Courtney Kerr, Author at The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership

Conexus Indiana welcomes Jay Wirts as President and CEO

Courtney Kerr2025-04-03T11:35:06-04:00March 28, 2025|

Following a national search, Conexus Indiana, a statewide organization dedicated to strengthening Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries, today announced the appointment of Jay Wirts as its new president and CEO. Wirts brings more than 20 years of executive leadership experience in the advanced manufacturing sector, with a track record of driving business growth and operational excellence. Wirts most recently served as executive vice president of Smart Infrastructure Solutions at Belden, where he managed a $1.2 billion global business that designs and manufactures broadband and network infrastructure. Throughout his career, Wirts has demonstrated exceptional leadership in developing innovative customer solutions, strengthening supply chains and fostering talent pipelines. “Jay’s extensive experience and passion for advancing industrial innovation make him an ideal leader for Conexus Indiana,” said Scott Brand, chair of the Conexus Indiana Board of Directors and president and COO [...]

TechPoint Founders Network Expanding to Fort Wayne

Courtney Kerr2025-03-27T12:07:55-04:00March 27, 2025|

Expansion is 2nd for the group, following 2024 Bloomington chapter opening TechPoint, the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (NIIC) and Fort Wayne Tech today announced that TechPoint’s Indiana Founders Network is expanding to Fort Wayne. “We are so pleased to expand this support to entrepreneurs in northeastern Indiana,” said Chelsea Linder, TechPoint’s vice president for innovation and entrepreneurship. “Founders’ Network gatherings in Indianapolis and Bloomington have proven to be popular as well as helpful, and we are confident we’ll see the same level of activity and excitement in Fort Wayne.” The Indiana Founders Network is free-of-charge to join and open to startup founders, including those with an idea but who haven’t yet moved forward with it and those who want to become a co-founder. It is not a space for investors or vendors. It offers connections to other entrepreneurs, access [...]

Ascend Indiana Announces Founding Members of Workforce Council

Courtney Kerr2025-03-19T21:39:58-04:00March 19, 2025|

Ascend Indiana, the talent and workforce development initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), announced today the 10 founding members of the Ascend Indiana Workforce Council. Ascend Indiana launched the Workforce Council earlier this year as a membership-based collaborative that serves as the voice of industry to address Indiana’s persistent gap between available jobs and the Hoosiers prepared to fill them. The Council, comprising business leaders and human resources professionals, is charged with elevating market conditions and identifying emerging industry needs, barriers and successes. The following 10 companies, representing a broad spectrum of industry sectors, have appointed a representative to serve as a member of the Workforce Council’s steering committee, which is responsible for guiding the council’s vision, mission and strategy: CFA Staffing Community Health Network Eli Lilly and Company Henriott Group IU Health Parkview Health PNC Bank [...]

AgriNovus Indiana names new executive members, welcomes new directors

Courtney Kerr2025-03-11T14:29:42-04:00March 11, 2025|

AgriNovus Indiana, a nonprofit coalition focused on growing Indiana’s agbioscience economy, announced today changes to its executive committee and its board of directors. The board unanimously approved the addition of Robert King, executive vice president, Crop Protection Business Unit at Corteva Agriscience, and David Pugh, chief financial officer of AgReliant Genetics, to the executive committee. The board also approved the addition of Dr. Brian Lutz, vice president of Agricultural Solutions at Corteva Agriscience, and Micah Beckwith, Lieutenant Governor of Indiana, as successions to replace outgoing directors. “Indiana’s agbioscience economy continues to grow thanks to the direction and support of the AgriNovus board of directors,” said Mitch Frazier, president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana. “The addition of these experts to our Board brings even more breadth of expertise to our team as we work to build the agbioscience economy of [...]

Conexus Indiana presents Manufacturing Innovation Award at TechPoint’s 26th annual Mira Awards

Courtney Kerr2025-02-28T11:22:20-05:00February 28, 2025|

Conexus Indiana, in partnership with TechPoint, has named Arcamed of Indianapolis as the recipient of the second annual Manufacturing Innovation Award. The award was announced at the 26th annual Mira Awards gala, commonly known as “The Oscars of Indiana Tech,” at the Palladium at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts on February 27. The Conexus Indiana Manufacturing Innovation Award recognizes industrial firms that have taken an exceptional leap into the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) through cutting-edge technology adoption. The 2025 finalists were selected from a group of statewide applicants operating in and serving diverse manufacturing subsectors, including precision parts, fasteners, furniture, medical devices, aerospace and automotive. Collectively, the six firms deployed a broad range of advanced manufacturing technologies like robotics, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), industrial internet of things and machine vision to [...]

