Businesses, organizations share news about new hires, promotions, accolades
Accounting
CPA Sara Fetke Sweers joined Kruggel Lawton CPAs as a partner in the audit and assurance practice in the Portage office. This appointment brings the total number of partners at the South Bend-based firm to 20.
Audrey Cable is the new front office coordinator at CLH, CPAs & Consultants’ Michigan City office, and Audrey Byers is the new front office coordinator in its La Porte office.
Banking
Andrea Short was promoted to president of 1st Source Corp. from executive vice president and will continue to serve as president and CEO of 1st Source Bank. She also will remain a member of the board of directors at both 1st Source Corp. and 1st Source Bank.
Jason Harris was promoted to mortgage market manager and bank officer at Merrillville-based Centier Bank. Karen Lance was promoted to vice president of retail special services. Janelle Spindler was promoted to assistant vice president and branch manager of the bank’s new Cedar Lake location. Katlin Gaffron, branch manager of the bank’s Granger location, was promoted to assistant vice president. Joe DiNicolantonio was hired as the bank’s chief retail officer. He succeeds Randall Shepard, who retired after eight years with Centier.
Purdue Federal Credit Union expanded its marketing team with John Metzinger, marketing specialist; and Landry Wallar, marketing coordinator.
John Stewart was named chief financial officer of Horizon Bancorp Inc. Mya Roeun was named a funding manager in the equipment finance division. Emily Starks was hired as a vice president and credit and risk manager.
Carrie Valek, Steve Harris and Joe Peterson were hired as executive vice presidents at First Merchants Bank.
Abagail Riskovitch, Clarissa Lora and Tracie Westlake were hired to Notre Dame Federal Credit Union’s mortgage lending team. Westlake is a mortgage loan originator. Monica Nevarez was appointed the manager at the Lake County branch in Whiting.
Jeremy Bender, agribusiness lender manager and vice president at Goshen-based Interra Credit Union, is 1 of 28 members of the 21st class of the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program, administered by AgrIInstitute. Mike Metcalf joined Interra Investments as a financial adviser. Interra Credit Union was recognized with two marketing Diamond Awards at this year’s America’s Credit Unions’ annual Marketing & Business Development Council conference in Las Vegas.
Karin Birchel will become Burns Harbor-based Allegius Credit Union’s new president and chief executive officer on Sept. 5.
Anne Arvia was elected a new director on the Cincinnati-Ohio-based First Financial Bancorp board of directors. Susan Knust and William Barron retired from the board.
Construction
Anthony Oss, director of preconstruction and design services at Larson-Danielson and Facet Architecture, was honored May 9 with the Life Saver Award at the Construction Advancement Foundation/Northwest Indiana Business Round Table awards banquet.
Economic development
The Economic Development Corp. Michigan City recently added Erin Meisner as community development manager, and Eze Redwood, a fellow through the International Economic Development Council’s Economic Recovery Corp. program, to its team.
The Regional Development Co. hired Emma Hutchinson as a full-time marketing and business development manager.
Education
Vicki Román-Lagunas was chosen to replace Ken Iwama as chancellor of Indiana University Northwest. Iwama accepted a new job as Indiana University vice president for regional campuses and online education. Amy Diaz, Indiana University Northwest’s chief of staff, was selected for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Millennium Leadership Initiative. William Allegrezza was appointed a Chancellor’s Professor, an academic title conferred on senior faculty members. IUN announced 2023-24 Outstanding Staff Excellence Awards: Outstanding Staff Customer Service Excellence Award: Patty Woosley, human resources payroll; Outstanding Staff Pride Excellence Award: Pam King, facilities services; Distinguished Employee of the Year Excellence Award: TerryAnn Defenser, university advancement and external affairs; and Juan Casas, student support services. Faculty and Academic Awards for 2023-24 included Distinguished Research/Creative Activity Award: Jonathyne Briggs, professor of history; Distinguished Service Award: Monica Solinas-Saunders, associate professor of criminal justice; Founder’s Day Teaching Award: Eunjoo Kim, assistant professor of education; Academic Advisor Award: Candace Clark, academic adviser, student advising center; Trustees’ Teaching Awards: Nicole Anslover, associate professor of history; Vesna Balac, assistant professor of radiologic sciences; Natasha Brown, associate professor of communication; Jokima Hiller, assistant professor of business; Margaret Pollak, assistant professor of anthropology; Sharon Pratt, associate professor of education; and Cecilia Villarruel, assistant professor of English.
