BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Top of the Class
Signature School ranks high on U.S. News & World Report
By Jodi Keen
Signature School has retained its spots atop U.S. News & World Report’s annual lists of top-ranked public high schools. Released Aug. 18, the lists rank Signature at No. 2 nationally — its fourth straight year at that spot — No. 1 in Indiana, and No. 1 in U.S. charter schools.
“It’s firing on all cylinders,” says LaMmont Jones Jr., managing editor of education for U.S. News & World Report. “On all the metrics we use when we rank public high schools, they’re doing literally all the right things. It’s a huge feather in the cap.”
The institution has ranked high on the national education report’s lists since 2008, six years after it opened as Indiana’s first public charter school. “It’s a terrific validation of the commitment and hard work of our teachers and staff, students, and families,” Signature School Executive Director Jean Hitchcock says. “As a school with a deep connection to the wider Evansville community, we are excited to help put the city on the map on the national level.”
Other area high schools that made the national list are Castle in Newburgh (1,509), North (2,228), Central (3,449), F.J. Reitz (4,209), New Tech Institute (4,259), Harrison (6,240), Boonville (8,128), and Benjamin Bosse (11,375).
NEW HIRES/PROMOTIONS
Anne McKim, whom YWCA Evansville honored as a Woman on a Mission in 2020, has been named the organization’s next CEO. She most recently served 13 years as Executive Director of the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana and has held leadership roles with the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Foundation, Haynie’s Corner Arts District Association, Mayor’s Public Art Commission, and Indiana Arts Commission’s Regional Arts Partnership. McKim succeeds Erika Taylor, who this summer accepted the position of Vice President of Member Services at YWCA USA after 15 years with the organization’s Evansville chapter.
Mayor Stephanie Terry has been appointed Chief Local Elected Official of the Southwest Indiana Workforce. In this role, Terry and other regional elected leaders guide SWIN Workforce’s strategic direction and advance initiatives to strengthen the regional workforce. The mayor’s office also appointed Gabrielle Miller its Community Affairs & Special Projects Director. Miller’s decade of experience includes serving as an adjunct professor at Ivy Tech Community College, working with underserved communities in the Warrick and Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporations, and aiding in the construction and implementation of a mental health clinic in Costa Rica through the JD Sheth Foundation.
Explore Evansville has welcomed new Marketing Manager Morgan Howard and promoted Collin Dame to Director of Marketing and Development. Howard, a 2020 Boonville High School and 2026 Ivy Tech Community College alumna, honed her skills as a graphic design intern at Sprout Design before joining the city’s convention and visitors bureau in July. Dame spent more than two years as Explore Evansville’s marketing and communications manager before assuming his new role in June.
John Greaney succeeded Martha Ahlers as President of United Leasing & Finance on Aug. 1. Greaney joined the company in 2025 as Chief Operating Officer after serving as Vice President of Operations at Ascension St. Vincent Evansville. The company in August also welcomed new Vice President of Business Development Mark Engels, who spent two years at Northpoint Commercial Finance and 12 years with DLL before joining United.
Hafer has made several new hires. Project coordinator Tricia Feller has 25 years of experience in construction administration and sits on the Vanderburgh 4-H Center board of directors. Electrical engineer Emily Nunn is a graduate of Saint Louis University in Missouri. Interior designer Erin Moore holds a degree from Indiana University and brings nearly three decades of experience to the architectural firm.
University of Evansville President Christopher Pietruszkiewicz has been named chair of the Missouri Valley Conference Presidents Council, where he’ll help guide strategic direction for the 11-member MVC during a two-year term that began July 1. The University also invested Kristy K. Miller as the Barbara J. Kolb Price Endowed Chair in Chemistry on July 1. Miller also serves as Associate Provost for Student Success and Academic Excellence and Professor and Chair of the Robert and Judy Decker Wargel Department of Chemistry.
Rexing Companies President and CEO Dylan Rexing has been appointed to a three-year term on Ivy Tech Community College’s Evansville campus board of trustees, where he represents the logistics and agriculture sectors. The fifth-generation farmer’s family business spans logistics, cold storage, agriculture, and real estate. Eddie Burkel, a second-year supply chain and logistics student from Bolingbrook, Illinois, was selected as one of two student representatives on the community college’s state board of trustees for the 2026-27 academic year.
Riverside Capital Management Group has added Katlyn French as Operations Assistant. The F.J. Reitz High School graduate will focus on delivering high-quality client service at the Downtown financial and investment planning firm.
AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS/MILESTONES
Two local businesses were among 34 legacy organizations honored Aug. 17 by Gov. Mike Braun for their contributions to Indiana communities. 2026 Century Award honorees included 160-year-old office supplier Smith & Butterfield, while accounting firm Harding, Shymanski & Company received a 2026 Half Century Award.
Mary Bower and the late Sister Mary Stella Simpson were honored by YWCA Evansville and Women Stepping Up Evansville at the 22nd Annual Women’s Equality Day Luncheon on Aug. 26. Bower, the Emeritus Executive Director of the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, received the Inspirational Leader Award, while Simpson, who passed away in 2004, was honored as a Legacy Leader for pioneering family-centered maternity care practices that influenced hospitals nationwide.
Attorney Mark Foster of Foster, O’Daniel, Hambidge & Lynch, LLP, was selected by his peers for the 33rd Edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work on DUI/ DWI defenses. The Indiana University law graduate started his career in the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office before becoming a Vanderburgh Superior Court magistrate. He left the bench in 1987 to focus on private practice. He also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Evansville from 1984-92.
