Businesses and organizations share good news about new hires, promotions, accolades
Accounting
Allison Allman, a CPA and senior assurance manager in Kruggel Lawton CPA’s St. Joseph, Michigan, office, was honored with the 2026 Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants Women to Watch Emerging Leader Award. The firm also promoted 18 team members, including in the Elkhart office: Tyler Beasy to a senior staff accountant, CPA Jarah Byler to senior staff accountant on the employee benefit plan audit team, CPA Cambria Comer to assurance manager, Rebecca Penrod to a senior staff accountant and CPA Katherine Riffell to senior staff accountant; South Bend office: Courtney Haynes to a senior staff accountant, CPA Anna Hulstedt to a senior staff accountant, Eddie Murphy to a senior staff accountant and CPA Kyleigh Otwinowski to tax manager; Goshen office: CPA Marcus Housholder to assurance manager; and in the St. Joseph, Michigan, office: Jeremy Flagel to tax manager, Kaylee Jordan to a senior staff accountant and Hannah Petty as a senior staff accountant.
CLH, CPAs & Consultants based in Michigan City hosted interns this summer, including Yongshi Huang, and Naturelle Buikema in the Valparaiso office; Lila Gillisse and Brianne Norman, in the La Porte office; and Brooklynn Hough in administration. Kayla Kranc, senior accountant, and Lisa Bedwell, internal accounting, were recognized with the firm’s 2026 R.I.K.I. Spotlight Awards. Allison Leffert was promoted to senior manager, Seth Bedwell to manager, and Ashley Boyan to client service team assistant manager.
Agribusiness
Rajdeep Deka joined FiberX based in Merrillville as director of technology and process engineering. Rajdeep plays a critical role in advancing the jointly developed biorefinery in a partnership between FiberX and Purdue University, where Deka received his doctoral degree.
Banking
Joe DiNicolantonio was promoted to chief banking officer at Merrillville-based Centier Bank. Brian O’Meara was named an executive vice president and chief administrative officer. Donald Rome was promoted to executive vice president, chief risk officer. Lupita Nunez was promoted to community lender at the Gary Glen Park branch. Amy Varga was promoted to market president and senior vice president of the Michiana market. Lisa Marek, senior investment executive of investment services, earned a Diamond Level at Cetera Financial Group’s annual awards conference, Circle of Excellence. Katelyn Fronek joined the bank as a mortgage loan officer based in Portage, Johnathon Jorgensen as an assistant vice president and commercial banking officer based in Mishawaka and Alison Tusing as compliance manager, monitoring.
Chris Sibila was hired as chief strategy and experience officer at Purdue Federal Credit Union. He most recently was senior vice president and chief information officer at Financial Center First Credit Union based in Indianapolis.
Matthew Verhamme was promoted to vice president at 1st Source Bank, based in South Bend. He was hired in June as a central region business banker, serving St. Joseph County.
Melinda McPherson was named a marketing operations specialist at Notre Dame Federal Credit Union. Kristin McCarthy was appointed senior vice president of retail. Heather Alerding was appointed assistant vice president and branch manager of its downtown branch.
Bill Gertner joined Wintrust Financial Corp. as senior vice president-market executive La Porte County. Gertner brings more than 22 years of business and community development experience in the Michigan City and La Porte County areas.
Converse-based First Farmers Bank & Trust began the succession planning process by naming Matthew Maher president, effective Jan. 1. It has branches in Knox and North Judson.
Nicholas Ritter and Charles Sulerzyski were appointed independent directors on the Horizon Bancorp and Horizon Bank boards. Ritter retired this year as executive vice president and chief information security officer of WorldPay, a global payments technology company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sulerzyski retired in 2024 as president and CEO of Peoples Bancorp Inc., which has headquarters in Marietta, Ohio. Drew Zromkoski was promoted to assistant vice president and commercial loan officer. He also is the announcer for Valparaiso’s Popcorn Parade.
Clayton Sheets was promoted to vice president and regional manager of agribusiness lending at Interra Credit Union based in Goshen. Brian Ufkin was promoted to vice president and manager of small business banking.
