseling from Indiana Wesleyan University and a Master’s degree in philanthropic studies and nonprofit management from Indiana University.
Justin is a featured speaker on the national, regional, and local circuit sharing about the national opioid health crisis. Justin has received the Fairbanks Circle of Hope Award, the Drug-Free Marion County Parent Advocate of the Year Award, and the Indiana Jefferson Award. The Indiana State Health Commissioner awarded Justin the Excellence in Public Health Award and in 2017 Justin testified before President Trump’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction. In 2021 Justin spoke on two separate occasions to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In 2024 Justin was named USA Today’s Indiana Woman of the Year.
30). Mitzi Wasik
VP, Government Programs Quality & Stars Experience, Optum
Mitzi Wasik is the Vice President of Government Programs Quality and Stars Experience of Optum. She first joined the company in 2022. Optum is a health services and innovation company on a mission to help people live healthier lives and to help make the health system work better for everyone. Optum, part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses, is powering modern healthcare by connecting and serving the whole health system across 150 countries.
Before her role at Optum, Wasik was the VP of product and platform strategy at SS&C Technologies and the division head of the Integrated Business Unit CVS Health. Prior to that, she served as president of AMCP for over three years. Other roles included multiple leadership and director-level positions at Aetna and Coventry Healthcare. Early in her career, she worked in academics as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and an assistant professor at Ferris State University.
For the first 10 years of her career, Wasik served as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve. She earned an MBA in Health/Health Care Administration/Management from the University of Southern Indiana and an RPh & PharmD and undergraduate degree from Midwestern University.
31). Tiffany Obrecht
President, Blank Page Marketing, LLC
Tiffany Obrecht is the President at Blank Page Marketing, LLC, where she brings experience and ideation to the agriculture industry. A woman-owned small business, Blank Page Marketing, LLC is an all-agriculture agency based in Indianapolis. With a team of ag-centric agency veterans, BLNKPG has a passion for agriculture and sharing the stories that help support both its legacy and growth. Developed with a client-partnership mentality, BLNKPG is dedicated to driving results based on fresh ideas. An Iowa native and Iowa State grad, Tiffany is a fifth-generation Aggie. For 20+ years, she has been using that ag passion to lead communications in various roles within organizations and agencies alike. Dedicated to strategic thinking and driven by creative problem-solving, Tiffany hung her own placard in 2017. BLNKPG was developed after seeing a need for highly engaged marketing support with smaller marketing teams and unique, intentional marketing solutions.
Prior to this role, Obrecht served as a senior VP of account management and business development at Sandbox Advertising Inc., where Obrecht assessed client objectives, developed budgets, and managed office operations. With previous experience at McCormick Company, Indiana Farm Bureau, and Global Vet Link, she has a strong background in account work, policy development, and project management.
Obrecht holds a BS in Public Service and Administration in Agriculture from Iowa State University.
34). Shelley West
President, Civil Supply Company WBE/DBE
Shelley West is the President of Civil Supply Company WBE/DBE. Civil Supply is proud to be a woman-owned and operated business and is WBE certified.
As the owner and operator of Civil Supply, West has 18 years of experience in soil erosion control and is well-versed in drainage and construction technology. Prior to becoming a founder, her professional experience included serving Utility Pipe Sales, Inc. as the chief financial officer.
West possesses a diverse range of skills, including industry knowledge, account management, business analysis, service quality, sales and marketing, human resources, auditing, accounting, record of success, business development, and financial analysis. She earned a degree in accounting from the University of Southern Indiana.
37). Rachael Coverdale
President, Coverdale Consulting
Rachael Coverdale is the Founder and President of Coverdale Consulting. Founded in 2015, Coverdale Consulting is a WBE-certified, full-service marketing agency that specializes in strategic and creative solutions, including public relations, digital advertising, email campaigns, messaging, branding, and design.
Coverdale has over 20 years of experience in strategic communications and marketing. She thrives on integrating cutting-edge marketing and company culture strategies into her business. Her personal life is enriched by a love of reading business books and connecting with creative minds. She is equally passionate about mentoring other women and empowering them to excel in their careers.
Coverdale’s areas of expertise include strategic marketing, business strategy, company culture, and communications.
39). Dawn Moore
VP & Chief Pharmacy Officer, Community Health Network
Dawn Moore is the Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Community Health Network in Indianapolis, Indiana, and an affiliate assistant professor at Purdue University and Butler University. The Community Health Network was created 60 years ago by their neighbors, for their neighbors.
At Community Health Network, Moore oversees the strategic, administrative, and operational initiatives of the pharmacy enterprise's nine-hospital, 1,230-bed health system with over 200 sites of care, encompassing inpatient, retail, specialty, ambulatory care pharmacy, homecare, and infusion pharmacy services. With over 22 years of experience leading hospital and health-system pharmacies, she is skilled at driving quality and safety in patient care, optimizing medication revenue integrity, decreasing drug costs and inappropriate utilization, and expanding and implementing new practices.
