NEW HIRES/PROMOTIONS
Ariah Learyย has joined Mayor Stephanie Terryโs administration as its community affairs and special projects director. The Evansville native is a public health graduate from Indiana State University and most recently served as director of 21st Century programs at the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana.
Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science has appointed Jennifer Evans as the new John Streetman Executive Director, effective July 22. She succeeds the retiring Mary Bower. Evans most recently was a major gifts/ planned giving officer at WNIN Tri-State Public Media and earlier was director of development with Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden.
Amy Fisher has been selected as director of University Budgeting at the University of Southern Indiana. The USI alumna previously served as controller for JL Equipment/H&R Agri-Power in Poseyville, Indiana, and, prior to that, she held a variety of roles at USI. David Henriques has been selected as USIโs new executive director for student success. Henriques served as an assistant professor in the Department of Academic Advisement and Student Development at Millersville University in Millersville, Pennsylvania. USI also announced that Gov. Eric Holcomb has appointed two new members to the Board of Trustees โ Toyota Indiana President Tim Hollander and Wayne Kinney, the owner of JWK Management Group in Evansville. Both have four-year terms on the board through June 30, 2028. Holcomb also appointed Samantha Fleischaker, a USI political science and philosophy major, to a two-year term as the student member on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. USI also has a new head baseball coach. Chris Ramirez, who most recently held the same position with Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, and earlier at the University of Illinois Springfield, succeeds Tracy Archuleta, who left for Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Ramirez has a 351-202-1 record in 11 seasons of college baseball coaching.
Longtime Evansville real estate agent Scott Hyatt has joined NAI Prime Commercial as a senior adviser and partner. His brokerage areas for the Evansville-based chapter of the global commercial real estate firm will include the Evansville and Henderson and Owensboro, Kentucky, markets.
Ivy Tech Community College Evansville has hired Rebecca McQueen-Ruark as assistant vice chancellor of student affairs, a new position at the college. McQueen-Ruark most recently was vice president of student affairs and dean of students at Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Kentucky.
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Working Together
House of Bread and Peace moves under the umbrella of ECHO Housing
By Maggie Valenti
In January, ECHO Housing and Community Development and the House of Bread and Peace entered an interim management agreement. After many discussions, both agency boards agreed that a merger aligned with ECHOโs mission while preserving the legacy of Sister Joanna Trainor, who began HBP. That formal merger was completed at the end of May.
According to Savannah Wood, CEO of ECHO Housing and Community Development, the effects of changes in staff and leadership on the homeless women served by HBP had to be considered, especially after HBPโs executive director Shelbie Auberry left in December 2023.
โWhen trust, relationships, and rapport are built, we do whatever we can to maintain those relationships while trying to avoid retraumatizing those we serve who sometimes struggle with feelings of abandonment and lack of trust,โ Wood says.
The HBP is no longer a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the Secretary of State. Nothing else will change, Wood says, though HBP is looking to the future by putting the women it serves on the path to permanent housing and homeownership.
โTo keep The House sustainable, we had to develop a long-term operations and service strategy,โ she says.
AstraZeneca has promoted Eric Watkins to Mount Vernon Formulation PET lead and the Site Leadership Team. Watkins previously was Formulation PET associate director for eight years.
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation has announced three new principal hires: Shannon Strieter at Oak Hill Elementary School, Tera Babb at Delaware Elementary School, and Erin Seibert at Vogel Elementary School. EVSC also has named Toni Hamilton its chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer and promoted Michelle Williams to the role of chief human resources officer.
Ziemer Funeral Home has welcomed Marley Stratman as its new advanced planning counselor. The 2012 Reitz Memorial High School graduate has a bachelorโs degree in elementary education from Indiana University and joins Ziemer after 12 years teaching at schools in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Saint Louis, Missouri.