John Thurston was promoted to president of corporate bank at Chicago-based Old National Bank, which has locations in Northwest Indiana. Other promotions include: Anne-Christine Day to head of capital markets, James Goody to head of capital markets and specialty banking, Kristen Heron to portfolio banking and healthcare manager, Marty Koutsky to national head of healthcare and Elizabeth Vosnos to head of corporate banking.
Economic development
Yvonne Lopez joined the Northwest Indiana Forum team as the executive assistant to the CEO. Erik Nelson was appointed operations director. He most recently was the business development manager at the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership.
Education
Indiana University Northwest approved tenure for Andrae Marak. Jessica Warren was promoted to senior lecturer, Eunjoo Kim to associate professor and Ming Gao to professor. All four serve in the College of Arts, Sciences and Education. Nicholas Casas was promoted to associate librarian. Brandon Lee, of the College of Business and Public Affairs, was promoted to professor.
Shontrai Irving began his term as chair of the Indiana University Alumni Association board of managers on July 1. Irving is a clinical professor of business law at Purdue University Northwest. He also is a practicing attorney in Gary.
Kyle Doudrick, associate professor of environmental engineering at the University of Notre Dame, was selected to serve on the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Holly Kuzmich was named managing director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities. David Campbell, the Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy, was appointed by the Library of Congress to the Kluge Chair in American Law and Governance. Pope Leo XIV appointed two faculty members, Emmanuel Katongole and Clemens Sedmak, as consultor to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. University Trustee Kathryn Koch, president and CEO of TCW, a global investment management firm, also was named a consultor. James Schmiedeler, a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering and associate dean for faculty advancement and inclusion in the College of Engineering, was named vice president and associate provost for faculty recruitment support.
Jennie Sanders was appointed Purdue Global’s chief academic officer and senior vice president.
Eric Bowers, a history teacher at Penn High School in Mishawaka, attended C-SPAN’s Summer Educators’ Conference in Washington, D.C. Bowers was one of 31 middle- and high-school educators around the country chosen to participate in the program.
Valparaiso University student Lucas Opiola spent his summer interning with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Ed Finn was appointed director of Valparaiso University’s new online Master of Organizational Leadership program.
The Saint Mary’s College board of trustees approved a two-year extension of President Katie Conboy’s contract through 2030. She became the 14th president in 2020.
Vincent D’Angelo, a Hillsdale College graduate student from Munster, received a $15,000 Weaver Fellowship from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Hillsdale is in Michigan.
Ron Tulley, president of Calumet College of St. Joseph, was elected president-elect of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. He was appointed the Whiting College’s president on July 1. He replaces Amy McCormack, who retired after nine years of leadership.
Engineering
Allen Stevens was welcomed as a project supervisor in the Valparaiso office of A&Z Engineering.
Pat Nejman was welcomed to Falk PLI’s Portage office as the survey department manager. Jim Jabo was promoted to industrial department manager.
Troy Eutsler and Kathy Wolf were appointed vice presidents at American Structurepoint based in Indianapolis. The national architecture and engineering consulting firm has offices in Merrillville and South Bend.
Finance
Alec Sanderson will become a financial adviser at Howard Bailey Financial after completing the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination. The firm has an office in Mishawaka.
Government
Joshua Bain was appointed to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Bain most recently was the executive director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. He also was the Midwest director for the Center for Energy Education.
James Markle of the Northern Indiana Law Enforcement Academy was reappointed to the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board, representing Porter County.
Mike Simpson of M.E. Simpson Co. Inc. was appointed to the Indiana Natural Resources Commission, representing Porter County.
Katie Hobgood of Save the Dunes Conservation Fund was appointed to the President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust Project Commission, representing Porter County.
Keith Slater of Family Express was reappointed to the state’s Petroleum Storage Tank Financial Assurance Board. Michael Kane of Porter County was appointed to the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities.
James Sarkisian was reappointed to Indiana’s Worker’s Compensation Board. John Ivory of Elkhart County was reappointed to the State Police Board.
Marie Forszt and Carly Brandenburg of Lake County were appointed to the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission.
Barbara Calhoun of St. Joseph County was reappointed to the Rare Disease Advisory Council.
David Tompos of Elkhart County was reappointed to the Manufactured Home Installer Licensing Board.