Moore is a member of the ASHP Pharmacy Executive Leadership Alliance and has served as a member of the ASHP Task Force on Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; ASHP Multi-Hospital Health-System Pharmacy Executive Committee; ASHP Women in Pharmacy Leadership Steering Committee; ASHP Council on Pharmacy Management; and as adjunct faculty to the ASHP Foundation Pharmacy Leadership Academy. In addition to her leadership within ASHP, she leads in her community as a board member of the Indianapolis Coalition for Patient Safety; a member of the Indiana Healthcare Executives Network, and served as president of the Indiana Pharmacy Association. Her passion for addressing health disparities cultivated her interest as a board member and chair of the Martin Center for Sickle Cell Initiative. Nationally, she served as a member of, the Vizient Purchasing Council and as a founding member of the Advisory Board Pharmacy Executive Forum.
View the complete list of awardees.
40). Leah Wilson
Executive Director, Stand For Health Freedom
Leah Wilson is the Executive Director and Co-founder of Stand For Health Freedom. Stand for Health Freedom (SHF) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization dedicated to informing and activating a grassroots movement to protect our health and our families.
Wilson is passionate about children’s health and has researched and worked on child welfare issues for more than a decade. She closed her law practice in 2019 to start SHF to promote parental rights, informed consent, and other tenets of health freedom.
Wilson is knowledgeable about how to join the movement. She understands the importance of grassroots activism and the dangers posed by the rise in censorship of our freedom. She is aware of the threats that School-based health centers pose to health freedom. Wilson advocates for the necessity of voting for health freedom through the Vote for Health Freedom initiative. She is an expert in health freedom policies. Her other interests include distance running, trail running, gardening, all things parenting, and all things natural health.
43). Laura Rector
Managing Partner, Vital: Growth Through Strategy
Laura Rector is a Managing Partner at Vital: Growth Through Strategy. At Vital, they are more than consultants. They firmly believe that every business has the potential to achieve greatness, regardless of size or industry. In this role, Rector helps businesses improve, expand and grow in healthcare medical device, digital health, and life sciences sectors by building strategic excellence and execution.
With over 30 years of experience in B2B and B2C marketing and strategy, Rector helps clients drive growth by creating connected strategies, solving complex problems, developing new markets, building storytelling brands and flawlessly launching innovative products and services. Additionally, she serves as a fractional chief marketing officer or chief strategy officer for companies in need of a temporary leadership boost by offering experienced, fresh eyes, strategic direction, and hands-on execution support. Before starting Vital: Growth Through Strategy, Rector was a Chief Marketing Officer at TMRW Life Sciences. Before that, she served as General Manager, of Smith & Nephew’s Digital Health and Ambulatory Surgery Center business. Earlier in her career, she was 16-year veteran at Johnson & Johnson, leading as the developer of, and Sales and Marketing, Executive Director of its Bariatric Surgery franchise. Over the years, she has honed an approach that drives exponential growth by quickly assessing what is working and what is not working, and then building highly executable strategies that impact growth in real time.
Rector graduated from Kennesaw State University’s Michael J. Coles College of Business with an MBA in International Marketing and from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business with an undergraduate degree in business administration, and marketing.
46). Meagan Burton-Krieger
Executive Director, Campaign Operations & Institute Strategic Priorities, Georgia Institute of Technology
Meagan Burton-Krieger is the executive director of campaign operations and institute strategic priorities on Georgia Tech’s Development senior leadership team.
Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Meagan was responsible for the strategic direction and major gift fundraising efforts to build a new Sciences Complex and expand
academic fundraising at Butler University as lead development officer for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Provost. Before joining the successful Butler Beyond campaign efforts, Meagan served as chief of staff to the president and liaison to the board of trustees, and director of donor relations at Butler. She started her career at Vanderbilt University, where she served as assistant director of development for the Divinity School and later became the inaugural director of annual giving stewardship.
She holds a BA in sociology and religious studies from Albion College, where she served as a board of trustee member; a MEd in higher education administration and student affairs from the University of Vermont; and an EdD in higher education leadership and policy from Vanderbilt University. As a practicing scholar, Meagan’s research interests include higher education history and future models of post-secondary education, university presidential leadership and governance, student retention, and the role of philanthropy and policy in the evolution of our higher education systems and student experiences and outcomes.
50). Ann Lathrop
Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) & Member of Governor Holcomb's Cabinet, Indiana Economic Development Corporation
Ann Lathrop, Chief Strategy Officer for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), joined the IEDC in November 2021 and was appointed to join Governor Eric J. Holcomb’s cabinet in August 2023. IEDC is charged with growing the State economy, driving economic development, and helping businesses launch, grow, and locate in the state. In her role, Lathrop oversees Indiana’s integrated approach to business development, aligning external engagement, workforce, business development, foreign direct investment, federal engagement, government-to-government relations, defense, foreign policy, and trade to meet the needs and speed of the market.
With a rich professional history spanning more than 30 years, Lathrop brings a wealth of diverse experience to her role at IEDC. Her extensive expertise encompasses business development, sales, finance, marketing, and brand management. Notably, she served as Crowe's pioneering chief marketing officer, where she orchestrated marketing and brand strategies and realigned the inside sales team. Lathrop's journey began as an auditor with KPMG, progressing to her pivotal position as deputy mayor of Indianapolis and subsequently as city controller. Before joining Crowe, she flourished as vice president of business development at ACS Inc./Lockheed Martin/Netgov.com.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Lathrop has made impactful contributions to the state by participating on various boards. She serves as an Executive Committee member at Visit Indy and previously served as Board President of the Indiana Youth Institute. Lathrop graduated from San Diego State University.
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