Pettinga Financial Advisors LLC has made three recent hires. Sandra Leibering has joined the firm as its Director of First Impressions, following Diane Fischerโs retirement. The Evansville native and Ivy Tech Community College graduate has worked in the business and information technology fields for 13 years. Jenny Scales has returned to Pettinga as a client service associate. The University of Southern Indiana alumna has more than 20 years of experience within the communications industry as well as the financial sector. Anna Palmer has been hired as a client service associate. The Kansas native has called Evansville home for 11 years and has an elementary education degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.
ECHO Housing and Community Development has made several new hires. Adam Commens and Larry Newell will be part of the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program. Commens, a U.S. Army veteran who most recently worked for the Dubois County Drug Court, will serve as HVRP coordinator. Newell, an Illinois native and U.S. Air Force veteran, will work as a veteran navigator. Merrick Korach, a co-founder of Bedford Collab, has been hired as ECHOโs community development director
Atlas Van Lines has hired Lauren Piekos as its new vice president of business development. She replaces Mary Beth Johnson, who retired in June after 42 years at the Evansville transportation company. Piekos previously worked as a strategic accounts director at Berry Global and holds an MBA from USI.
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Hall of Famer
WIKY’s Dennis John Bailey headed to the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame
By Maggie Valenti
When Dennis Jon Bailey, cohost of WIKYโs Morning Show, learned in June that he would be inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame, he felt โdeeply honored, but very surprised,โ he says. โIโve been inducted with people who I highly respect. Iโm honored that my name is included alongside them.โ
This yearโs five inductees will be honored at a luncheon on Sept. 10 in Fishers, Indiana.
The Fort Knox, Kentucky, nativeโs talents have been recognized before during his 50-year career, the last 20 of which have been with WIKY. The National Association of Broadcasters honored Bailey and his Morning Show co-host, Diane Douglas, with the Marconi Radio Award for Small Market Personality of the Year in 2011. They also won Best Personality at the 2019 Indiana Broadcasters Association Spectrum Awards.
โI firmly believe my induction stems more from my work in Evansville than anywhere else โฆ WIKY and the people of Evansville have made it amazing,โ Bailey adds.
DEPARTURES
Diane Fischer has retired as director of first impressions at Pettinga Financial Advisors. For more than 13 years, Fischer was the first person who greeted guests and employees arriving at Pettinga, which gave her a unique opportunity to influence the firmโs culture.
USI President Ron Rochon has left the Tri-State after accepting a position as president of California State University, Fullerton. Rochon was appointed the head of USI in 2018 after serving eight years as the schoolโs provost. Steven Bridges, a 35-year employee and veteran administrator at USI, has been named the institutionโs interim president by its Board of Trustees while the university conducts a search for its fifth president. The Womenโs Hospital CEO Christina Ryan will chair the committee.
Rick Emmons, sign shop manager and the artist behind many iconic Holiday World & Splashinโ Safari murals and logos, has retired. Emmons worked for the Santa Claus, Indiana, park for 52 years.
Longtime WEHT/WTVW news anchor Brad Byrd has retired. The Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning reporter worked for 46 years at WEHT-TV, becoming one of the stateโs youngest weekday anchors at age 26 in 1978. The Muncie, Indiana, native was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame in 2005.
AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS
For the third straight year, the University of Evansville was named to the 2024 Transfer Honor Roll by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for its support of transfer students as they enroll and work to complete their education. UE was one of 228 colleges and universities to make the list of nearly 900 that were considered.
American Airlines announced that its team at Evansville Regional Airport received a Customer Cup award, recognizing outstanding customer experience, for the first quarter of 2023. The team also was awarded the Customer Cup in the third quarter of 2023. EVVโs American Airlines service is operated by subsidiary airline Envoy Air.
The USI Foundation Board of Directors has named 1972 graduate Robert W. Swan the recipient of the 2024 Suzanne A. Nicholson Leadership Award. Swam is a former university trustee and sits on the schoolโs Romain College of Business board of advisors. He also served as a director of the USI Foundation Board for 34 years. He is a prior recipient of the universityโs Alumni Service and Distinguished Alumni awards.
