2022 Housing Conference Speakers

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Bruce R. Baird, President & CEO, Merchants Affordable Housing Corp.

Before joining MAHC, Mr. Baird served as Chief Operating Officer of Renew Indianapolis, Inc. In this position, he was responsible for the internal operations of the organization including lending, real estate development, marketing, information technology and human resource support.

Prior to joining Renew Indianapolis in 2017, Mr. Baird served as President of Insight Development Corp., the development arm of the Indianapolis Housing Agency. During his tenure at Insight, he built or renovated over 1,800 affordable housing units utilizing low-income housing tax credits and other creative funding sources. Prior to Insight, Mr. Baird worked in leadership positions for the City of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, and Eastside Community Investments.

Bryan Stumpf, pla, aicp, Owner, 11th Street Development and Civic Blueprint

Combining experience as a real estate developer, landscape architect, urban planner, and real estate broker, Mr. Stumpf created two companies to propel neighborhood improvement. 11th Street Development produces the best mix of uses for a specific site and surrounding neighborhood to create community through design, development, and investment. Civic Blueprint provides custom zoning ordinances to empower public vision while addressing hot issues such as housing diversity and community appearance.

Christine Altman, Hamilton County Commissioner

Christine Altman was first elected as a Hamilton County Commissioner in 2002 and served as a Hamilton County Council member at large for the 6 years prior.

A native of Fort Wayne, Altman obtained her undergraduate degree from the Indiana University Kelly School of Business in 1977 with a major in accounting and worked for Price Waterhouse, Houston, prior to attending law school. She was admitted to the bar in Indiana in 1981, where she graduated Cum Laude. In addition to serving as a Commissioner Altman has been in private practice for over 40 years concentrating her efforts in business, probate, and real estate law at Altman Poindexter & Wyatt, LLC, Attorneys at Law.

Altman previously chaired the Conner Prairie Museum Board of Directors and was pro bono legal counsel for the Carmel High School Vocational Building Trades Corporation for 25 years. She is a former founder, president, and dean of the Hamilton County Leadership Academy and a former director of the Carmel Clay Chamber of Commerce.

Corrie Meyer, President and CEO, Innovative Planning

Corrie Meyer, is an entrepreneur working in the urban environment, utilizing her credentials as a certified Urban Planner and licensed Landscape Architect. As President and CEO of Innovative Planning, a Central Indiana strategic planning firm, she works to improve quality of life.  She provides visionary and adaptive leadership for her clients by delivering creative site layouts, pro-formas and development solutions for mixed-use projects and communities seeking a firm path forward.  Her strength is overseeing development strategies that drive transformative change.  Corrie is driven to inspire, and support others make a positive change in their environment by thinking through significant goals that influence the course of time

Danielle Carey Tolan, Trustee, Westfield Washington Township

Danielle Carey Tolan serves as the Westfield Washington Township Trustee, Hamilton County.  In this elected position, which she has held since 2015, Danielle works tirelessly to advance and improve township government services ranging from public assistance to fire protection to parks. Her collaborative approach is focused on streamlining processes and continuous improvement, as illustrated by efforts such as enhancing communications and merging with the local City Parks Department. Her team operates under the mission of “We Assist, We Protect, We Impact, We Connect, We Grow.”  In 2021, Danielle was honored to be selected as- -the Trustee of the Year by the Indiana Township Association. Danielle is an advocate for agriculture as part of a fifth-generation farm family.  She is involved with many rural organizations such as the Indiana Rural Caucus, AgrIInstitute and Indiana Women in Agriculture.  Danielle volunteers in a variety of ways including serving as president and founding member of the Women of Westfield, as well as serving as a member of the Westfield Youth Assistance Program board, the Westfield Economic Development Foundation and many other organizations. She and her husband enjoy the activities of their son and can be found many weekends at shooting sports competitions or watching a livestock show. 

Jim Morris, President & CEO, Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity

Jim Morris is husband to Shantel (25 years), father to Dylan (18) and Kyla (16) and the President & CEO of Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity.  Jim is in his 11th year leading Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity.  He has a total of 32 years’ experience in both the profit and non-profit sectors.  He has spent his last 24 years in the non-profit sector with direct experience in affordable housing, arts & culture, and comprehensive community & economic development.

