Shining the spotlight on outstanding leadership.
by Lauren Caggiano

A community's unsung heroes are often the least recognized, but deserve equal credit as those in the limelight. That's the premise behind the inaugural Leaders as Heroes awards from Leadership Northwest Indiana.

“We do a great job of recognizing business success, entrepreneurship, innovation and contribution to quality of life in this region, but we have not celebrated outstanding leadership,” says Keith Kirkpatrick, executive director of Leadership Northwest Indiana. “When people see great examples of how something is done well, they will follow it and appreciate it more.

“The top leaders, the big names in our region do get recognized in many ways. Yet the leader who, day after day, struggles with the challenges, shoulders the burden, and takes the risks, often are not noticed or thanked for all that they do for their communities.”

Leadership Northwest Indiana operates under nine values which were considered throughout the award selection process: awareness, connectivity, boundary spanning, inclusiveness, courage, hope, engagement, active, and innovation.

Eddie Melton
Eddie Melton is manager, communications and community relations, for Northern Indiana Public Service Co. He serves as a public affairs resource in Lake and Porter County, and manages company-wide community projects. He and his wife, Crystal, live in Merrillville with their four children.

As a community volunteer, he participates in numerous neighborhood projects, the latest of which was clean up day in Gary's Tolleston neighborhood.

“I believe the mentoring and emerging leaders programs I have developed are building blocks to the future of our community. I am excited to work with my peers from across the region to establish a more inclusive and diverse set of strategies for leadership development,” Melton says.

D.E. “Sonshine” Troche
Sonshine is executive director of Worthy Women Recovery Inc. She recently purchased a home for her “Worthy Women” and has been fundraising for its renovation. She was able to raise enough money in 2 years to pay for the home in full. The home helps women make the transition from incarceration to active community citizenship.

“I truly do not see myself as a hero; however, when I shared the winning of this award with the ladies I work with in the LaPorte County Jail, I was astonished that so many of them stated ‘You are our hero Sonshine, because you are helping us!' Winning the Leaders as Heroes Award validates the fact that many others are realizing that an addict's life can change, and that many really want help,” says Troche.

Sister Peg Spindler
Sister Peg Spindler, executive director of Sojourner Truth House in Gary, saw a need in her community and started work to address the problem of homelessness. Spindler describes her journey over the past 15 years as “exhausting, exhilarating, and difficult.” Serving 1,500 people a month, she is fighting homelessness in a big way for all of Northwest Indiana region.

“Not only does (the award) show appreciation for my efforts in Northwest Indiana, but it gives me a glimmer of hope that the devastating issues of poverty and homelessness are becoming more visible and more cared about,” she says. “I could not have accepted this award but for my fantastic staff and volunteers who make the work of Sojourner Truth House not only possible but successful, even transformational in the lives of our clients.”

Spindler finds housing for 50 to 60 women and their families per year and emergency food and personal items for more than 1,000 people a month.

Danny Lackey
Danny Lackey, coordinator of diversity programming for Merrillville High School, is known for breaking down barriers that stand in the way of people being successful in high school. A board member of the Race Relations Council of Northwest Indiana, Lackey has a passion for building a community through heightened awareness of issues of diversity among students, staff and faculty.

For example, this year Merrillville High School STAND (Socially Together and Naturally Diverse) students have provided “Challenge Ed Day,” modeled after MTV's “If You Really Knew Me,” opportunities for more than 300 students at the high school, as well as giving students from eight others schools in the region the chance to participate.

“I truly believe that one of the greatest assets that we have here in Northwest Indiana is our diversity,” says Lackey. “When we truly acknowledge and embrace the uniqueness in others, we are able to also appreciate what everyone brings to the table and therefore enhance the quality of our own lives.”

Ben Polhemus
Ben Polhemus, 35, is pastor of Sacred Ground alternative worship at Liberty Bible Church in Chesterton. “I feel that the one thing I can do is care, love and encourage people. There are so many people that are looked down upon or forgotten in our society. I feel that every person has something to offer our community, and sometimes we don't give them a chance.”

In spring 2011, he helped deliver clothes to families living in a trailer park near his home. He also spends time teaching, assisting the homeless and mentoring inmates at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City and at the Porter County Jail.

His long-term goal is for people's attitudes to change about those marginalized in society. “When the walls start to break down, it makes for a better community,” Polhemus said.

Daniel Plath
For Daniel Plath, leadership is about collaboration and empowering others. As water program leader in NiSource Inc.'s Corporate Environmental, Safety and Sustainability Department, he makes long-term decisions that affect Northwest Indiana's water resources, and environment. He works with environmental stakeholder groups, such as the Shirley Heinze Land Trust Board, the Quality of Life Council, the Department of Natural Resources Coastal Advisory Board and similar groups.

He may be best known for founding the Northwest Indiana Paddling Association, which has grown to 450 members since its 2009 founding. In 2010, it was awarded the Stroke of Achievement by the American Canoe Association, the national organization's highest recognition.

For me personally, it is something that I feel is as much an award for the entire Northwest Indiana Paddling Association as it is for myself. It is as much an award belonging to people like Ken Stelter, Maggie Byrne, Gayle Macbride, Kenneth Nesbitt, Gina Darnell, Erik Sprenne and many others as myself.”

Larissa Hoyt
Indiana's dismal child poverty rate is the driving force behind Larissa Hoyt's work. She is family case manager supervisor in the Lake County office of the Indiana Department of Child Services. Her office celebrates when kids go home after being placed in foster homes due to neglect or other horrific circumstances.

Hoyt continually brings hope to the hopeless and she encourages staff and children to have courage despite the often terrible circumstances they face.

“Advocating for children and families can be a thankless task,” she says. “Many families just need some new skill sets and to learn better parenting skills. I believe this award helps showcase the work that social workers do and the impact they have on the community. When injustice is aimed at children, the cost to the community is too great to ignore,” she cautions.

Robert (Bob) H. Carnahan
For more than three decades, Bob Carnahan has volunteered his time, energy and talents as a public and community servant to improve the region. As a Cedar Lake town councilman, he has worked to find solutions to issues affecting the region – such as returning federal and state tax dollars to the region and promoting economic growth.

Most notably he headed the Cedar Lake Complete Count Committee for the Census. The Census is important for the town, as for every person not counted, the town would lose $8,260 over the next 10 years. Carnahan said the Chicago regional director selected his team as an instrumental part of promoting the Census and he was asked to take the presentation to Washington, D.C.

Tracy Traut
Tracy Traut is among those trying to save the world – one client at a time. As executive director of Porter County Family Counseling Center in Valparaiso, she has seen a correlation between socioeconomic status and a person's ability to access needed services.

“It has become clear to me that offering a full range of community-based alternatives is more effective than emergency room treatment or no treatment at all. Without choice and the availability of quality, affordable treatment options, people with mental illnesses or substance abuse issues are unlikely to engage in treatment or to participate in appropriate and timely interventions,” she says about her agency's work.

The nonprofit executive says the award serves a reminder that the work she has done for five years “means something.”

“The award means I am doing the right work, in the right place at the right time. I am thrilled, honored, humbled, amazed and grateful. (You) don't have to be one of the ‘big guns' to make a difference.”

Supporting Leadership Northwest Indiana and the event were NIPSCO and Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly as Diamond sponsors; Citizens Financial Bank as Platinum sponsor; and The Times Media Co., Southlake Limousine Service, Allan and Frances Katz, McShane's Total Graphic Solutions and The Ross Group as Gold sponsors.