The D-Patrick family of automotive dealerships has made recent donations. D-Patrick Ford/Lincoln presented $2,500 to Colon Screening for Life, a nonprofit which provides education on the importance of early detection of colon cancer. D-Patrick Boonville Ford contributed $1,000 to Southern Indiana Resource Solutions, which supports individuals with disabilities on their journey toward independence, and $1,000 to the Warrick Public Education Foundation. D-Patrick BMW donated $1,000 to the Evansville Wartime Museum.
Deaconess Health System is celebrating two recent recognitions. Deaconess Gateway Hospital has received a Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification through the Accreditation Commission for Health Care. Certification requires health care organizations demonstrate compliance with national standards. The Registered Nurse Residency Programย at Deaconess Midtown, Gateway, and Henderson, Kentucky, hospitals also has been accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Centerโs Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition.
The Evansville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., presented awards at its annual Red Shoe Luncheon on June 8. Geronica Hazelwood, founder and executive director of Missing Pieces Community Development Corporation, was presented the with chapterโs award for economic development. Debbie Calhoun of the #Tech Me Program was honored for educational development. The award for work in international awareness and involvement went to the Rev. Lynn Renne of Amani Partners Kenya. Registered Nurse April Goebel received honors for physical and mental health. Community organizer Amy DeVries was honored for political awareness and involvement. Trinisia Brooks, a culturally responsive trauma-informed practitioner and owner of YOUr Advocate Consulting, was recognized for community outreach. Youth Award recipients included Sophie Golday and Jahzara McAlister.
Ivy Tech Community College Evansville honored several area business leaders during its 2024 spring commencement ceremony. Malcolm Wickware, founder and attorney at Evansvilleโs Wickware Law Offices, received the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Shawn McCoy, CEO of Deaconess Health System, was named the Benefactor of the Year. Leah Davis, the schoolโs disability support adviser, received this yearโs Presidentโs Spirit of Diversity Award.
Law firm Kahn, Dees, Donovan & Kahn, LLP has been recognized by ClearlyRatedโs annual Best of Legal Awards for providing superior service. ClearlyRated, a customer satisfaction and experience management company, surveys clients across a variety of industries and ranks businesses by a Net Promoter score. In 2024, KDDK earned a Net Promoter score of 85.9 percent, compared to the 2023 industry average of 37 percent.
GROWTH/DEVELOPMENT
Ivy Tech Community College Evansville and Aurora Material Solutions have established a partnership program, under which apprentices will pursue an industrial maintenance repair technician certificate with Ivy Tech while being employed by Aurora. The partnership is funded by a $4.7 million grant through the U.S. Department of Laborโs Apprenticeship Building American program.
University of Southern Indianaโs College of Nursing and Health Professions has received $5 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to renew its Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program for five years. USI in 2019 received a $3.7 HRSA million grant to implement the program as a five-year project to improve health outcomes for older adults in underserved Southwestern Indiana communities.
Ports of Indiana have selected OmniTRAX as the new rail operator and development partner at Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon, the stateโs largest port. The Denver, Colorado, company was chosen from 19 respondents to provide rail switching and business development support at the Mount Vernon port on the Ohio River, which covers 1,200 acres and is home to 12 companies, with annual shipments of about 6.7 million tons and 40,000 rail cars.
Ground has been broken for a new Vanderburgh County coronerโs office. The facility โ on the campus of the Vanderburgh County Detention Center at 3500 N. Harlan Ave. โ will cover approximately 10,000 square feet and bolster the countyโs forensic capabilities. The project primarily will be funded by more than $3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Jasper, Indiana-based German American Bancorp, Inc. has sold the assets of its subsidiary, German American Insurance, to Hilb Group, an insurance broker headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The all-cash deal is valued at $40 million.