In his eight years in the for-profit sector, he primarily worked in the residential building and construction industry.

He completed his MBA in 2008 from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College after being awarded the Martin Bell Scholarship, a full-ride scholarship awarded annually to a senior nonprofit executive who demonstrates outstanding leadership in their nonprofit field.  Jim is also a published writer, having written for several magazines. 

He is an Indiana native, born and raised in Michigan City and finished his undergraduate work at Ball State University with a degree in Journalism & Marketing.  He attends Common Ground Church.

John Franklin Hay, M.Div., D.Min., Near East Ara Renewal (NEAR)

John Franklin Hay is an advocate around issues of homelessness, affordable housing, and community renewal. John leads Near East Area Renewal (NEAR), a nonprofit CDC that develops community as it creates great places for neighbors on Indy’s Near Eastside. www.nearindy.org Hay has directed Horizon House, the John Boner Neighborhood Center, and Shepherd Community Center.

Since 2009, NEAR has focused its efforts to revitalize a hard-hit neighborhood on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. Nearly 45% of St. Clair Place properties were vacant in 2009. Since then, using available affordable housing resources and developing only abandoned houses and vacant lots, NEAR has developed 150 homes for low-to-moderate income households in a major revitalization effort. In partnership with the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP) and the City of Indianapolis, NEAR has developed The Educators’ Village, a cluster of 22 affordable houses focused on helping Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) and urban charter schools retain great teachers.

NEAR has also developed St. Clair Senior Apartments and in 2020 created the Minnie Hartmann Center, which includes 64 units of affordable senior adult housing and a child daycare center in long-vacant IPS School 78. In 2019, NEAR developed an EPA-funded reuse plan for a 50-acre industrial brownfield known as Sherman Park (former HQ for RCA). www.shermanparkplan.com

John graduated from Plainfield (Indiana) High School and Olivet Nazarene University (B.A.) and then earned Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) graduate degrees. He occasionally teaches as Adjunct Faculty in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI.

John is an active cyclist and writer. He’s participated in and led international fundraising bicycle rides through India, Vietnam, Kenya, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Chile. In 2013, Hay published a novel, What Saved Grace?, which explores the beauty and complexity of compassion.

Justin Moffett, Founder/CEO, Old Town Companies

Justin founded Old Town Design Group with partner Jeff Langston in 2009. Their initial vision of a home building company that exclusively builds in outstanding locations with timelessly-designed architecture quickly captured the market’s attention. Under their combined leadership, Old Town expanded beyond home building and has become one of the most diverse real estate development companies in Central Indiana. In addition to building hundreds of homes and over a dozen residential subdivisions, Old Town has developed several noteworthy commercial projects including Midtown Carmel, which has become a premier Class A office destination for all of Central Indiana.

Prior to founding Old Town, Justin studied ministry and counseling at Indiana Wesleyan and served as a youth pastor of a church. Justin’s pursuit of excellence and compassion in everything he does has led to his success in building a diversely-talented team for the formation of Old Town Companies. 

Justin is a lifelong resident of Carmel and is husband to his wife, Jennifer and father to their four sons. In his free time, Justin is an avid boater, snow skier and gardener.

Katie Wertz, Vice President of Connections and Insights, Ancora and Greenstreet Ltd

In her role as Vice President of Connections and Insights, Ms. Wertz works with the firm’s regional teams to explore issues and opportunities in the innovation ecosystems of new markets and with the firm’s anchor institution partners. With experience in consulting, community development, and real estate development, Ms. Wertz brings a unique perspective; one that integrates master planning with market-based strategies that foster visionary and actionable solutions. Ms. Wertz has managed numerous planning and redevelopment efforts across the country, ranging from small college towns to some of the nation’s fastest growing metropolitan areas.