Indiana University South Bend selected Scott Cooper as the executive director of athletics. Cooper has served as interim director since August 2023.
Marie Mora was selected during a national search to be provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Purdue University Northwest. She most recently served as deputy provost at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Valparaiso University graduates Payton Hodson and Momin Mirza were selected to receive grants and enter the Fulbright Scholar Program.
Yvonne Stokes was named superintendent of Gary Community School Corp. Angela Hamblin-Blakely was named the head coach of the West Side Leadership Academy varsity girls’ basketball team.
Doug Thompson was appointed the inaugural executive director of diversity and engagement in the University of Notre Dame’s Division of Student Affairs. He was vice president for equity and inclusion at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. The American Academy in Rome awarded Krupali Krusche, an associate professor in the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture, the 2024 Adele Chatfield-Taylor Rome Prize in Historic Preservation and Conservation. Ernest Morrell, the Coyle Professor of Literacy Education, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Morrell was one of the 250 members of the newest AAAS class. Barbara Montero, a professor of philosophy; Gretchen Reydams-Schils, a professor in the program of liberal studies; and Roy Scranton, an associate professor of English and director of the creative writing program and the environmental humanities initiative, are among the 188 scholars, scientists and artists chosen from about 3,000 applicants for the Guggenheim Foundation fellowship. Mary Gallagher, the Amy and Alan Lowenstein Chair in Democracy, Democratization and Human Rights and director of the International Institute at the University of Michigan, was appointed the Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs.
Sue Ellspermann announced she will retire in 2025 from Ivy Tech Community College. Faculty members were chosen for the President’s Award for Excellence in Instruction: Heather Clark, chair of the humanities program, was its full-time faculty winner; and Chris Ward, adjunct professor in the human services program, was its adjunct honoree. Ivy Tech presented the 2024 Honorary Degree to Lisa Daugherty, who is president and CEO for Center of Workforce Innovations.
Engineering
Noah Boyd, Jason Edwards, Rich Hutchinson, Emmanuel Kollias and Zach Marsh were named associates to Benton Harbor, Michigan-based Wightman’s employee ownership program. Several shareholders also were promoted, including George Kacan, of the Royal Oak, Michigan, office, and Tony Kraiger, of the Fort Wayne office, were elevated to senior associate from associate; and Mary Deneau Nykamp was promoted from senior associate to principal associate for her work in southwest Michigan. Mark McRobie was named its new government market sector leader.
Tyler Nix joined Indianapolis-based American Structurepoint as a business development director. Nix is based in the South Bend design center and will serve 16 counties in Northern Indiana.
Financial services
Bryant Dabney was hired as a wealth adviser for Michigan City-based Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co.
Government
Jeff Smith, Hammond Fire Department fire chief, retired; Bernard Grisolia was appointed fire chief; David Weisz was named deputy fire chief.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation named state Sen. Todd Young as a recipient of the 2024 Automotive Leadership Award recognizing policymakers who have demonstrated a commitment to a strong, growing and globally competitive American auto industry.
Chesterton Town Manager Dave Cincoski resigned in June.
Health care
The Franciscan Health Foundation of Northern Indiana welcomed four new board members: Denise Fithian, of the Franciscan Health Woodland Outpatient Surgery Center Michigan City; Anthony Geisen, operations manager and funeral director for Geisen Funeral Homes in Crown Point; Chase Lowden, financial adviser for Airey Financial Group/One America in Merrillville; and Jolanta Moore, a CPA for McMahon & Associates P.C. in Munster. Family medicine nurse practitioner Jennifer Milchak is part of the Franciscan Physician Network in Valparaiso. Franciscan Health Crown Point Center of Hope coordinator Michelle Resendez received the Nightingale Award, and patient care technician Brikalaya Craig received the Lantern Award. Emergency department nurse LeAnn Collins received the St. Camillus Award, emergency medicine physician Christina Foreman received the St. Luke Award and environmental services associate Frank Serrano received the St. Joseph Award.
Patrick Ohaver, Methodist Hospitals sports medicine program coordinator, has been named Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year for NATA District 4, which covers several states in the Great Lakes Region. Methodist Hospitals honored Northwest Indiana businessman Mamon Powers Jr. with its inaugural Champion Medal at its annual foundation gala in June.
