Businesses and organizations share new hires, promotions, accolades
Accounting
CLH, CPAs & Consultants welcomed Seth Stemper as a staff accountant and Rowan Pruim as an associate to the firm, which has offices in La Porte, Michigan City and Valparaiso.
Banking
Mike Schrage stepped down as CEO of Merrillville-based Centier Bank. His son-in-law Chris Campbell was promoted from president to CEO. Schrage will continue as board chairman. Elizabeth Basoski was promoted to risk officer. She joined the bank in 2007 as a teller at the Crown Point downtown branch. Kat da Silva was promoted to branch manager of its Highland Martha Street branch. Lisa Misch was welcomed as vice president and SBA relationship specialist in the Valparaiso office.
James Dworkin, chancellor emeritus and professor of management in the Mitchell Daniels School of Business at Purdue University, will retire from the Horizon Bancorp board of directors on May 7, the end of his current term. He has served on the board since 2003. Julie Freigang, vice president and chief information officer of CF Industries Holdings, resigned from the board. Melissa Smith-Watkins was promoted to assistant vice president and retail banking training director. She started in 2022 as learning and development programs manager. Susan May was named a mortgage loan originator. John Rybicki was appointed vice president, senior commercial loan officer in Lake County.
Joe Kloska and Satchel Warnell were appointed mortgage loan originators for the Lake County and Chicago area markets at Notre Dame Federal Credit Union.
Steven Minchuk, president of the Northern Indiana Area Labor Federation; Randy Palmateer, business manager and executive director of the Northwest Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council; and Corey Campbell, business manager of LiUNA Local 81, were appointed to Tech Credit Union’s board of directors.
Larry Mayers, group head of business banking; Ron Zeltwanger, group head of community banking; and Bill Burton, east region president, will retire from 1st Source Bank over several months in 2026, while Shelli Workman, Daniel Conroy, Sean Kearns, Jim Martindale and Todd Obren were promoted Feb. 1. Workman was promoted to group head of business banking; Conroy to group head of personal banking; Kearns to east region president; Martindale to central region president; and Obren to the bank’s first regional president of the Michigan region.
Donald Robinson-Gay was promoted to executive vice president and chief credit officer of Lake City Bank, which has locations in the South Bend-Elkhart area. He most recently was senior vice president and a member of the bank’s management committee. He started at the bank in 2018.
Goshen-based Interra Credit Union promoted several employees, including Brian Rook to director and head of people strategy; Shawna Koontz to vice president of human resources operations and benefits manager; and Ali Moren to assistant vice president, human resources business partner. Shaylyn Garza was appointed associate vice president and treasury management sales officer, serving the St. Joseph and Marshall counties markets. Rob Geiger joined as an associate director. He also operates a farm.
Larry Myers was appointed to the boards of directors at First Merchants Corp. and First Merchants Bank. He formerly was president and chief executive officer of First Savings Bank and First Savings Financial Group, which finalized a merger with First Merchants on Feb. 1.
Dennis Devine was named Wells Fargo & Co.’s head of business banking for business owners with annual sales up to $25 million.
Community
Gianni DiTola and Ryan Pierce of the Diocese of Gary were conferred the Ministry of Lector in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Pontifical North American College, Vatican City State.
Construction
Kelly Jernigan was hired as the business development manager in F.A. Wilhem’s South Bend office. The construction company opened an office there in October. Jernigan most recently was a regional development executive at the United Way of Northwest Indiana.
Kevin Coros, project manager, was promoted to associate in the Valparaiso office of McMahon, an engineering, architectural and consulting firm, which has headquarters in Neenah, Wisconsin.
Eva Ennis joined the Herstoric Development team in South Bend as support for design and architecture. Michelle Riordon was hired as a licensed architect. Skylar Giles rejoined the construction team in 2025.
Economic development
Deann Patena, president of Crossroads Chamber, completed the Institute for Organization Management professional development program, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s education program for nonprofit, association and chamber executives.
Economic Development Corp. Michigan City’s new board members include Dr. Vidya Kora and John Rieger Jr. of Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa. Councilman Bryant Dabney concluded his term on the board after two years. Kora, an internal medicine physician, serves patients at the Franciscan Physician Network Franklin Health Center in Michigan City.
Erik Nelson was promoted to business development manager at the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership. He previously served as the workforce development coordinator for four years.
The South Bend Regional Chamber honored 2026 award winners: Distinguished Business Leader: Mark Neal, Bradley Co.; Woman of Influence: Laurie Nafziger; Outstanding Young Business Leader: Kristopher Priemer; Lifting Voices: Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County; Economic Impact: Beacon Health System; and Small Business of the Year: South Bend Code Works.