Ms. Wertz has over a decade of experience working with anchor institutions, public-sector partners, and philanthropic organization to craft and implement projects, programs, and policies that solve the institution’s enterprise strategy while addressing the larger needs of the communities they serve. In her previous role at Greenstreet Ltd., an Indianapolis-based strategic planning and real estate practice, Ms. Wertz played a leading role in developing and implementing the Health District Master Plan in partnership with IU Health, attracting a pipeline of nearly $750M in mixed-use development to support the health system’s new medical center campus and the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Ms. Wertz led a team of planners and analyst to evaluate and index neighborhoods using market, demographic, and physical elements to determine priority funding needs that would allow the City of Indianapolis and their partners to make targeted investments in each Indianapolis neighborhood. This approach allowed public and philanthropic investors to meet each neighborhood where they are, tailoring investments and tools to the exact needs of the community versus a traditional approach of providing the same funding and tools regardless of underlying neighborhood issues and needs. Building on that work, Ms. Wertz led the firm’s work to analyze and index the economic mobility of neighborhoods across Indianapolis. The index was used by a local CDFI to prioritize and guide funding for affordable and equitable housing solutions. 

Ms. Wertz earned a Bachelor of Urban Planning and Development and Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Ball State University. She is an active member of the Urban Land Institute and volunteers with a variety of Indianapolis organizations that align with her interest in equitable development, food access, and youth.

Marchelle Berry, Executive Director, Radiant Communities Development Corporation

Marchelle has been involved in the real estate industry since 2005 where she’s held positions in land acquisition, residential and commercial sales and leasing, real estate appraising and real estate development.  Since 2008, Marchelle has worked extensively in the development of attainable housing and community development through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. She has been involved in the development of 16 affordable senior, workforce and multi-family communities, each providing integrated social services for residents.

As Executive Director, Marchelle brings together development partners and leads in the creation of community and economic development, resulting in housing, economic renewal, and social service programs.

Megan Vukusich, Director of Planning & Zoning, City of Fishers

Megan Vukusich, Director of Planning & Zoning for the City of Fishers, has been with Fishers since 2017 and in her current position since 2021. Earlier this year the City of Fishers wrapped up a city-wide housing study which was facilitated by consultant, Urban Partners, and a community housing taskforce, to establish a benchmark for housing strategies moving forward.

Michael Osborne, President, Near North Development Corporation

Michael Osborne was born and raised in northern Indiana, where he began his 40-year professional career as a member of the family real estate brokerage and development business.  After earning dual master’s degrees in Urban Planning and Economic Geography, Michael spent a decade and a half in senior city government positions responsible for creating and leading a breadth of community and economic development initiatives.  Since 2007, Michael has served as President of Near North Development Corporation, a community-based non-profit working in urban Indianapolis. In that capacity he has led the organization’s involvement in more than $40 million of affordable housing and mixed-use development projects on the near north side of the city, recently forging a long-term strategic collaboration with Indiana University Health for the new, innovative Health District initiative aimed at increasing investment, housing and economic opportunity, and quality of life in the neighborhoods surrounding Methodist Hospital.

Mike Thibideau, Vice President of Workforce Strategy, Invest Hamilton County

Mike Thibideau serves the Hamilton County Economic Development Corporation (dba Invest Hamilton County) as Vice President of Workforce Strategy. In this role Mike manages workforce development, talent attraction and quality of life initiatives throughout Hamilton County. 

Prior to joining HCEDC Mike served as Director of the Indiana Workforce Recovery initiative, a partnership between the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the administration of Governor Eric Holcomb to help employers retain talent struggling with substance misuse and/or mental health concerns, and Executive Director of the Indiana Construction Roundtable.

Mike graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Public Policy & Public Administration and is currently enrolled at the O’Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs at IUPUI. He is a board member of the Indiana Recovery Council, Region 5 Workforce Board, incoming member of the Indiana Commission on Vocational Rehabilitation and has spoken at the White House on non-traditional job seeker pathways and employer supports for substance use disorder.

Mike lives in Carmel, IN with his wife, Elizabeth, daughters, Hazel and Cecelia, and two cats. In his free time he enjoys golf, cosplay, and Michigan State Basketball.

Samantha Spergel, Director of Real Estate Strategic Initiatives and Engagement & Director of Operations for the Indiana Emergency Rental Assistance Program, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority

Samantha Spergel is the Director of Real Estate Strategic Initiatives and Engagement and the Director of Operations for the Indiana Emergency Rental Assistance Program at the Indiana Housing and Community Development  Authority. Samantha provides policy oversight on numerous HUD capital programs which fund and support affordable housing production and preservation across the state of Indiana, manages technical assistance and capacity building efforts for local units of government and nonprofits, oversees the Agency’s workforce housing and healthy homes programs, and co-manages the state’s COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

Samantha holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Political Science from The College of Wooster, and a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University.

