For Newt Crenshaw, vice president of oncology at Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, helping people has been the passion driving his career.
The Newburgh, Indiana, native and Castle High School graduate studied economics and mathematics at DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, before he was hired in at Eli Lilly. It was his work as an intern for the pharmaceutical giant, he says, that opened the door to start his 31-year career with Lilly, where he’s served in various roles.
“I knew I wanted to go into business,” says Crenshaw. “The good thing about sales is you are able to understand your customers and what their needs are. I think that’s very important.”
During his years at Eli Lilly, Crenshaw has filled a variety of roles for the company, including running two of Lilly’s largest business units in the U.S. and serving five years as the president and general manager for Eli Lilly’s Japan operations.
“Probably the most unique and memorable experience (at Eli Lilly was) spending five years in Japan … and where I had responsibility for all of our sales marketing, medical, manufacturing, and our research and development,” he says. “That was quite an interesting cross-culture experience as well as business experience.”
Now, Crenshaw and his wife Susan are planning to start a new venture. In April he accepted the position of president with Young Life, a Christian ministry that reaches out to middle and high school, and college-aged students in the U.S. and more than 100 countries around the world. It’s an organization Crenshaw has been familiar with since his youth.
“I’ve been involved with Young Life for longer than I’ve been with Lilly,” he says. “As I graduated Castle High School in the summer of 1981, my mom and dad began to explore getting Young Life started in Newburgh.”
The Crenshaw family has a “real heritage and legacy” with the ministry, he adds. Following the work of his parents, Crenshaw and his wife have served as volunteer leaders, were the founding committee chairs for Young Life in Zionsville, Indiana, and started a Young Life ministry in the Kansai region of Japan during their time living there.
“I’m excited about serving the Young Life staff as the leader of the organization, as they are out there caring for kids and loving them by sharing the gospel. That for me is a real high calling,” says Crenshaw.
For more information about local Young Life ministries in the Tri-State, visit younglife.org.