Scott Meiner of Lippert Components based in Goshen was appointed to Conexus Indiana’s executive committee.
Bethany Hartley, president and CEO of the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership, was elected vice chair of the Indiana Economic Development Association.
Education
James Savannah was named director of admissions at Bethel University in Mishawaka.
Purdue University Northwest Nils K. Nelson Endowed Professor of Integrative Human Health John Durocher was named a 2026 Fellow of the American Physiological Society in the teaching of physiology category.
Gina Avila, Purdue Extension community development educator in Porter County, was selected to participate in the 2026 North Central Extension Leadership Development program.
Timothy Malchow, professor of world languages and cultures at Valparaiso University, was named Teacher of the Year by the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association and the Collegiate Teacher of the Year by the Indiana Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German.
Edward Maginn, the Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Biomedical engineer John Fisher will join the University of Notre Dame as director of the campus-wide Bioengineering & Life Sciences Initiative and Arthur J. Schmitt Professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. His appointment begins Aug. 1. Fisher is chair of the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland. He will succeed Paul Bohn, who retired in December. The Rev. Gregory Haake was appointed vice president for mission engagement and church affairs, effective July 1. He is an associate professor of French and Francophone studies and the religious superior of the Holy Cross priests and brothers at Notre Dame. He will succeed the Rev. Austin Collins, who is stepping down to return to teaching in the department of art, art history and design and to his work as a sculptor.
The Gary Community School Corp. appointed retired Gary Police Department Detective Corp. Gregory Fayson as the director of security.
Entertainment
Corey Hagelberg of Gary is the Lubeznik Center for the Arts’ public art liaison in Michigan City. Hagelberg is also the co-founder and director of the Calumet Artist Residency. He is pursuing an MFA in sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Finance
Howard Bailey Financial adviser Les McDaniel passed his Uniform Investment Advisor Law Examination.
Allen Kilburn joined TrueWealth Advising Group as a financial planner.
Government
Tristan Leonhard was named acting director of Valparaiso Parks.
The Hobart Fire Department welcomed Firefighter/EMTs Samuel Stevens and Benjamin Casillas.
New members of the City of Gary’s Metro Train Revitalization Board include Terry Carter, senior manager of safety and security for U.S. Steel’s Gary complex and Midwest operations; Kevin Kimble, a senior talent developer with American Family Insurance; and Sharon Levels, member of the Gary Public Transportation Corp. Board of Directors.
Matthew Kiley of MetroNet and Shawn Kelly of Involution, a surveying and landscape architecture company, were reappointed to the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation board. Kiley represents St. Joseph County and Kelly Lake County.
Randy Palmateer of Northwestern Indiana Building & Construction Trades Council was appointed to the Ports of Indiana Commission representing Lake County.
Thomas Collins of Luke Oil Co. was reappointed to the Gary/Chicago International Airport Authority board of directors, representing Porter County.
Jeff Balon of the Porter County sheriff’s office was reappointed to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute board of trustees.
Elizabeth Bailey of Indiana Wesleyan University was reappointed to the State Board of Physical Therapy. She represents Marshall County.
Judith Schoon, of the LFE Group Investments & Insurance in Griffith, was reappointed to the Indiana State Commission on Aging.
Heather Delgado of Barnes & Thornburg was reappointed to the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Superior Court of Lake County.
Richard Nussbaum was appointed to the State Employee Appeals Commission for St. Joseph County.
Jason Durr of Christopher B. Burke Engineering was reappointed to the State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers.
Lake County Councilman Dave Hamm is retiring at the end of his term in district 1. Hamm will become Scott Miller’s campaign manager. Miller plans a run for Hamm’s seat.
Health care
Dr. Shazia Siddiqui, owner of the Lafayette Pain Center, is seeing patients in Rensselaer as an independent Franciscan Health provider. Family medicine Dr. Julie Mora joined the Franciscan Physician Network in Crown Point.
Cardiologist Elizabeth Riddell joined Powers Health Medical Group in Hobart and Valparaiso.
James Mack was appointed vice president and chief financial officer at Methodist Hospitals based in Gary. Mack was controller from 1987 to 2006.
Gregory Piper was named president of Beacon Allegan after serving as interim since November. He has worked for Beacon Health System since 2001, including overseeing Granger Hospital since it opened in November 2019.