Boris Toure was appointed director of care coordination at Senior1Care’s Mishawaka and Elkhart offices.
Valparaiso-based Northwest Health appointed Dr. Thomas Rohs as chief medical officer for all Northwest Health hospitals.
Crown Point Pediatric Dentistry recently signed a lease at the South Court Professional Center to expand its services.
Evergreen Real Estate Group opened a new assisted living facility in Valparaiso.
Hospitality
Greg Winget recently joined the team as head brewer at Journeyman Distillery’s American Factory in Valparaiso. Michigan-based Journeyman Distillery won six ASCOT Awards.
Information technology
Ian Hyatt, chief information officer at Purdue University, was honored with the Transformation Trailblazer Award at the fourth-annual Cisco Customer Advocate Awards: Americas 2024 ceremony.
Elkhart-based Surf Internet named Brent Williams chief operating officer and Jay Campbell vice president of sales. Patrick McCauley, senior director of outside plant construction, was appointed to the board of Indiana 811, which runs the statewide “Call Before You Dig” initiative. Jeremia Holmes-Ploor was named assistant director of special funding.
Skye Bolling of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, was named an account executive at Pulse Technology, which has an office in Merrillville. Stephen Sheridan was named to the ENX Magazine Difference Maker list.
Insurance
Chicago-based Hub International Limited acquired Merrillville-based Meyers Glaros, an independent insurance brokerage.
Law
David Wilson, founding partnerof Wilson & Novak Law Offices in Merrillville, was appointed to the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association.
Shelice Tolbert, an attorney at Tolbert & Tolbert, was among eight women presented with the Shero Award at a luncheon hosted by the Gary chapter of the Drifters Inc. Michael Tolbert was recognized as a Distinguished Barrister by the Indiana Lawyer at the 2024 Leadership in Law Luncheon in Indianapolis.
Manufacturing
Marshall Wood was hired as an account manager at Merrillville-based Haire Group, which is in the corrugated industry.
The Indiana Manufacturers Association promoted two of its governmental affairs leaders: Andrianna Moehle to vice president of energy, environment and infrastructure policy; and Sam Charron to vice president of employment law and workforce policy.
OJS Building Services Inc. of Mishawaka was acquired by Mno-Bmadsen of Dowagiac, Michigan.
Midwest Aerospace Casting opened a new manufacturing facility in Merrillville.
Justin Hatfield, president of Kalamazoo, Michigan-based HECO Inc., was one of 34 finalists for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of The Year 2024 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award.
Nonprofit
Emma Hutchinson was hired as marketing and development manager at the Valparaiso-based Regional Development Co.
John Halton received Catholic Charities USA’s volunteer of the year award for his service at Catholic Charities Diocese of Gary’s food pantry.
St. John-based Drive Clean Indiana hired Elise Bereolos as engagement coordinator and Jessica Swiedals as executive assistant to the Clean Cities and Communities Coalition.
Publishing
East Chicago-native Gloria McMillan recently released “Children of Steel,” a collection of stories by 20 writers about living in steel towns.
Retail
Meats by Linz opened its new headquarters and production facility in Hammond.
Steve Moriarty of Moriarty’s Gem Art in Crown Point cut a 700-carat morganite gemstone, spending 30 hours to create the collector’s item.
Starbuck is opening a second location at 1902 U.S. Highway 41 in Schererville.
Kristina Knowski and Aaron Melendez opened Ancillaerie, an art gallery in Chesterton.
Dr. Jess Lisak, a native of Valparaiso, is Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice & In-Home Euthanasia’s Valparaiso mobile veterinarian.
Gourmet cookie and soda shop Twisted Sugar plans to open a location soon in Schererville’s Fountain Park Shopping Center.
Wise Guys Liquors opened a Chesterton location.
Tourism
Phil Taillon is the new president and CEO of Hammond-based South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority. Prior to joining the SSCVA, Taillon served in various roles with the city of Hammond for the past 15 years. He also worked in the banking industry for 10 years.
Michelle Weir is leaving her post as the executive director of the Lerner Theatre in Elkhart.
Janis Logsdon, assistant director of the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Amanda Eckelbarger, director of destination branding and data intelligence, each completed the requirements for the Certified Destination Management Executive designation. Jessica Risner was hired as the destination sales manager.
Read more stories from the current issue of Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.
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