PORTAGE – The Northwest Indiana Forum has elected Don Babcock of NIPSCO as chairman of the board. Jill Richie of United States Steel Corp., will be chairman elect and Tom Keilman of BP is secretary-treasurer.

The Forum announced that Charles Weaver of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation will head its Economic Development efforts. Leading the Forum's environmental affairs and public policy will be Robert Crookston of Microbac Labs, and Ritchie. Cal Bellamy of Kreig DeVault in Schererville will oversee the Audit Committee while Dewey Pearman of the Construction Advancement Foundation will head member retention and recruitment.

New directors for the Forum include James Dworkin of Purdue North Central and Joe Coar of Tonn & Blank Construction. Directors re-elected to another term were Speros Batistatos of the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority; Ron Bush of DRD; Gene Diamond of Franciscan Alliance; George Douglas of North Coast Distributing; Danita Johnson Hughes of Edgewater Systems; Larry Fabina of ArcelorMittal; Andrew Fox of the Chicago South Bend/South Shore Railroad; Jim Jorgensen of Hoeppner, Wagner & Evans; Mike Lisac of Chase Bank; Bill Nangle of The Times; Dan Nita of Horseshoe Casino; Pete Novak of the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors; Erica Passeuer of the Regional Development Company; Craig Pratt of Fifth Third Bank; Matt Reardon of SEH; Bill Wellman of Whiteco; Curtis Whittaker of Whittaker & Co.; and Linda Woloshansky of Center for Workforce Innovations.

Ex-officio members are Jim Flannery of the Quality of Life Council; Bill Hanna of the Regional Development Authority; Steve Landry of Gary/Chicago International Airport; Leigh Morris of Indiana Economic Development Corp.; Jim Staton of Indiana Economic Development Corp.; John Swanson of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission; and Mark Maassel, president of the Forum.