Jim Callaghan, who is the executive vice president and chief operating officer the of Franciscan Alliance, is the board chair of the Indiana Hospital Association this year. Callaghan has been with Franciscan for over 25 years and served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force.
Insurance
Jessica Lopez-Liggett was named commercial president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana. She most recently served as regional vice president of sales for Indiana.
Law
South Bend resident Jessica Legault joined Boca Raton, Florida-based Staffing GC as a paralegal. The law firm exclusively serves the staffing industry.
Mark Torma was appointed Indiana Legal Help’s executive director. He most recently was the North Central Indiana office director and senior managing attorney with Pro Bono Indiana since its founding in 2020, and was the executive director of the Volunteer Lawyer Network in South Bend starting in 2011.
Anderson Franklin was promoted to principal at Jackson Lewis, a national employment law firm. He will work in the Chicago office and also serves Indiana clients.
Logistics
Brady Jacoba was appointed the first chief commercial officer in the Ports of Indiana’s 65-year history. He previously worked at Lauth Group, Indy Chamber and Volumod Indy. Josh Webb was appointed director of government affairs.
Marketing
Jenna Justman was promoted to lead marketing strategist after two years as a marketing strategist at WeCreate Media based in Valparaiso.
Manufacturing
Elkhart Brass Manufacturing’s XD Glow-in-the-Dark Smooth Bore Nozzle was named champion in the Indiana Chamber’s 2025 Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana contest.
Seth Woolf, head of corporate development and investor relations, will leave Thor Industries based in Elkhart to pursue a role outside of the organization.
Mark Zweig was promoted to chief operating officer for Janus Motorcycles in Goshen.
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. appointed Ralph Michael III as lead independent director of the company’s board of directors. Michael succeeds Douglas Taylor, who resigned.
Media
Kelly Anoe, president and CEO of the Legacy Foundation, and Olivia Allen, membership and marketing events coordinator at the Northwest Indiana Forum, joined Northwest Indiana Business Magazine’s editorial advisory board.
Philanthropy
The Crown Point Community Foundation was re-accredited with the Community Foundations National Standards program.
Kevin Nuppnau was named vice president of the Porter County Community Foundation. He most recently was the parks director for the City of Valparaiso and the executive director of the Valpo Parks Foundation.
The Valparaiso-based Shirley Heinze Land Trust welcomed new board members, including Laura Blaney, a law clerk at Douglas, Koeppen and Krsak, who is seeking a law degree at Loyola Law School; Mark Bouman, a retired geography professor and the environmental program director for the Field Museum; Jan Cervelli, professor of art and environmental studies at Saint Mary’s College at Notre Dame; Brian Kortum, the director of environmental permitting at NiSource; and Kay Nelson, the environmental director at the Northwest Indiana Forum. Ben Taylor was hired as stewardship director. He most recently served as the regional conservation partnership program coordinator at the Conservation Law Center in Bloomington.
Aida Abuelizam, director of customer experience and technology engagement at NiSource, was appointed chair of the Northwest Indiana Influential Women Association’s board of directors.
Real estate
Larry and Heather Hitz sold Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Executive Group Real Estate in Valparaiso to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Indiana Realty based in Indianapolis.
Sports
Rhonda Zaluckyj was named president of Patti’s All American Gymnastics Inc. in Dyer. She has been with the company for 20 years and seven as vice president.
Staffing
Anna Cenova was hired as a recruiting and marketing specialist at TalentSource, a recruiting and staffing firm based in Mishawaka.
Technology
Kyle Sallmen was promoted to director of information technology at Pulse Technology, which has a Merrillville location. He also will continue as virtual chief information officer. He joined Pulse in 2022. Bella Crimaldi joined as a sales representative, and Arianna Teichman as a billing specialist.
Heather Darring, chief information officer at Kappa Alpha Theta, and Todd Bandauski, chief technology officer at Weaver Popcorn are the new leaders of TechPoint’s CIO Network advisory board. Darring will serve as president and Todd Bandauski as vice president. TechPoint is based in Indianapolis.
Tourism
Jenna Brouillette joined the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s staff as brand strategy manager. She previously was the marketing and communications manager for The Lerner Theatre in Elkhart.
Workforce
Samantha Smith, the Center of Workforce Innovations’ director of adult education, earned the Certified Workforce Development Professional designation from the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals. ▪
Read more stories from the current issue of Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.
Count way to success
Big on housing
Nozzle worth noting
Answering the call
Essential adviser
Economic power of play
Sustainable prospects
Lots of buyers out there
Trending careers in trades
2026 award winners
In this issue
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