Sarah Reed, Community Development Director, City of Noblesville

Sarah Reed is the Community Development Director for the City of Noblesville and a certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners. She was appointed by Mayor Chris Jensen to this newly created deputy mayor level position in January 2020 after serving the past four years as the city’s Director of Planning and Development and an Economic Development Specialist prior. Sarah has been with the City of Noblesville for 8 years and has been responsible for many of the major initiatives that the city of Noblesville has recently conducted including the 2020 Comprehensive Plan Update. In addition, Sarah has led the development of the Residential Market Analysis and the Noblesville Downtown District Streetscape Master Plan to create a clear vision for one of Noblesville’s most unique assets, its authentic downtown.

Always striving to improve her connection with the community, Sarah’s leadership goes well beyond her work for the city. She is a 2013 graduate of the Hamilton County Leadership Academy, she has earned the national designation of Certified Public Manager from Ball State University and is a 2016 graduate of the Oklahoma University – Economic Development Institute. She is the active Cub Scout Pack 103 Committee Chair (Cicero, IN) for the Monon District of the Boy Scouts of America; a Nickel Plate Arts Board member, a Ball State Bowen Center for Public Affairs – Public Service Advisory Board member; a member of the Indy Partnership Council and is a member of inaugural class the Noblesville Schools’ Miller Ambassadors. Most recently she completed the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series in the class of 2020-2021.

Tom Kilian, President, Hamilton County Community Foundation and IMPACT Central IN

As an experienced executive with more than 20 years of professional experience, 18 of those years devoted to philanthropy and fundraising, Tom Kilian, President of the Hamilton County Community Foundation and IMPACT Central IN has noteworthy expertise in strategic planning, major and planned gift acquisition, community development and accountability, foundation infrastructure and policies, board management, and innovative revenue generation. Throughout his professional career, Tom has managed the creation and implementation of programs, services, and operations while creating significant internal and external relationships throughout the philanthropic landscape.

In his current role as the President of the Hamilton County Community Foundation, Tom has overseen the creation and implementation of the first comprehensive strategic plan of the foundation, ideated and implemented the first Not-For-Profit Collaboration Hub in Central Indiana, and increased assets from 53 million to 120 million in five years. In addition to his role as the President of the Foundation, Tom is also the co-creator and President of IMPACT Central Indiana. IMPACT Central Indiana deploys capital to underappreciated communities and invests in the development of entrepreneurs within those communities who do not have traditional access to capital. Since launching in the spring of 2020, IMPACT Central Indiana has invested more than $6 million into the community.

Prior to Hamilton County Community Foundation, Tom’s career largely focused on higher education. Playing leadership roles in the development and execution of several philanthropic campaigns across various campus landscapes. Most recently, as Executive Director of the Ivy Tech Community College Foundation in Central Indiana, where he successfully launched the largest regional campaign in college history. Prior to joining Ivy Tech, Tom had extensive experience raising money in support of large four-year public institutions, as well as a small four-year private institution.

Tom earned a B.S. from Indiana State University, an M.S. from Indiana University, and an executive certificate from the University of Notre Dame. Outside the office, Tom volunteers with several organizations, including sitting on the board of directors for the YMCA of Central Indiana. Both professionally and personally Tom strives to make a difference in the lives he touches. He is a results driven leader, eager to help individuals and organizations pursue their mission, create their vision and strategically achieve their goals. When he isn’t working or volunteering, he enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer and their daughters, Samantha and Ellison. He loves the culinary scene, and tries to spend as much time as possible outdoors.

Tony Bagato, Land Entitlement Manager, Lennar Homes of Indiana

Tony Bagato is currently the Land Entitlement Manager for Lennar Homes of Indiana. He joined Lennar Homes in 2021 after working as a municipal city planner for nearly 20 years. Tony earned his Bachelor of Science in City and Regional Planning from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2001. He began his career in the City of Palm Desert, California where he worked for 14 years before he became the Director of Planning & Zoning for the City of Fishers in 2016. Tony has served as a Planning Commission member, and has dealt with affordable housing issues while working in California.