Dr. Nicole Albright of Lake County and Dr. Kyle Hoskins of St. Joseph County were appointed to the Indiana Optometry Board.
Jennifer Homan of Starke County was appointed to the Trauma Care Commission.
Mick Pawlik, chief of the Coolspring Township Volunteer Fire Department for over 30 years, received the Circle of Corydon award from State Rep. Randy Novak.
Dan Reyes, assistant town manager for the Town of Munster, was awarded the Strength & Resilience Award by the Indiana Municipal Management Association, a state affiliate of the International City/County Management Association. Brad Baxter was hired by the Town of Munster as director of public works. He will lead a department of 47 employees.
Healthcare
The Franciscan Alliance named Michael Englehart president and chief executive officer. Englehart succeeds Kevin Leahy, who is stepping down after 30 years as CEO.
The Franciscan Physician Network welcomed new healthcare professionals: endocrinologist and internal medicine Dr. Hasan Qutob and obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. David Preskill in Michigan City; internal medicine Drs. Lance Wallace and Dr. Dorothy Jones in Dyer; and nurse practitioner Ann Waldron in Dyer.
Bridgette LaShawn Peppers of Hobart, Tyler Lucas Rodriguez of Schererville, Lexi Nicole Taylor of Orland Park, Illinois, and Angelique Gray Thompson of Gary were sworn in as Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults through a Franciscan Health partnership with the Lake County Courts.
Edgewater Health President and CEO Dr. Danita Johnson Woods released her fifth book, “It’s in the Details: Small Things That Change Everything,” in July.
Suchita Shah and Sarah Pomponi were appointed to the Methodist Hospitals Foundation board of directors. Shah has been a licensed real estate broker with McColly Real Estate since 1996. Pomponi is a business owner and healthcare practice administrator
Manufacturing
THOR Industries in Elkhart promoted Jayco President Ken Walters to president of North American RV operations, a new consolidated division. Jayco Vice President Nic Martin was promoted to president of that subsidiary. Mike Ritchie, vice president of finance at Jayco, is now CFO of North American RV operations. Trey Miller, vice president of marketing at Jayco, was promoted to chief marketing officer of North American RV operations. Troy James, chief operating officer of the Thor Motor Coach and Keystone group, moved to president of Keystone.
Robert Hureau, president and chief executive officer of Alamo Group Inc., was appointed to the LCI Industries’ board of directors.
Celso Goncalves, the executive vice president and chief financial officer at Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., was appointed president chief financial officer and to the board of directors.
P. Scott Bening, former president and CEO of Merrillville-based MonoSol, released the book “The Back Nine: Inspiration and Insights on Retaining Relevance, Purpose, and Integrity in Retirement.”
Philanthropy
Goodwill Industries of Michiana hired support staff in South Bend, including Jennifer Swisher-Carroll as director at The Excel Center South Bend; Justin Zobrosky as senior director of academics and operations for The Excel Center; Dean Barnes as an automotive instructor at The Academy; and Siscilia McClurken as hospitality instructor at The Academy.
Kimberly Smith was named Dunebrook Inc.’s new executive director. The nonprofit is a family resource and child advocacy center based in Michigan City.
Kelly Doherty was named the director of the YMCA of Greater Michiana’s downtown South Bend early learning center, which is scheduled to open in January 2027.
Rita Koehler was named the first executive director of the South Bend Lyric Opera, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Sarah Brown, a financial adviser with Edward Jones in La Porte, and Nolah Nasser-Gertner, a retired director of project development with BLDD Architects, joined the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra’s board of directors.
Technology
Grant Kuligowski joined Pulse Technology as a sales development representative. Andy Nielsen, a business analyst, was named on the Difference Maker list by the national trade journal ENX Magazine.
Steven Keller was appointed senior vice president of Comcast’s greater Chicago region, serving Xfinity and Comcast Business customers across Central and Northern Illinois, Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan.
Transportation
Matthew Sanderson purchased the Auto Park Ford of La Porte from Ken Norris, who also owns a Ford and Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram dealership in Bremen, and a Ford dealership in Sturgis, Michigan. Sanderson, who plans to move from Michigan to La Porte, will operate the business as La Porte Ford. Jonathon O’Dell will continue as general manager. •
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