Jim Morley Sr. was recognized by The Buffalo Trace Council of the Boy Scouts of America as its 2026 Distinguished Citizen on Aug. 13. The Morley & Associates founder and longtime Scout leader served three terms as president of the Buffalo Trace Council. Grant Reigelman also was named the council’s Scout Executive, succeeding John Harding, who retired in April after 39 years with Scouting America. Reigelman’s 16-year Scouting career includes serving as the Assistant Scout Executive of the Mid-Iowa Council in Des Moines.
The University of Evansville has received a $1 million gift from Randall and Cheryl Alsman, a majority of which went to the Strategic Reserves Fund, used to strengthen the university’s finances, ability to pursue future opportunities, and tackle any challenges. The rest was directed to the UEvansville Fund to enhance student experiences with scholarships, academic support, faculty resources, and more. UE’s Emily M. Young Mental Health Clinic received a $25,000 grant from Colts Kicking The Stigma to fund its Mental Health Access Program to reduce financial barriers for individuals and families. United Way of Southwestern Indiana also gave the mental health clinic a $25,000 grant through the Pathways to Potential initiative.
CenterPoint Energy has awarded up to $25,000 each in matching grants to 13 local nonprofits: Ark Crisis Children’s Center, Community Action Program of Evansville, Encountering Hope Ministries, Inc., Evansville Christian Life Center, Holly’s House, Joshua Academy Charter School, Lampion Center, The Potter’s Wheel, Reitz Home Preservation Society, Salvation Army of Evansville, Tri-State Food Bank, Vanderburgh County CASA, and Vanderburgh Humane Society. The grants will fund facility improvements such as HVAC replacements, lighting upgrades, and enhanced energy efficiency.
The State of Indiana’s READI 2.0 Arts & Culture Initiative has announced funding for two regional projects. The Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville received $1.5 million for the Evansville Family Arts Corridors & Regional Creative Learning Initiative, which expands programming through interactive sidewalk murals, outdoor music experiences, and a rooftop cultural space. The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science received $310,000 to redesign its riverfront sculpture garden.
The D-Patrick family of auto dealerships has made several donations, including $1,500 to Hangers and $1,250 to Tri-State Food Bank by D-Patrick Honda; $1,000 to the Evansville Children’s Choir by D-Patrick Nissan; $2,500 each to Keep Evansville Beautiful and Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden by D-Patrick Ford/Lincoln; and $1,000 each to Southern Indiana Resource Solutions, Warrick County Community Foundation, and Warrick County Chamber of Commerce by D-Patrick Boonville Ford.
The City of Evansville has awarded $500,000 in Forward Together GO Grants to 35 organizations: $25,000 to Echo Housing Corporation, HOPE of Evansville, Vanderburgh County Health Department’s Environmental Division, and YWCA Evansville; $22,000 to Youth First; $20,000 to Aurora, Community Action Program of Evansville (CAPE), and Dream Center; $18,000 to YMCA of Southwestern Indiana; $17,500 to Carver Community Organization; $17,400 to Habitat for Humanity of Evansville; $16,500 to Boys & Girls Club of Evansville; $16,000 to Holly’s House; $15,200 to Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana; $15,000 to Autism Everyone, D.T.E.A.M. Inc., Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Foundation, JD Sheth Foundation, Mother’s Holdin It Down, and Youth Resources of Southwestern Indiana; $12,000 to Hospitality and Outreach for Latin Americans (HOLA); $10,000 to Ark Crisis Children’s Center, Evansville African American Museum, Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, Greater Hope Christian Church, Haitian Center of Evansville, University of Evansville Dance Program, Vanderburgh County CASA, and WNIN; $9,100 to The Potter’s Wheel; $6,500 to St. Vincent de Paul; $5,800 to Ozanam Family Shelter; $5,000 to the Immigrant Welcome & Resource Center and Eight12 Run Club; and $4,000 to Southwestern Indiana Regional Council on Aging (SWIRCA & More).
GROWTH/DEVELOPMENT
Denver, Colorado-based architecture and engineering firm Galloway & Company LLC has acquired Hafer. In a Sept. 9 press release, Galloway officials stated their intent to build on the architecture, interior design, and MEP engineering firm’s nearly 50-year legacy in the Tri-State with additional resources, expanded multidisciplinary capabilities, and new opportunities for employees and clients. Hafer has indicated it will continue operations at its offices in Evansville; Owensboro, Kentucky; Carbondale, Illinois; and Columbus, Ohio.
The City of Evansville has unveiled plans to power 15-17 municipal facilities with renewable energy over the next four years, a project expected to reduce electricity costs by up to 50-60 percent over the systems’ 25-year lifespan. The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility will front the initial $6.5 million cost, which the city will reimburse over six years using federal clean energy tax credits. The project supports the city’s 2025 Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will power major facilities such as Swonder Ice Arena, Deaconess Aquatic Center, and Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden’s Amazonia section.
CLOSINGS/REDUCTIONS
Southwest Indiana Recovery and Engagement is transitioning its recovery and reentry support services to Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare. Officials for SWIRE, which launched in 2025 at the Vanderburgh County Detainment Center, say putting the programs under Southwestern’s operation gives them greater clinical resources, operational support, and long-term sustainability.
REGIONAL
Ports of Indiana’s Mount Vernon Megasite has earned a silver designation through the Site Selectors Guild. The nationwide Readiness Evaluation for Development and Investment program evaluated the 544-acre property on utilities, ownership and entitlements, environmental, ease of development, and logistics. The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership pursued the designation in partnership with the Ports, OmniTRAX, CenterPoint Energy, and other regional entities.