TechPoint Announces 2025 Mira Awards Winners

Courtney Kerr2025-02-28T10:52:35-05:00February 27, 2025|

Indiana tech innovators and talent development leaders hail from Bloomington, Carmel, Evansville, Gary, Indianapolis, Muncie, South Bend and West Lafayette More than 1,500 members of the Indiana tech sector gathered at The Palladium at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel for the annual gala, now in its 26th year. The Mira Awards are designed to elevate the most innovative companies in Indiana’s tech ecosystem. Winners were selected by a rigorous judging process who reviewed 221 submissions. TechPoint, the industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s digital innovation economy, today honored 20 Indiana tech sector innovators and tech talent development leaders at the 2025 Mira Awards gala, commonly known as “The Oscars of Indiana Tech.” “Indiana’s tech ecosystem is growing deeper and more innovative every year,” said TechPoint President and CEO Ting Gootee. “It’s always a difficult decision, choosing among [...]

TechPoint Taps Eli Lilly and Company Exec Tim Coleman for 2025 Trailblazer Award

Courtney Kerr2025-02-28T12:16:30-05:00February 27, 2025|

Eli Lilly and Company’s Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President Timothy F. Coleman will be honored today as the Indiana tech sector’s 2025 Trailblazer by TechPoint, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership’s industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s digital innovation economy. Coleman, who moved to Indiana as a child, has spent his career at Lilly in Indianapolis. The award will be presented this evening at the 2025 Mira Awards gala, known as “The Oscars of Indiana Tech,” which celebrates the best of tech in Indiana each year, including recognizing outstanding people, products and companies. “Lilly has always been an innovator in the biomedical arena, and Tim Coleman helped us bring that spirit to embrace and adopt technology across many divisions, which enabled us to evolve and thrive in an era of unparalleled change,” said TechPoint President and CEO Ting Gootee. “His contributions have not [...]

Joyce Irwin Named Vice Chair of the Ascend Indiana Board of Directors

Courtney Kerr2025-03-11T14:40:05-04:00February 26, 2025|

Ascend Indiana, the talent and workforce development initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), announced today that long-time healthcare executive Joyce Irwin has been named vice chair of the Ascend Indiana Board of Directors. Irwin is president and CEO of Community Health Network Foundation and has served as a member of the Ascend Board of Directors since 2016. Irwin joins Ascend Board Chair, Bridget Boyle, global practice lead – executive recruiting and pipelining at Roche Diagnostics, in leading the 32-member board. “We are excited for Joyce to serve as our vice chair and continue to contribute her expertise to our Board of Directors and our organization. Her deep understanding and experience with healthcare are invaluable as we work to fulfill our mission to ensure all Hoosiers and all employers are equipped to thrive in Indiana’s evolving economy,” said [...]

TechPoint Youth and TechPoint Announce 2025 Bridge Builder Award

Courtney Kerr2025-03-31T08:53:57-04:00February 26, 2025|

TechPoint Youth and TechPoint today announced Chelsey Thompson, who serves as Principal at William Penn STEM Middle School in Indianapolis as the 2025 Bridge Builder Award winner. Thompson was credited with “profoundly” impacting her students by fostering a culture of inclusivity and opportunity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and for prioritizing opening doors to STEM learning for all students, particularly those from under represented communities, including BIPOC and ENL populations. “Chelsey has been a tireless advocate for engaging students who are underrepresented in STEM fields,” said TechPoint Youth President and CEO George Giltner. “She has cultivated a culture where diversity is celebrated and an accessible high-quality STEM education is a priority. Her efforts have inspired countless young people to see themselves as innovators and leaders in fields where they have historically been underrepresented, paving the way for a more inclusive and [...]

Nextech and TechPoint Announce 2025 Nextech K12 Computer Science Teacher of the Year

Courtney Kerr2025-02-28T14:09:03-05:00February 25, 2025|

Nextech and TechPoint have named Tinya Fisher, an educator at Indianapolis Public Schools’ Arsenal Technical High School, as the 2025 Nextech K12 Computer Science Teacher of the Year. The annual award, selected by the Nextech board of directors, honors educators who inspire students and creatively incorporate technology in their classrooms, significantly improving student achievement. “Nextech is dedicated to supporting teachers and enhancing the technical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills of K-12 students,” said Nextech President Karen Jung. “We aim to ensure Indiana remains a national leader in providing quality computer science education, and Tinya Fisher is a key leader in making that vision a reality at her school.” Fisher, who was named Arsenal Tech’s Teacher of the Year in 2022, switched to computer science after teaching finance and preparing students for college and careers for 20 years. The switch came after she completed a [...]

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