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IUPUI alumni and faculty members named to IBJ's annual 'Forty Under 40' list
Feb. 26, 2013
IUPUI faculty members and alumni were included in the recently released Indianapolis Business Journal's 21st annual list of “Forty Under 40” young professionals to watch. Honorees are selected based on the level of success the person has achieved in his or her chosen field and accomplishments in the community.
IUPUI honorees: Class of 2013
Chastity Q. Thompson, assistant dean of the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law's Office of Professional Development, earned a J.D. from the law school on the IUPUI campus. She joined the faculty of the law school as associate director of professional development in summer 2004. “I have a passion to work with students,” Thompson said. “This was a really good fit for me to work in the law, still do some pro bono cases and still be in education.” Read more
Matthew Holley is director of curriculum and instructional design for medical student programs at the IU School of Medicine, also on the IUPUI campus. "My nomination to the IBJ reflects a commitment to community service,” Holley said. "I was very fortunate to grow up in a family with a strong history in public service, including my grandmother, who was in public office, and my brother, who is the eighth Illinois State Police trooper in my family." Holley is board member at IndyHub; co-executive director for the Miss Metropolitan Scholarship Program; and a fundraiser for the Damien Center, Alpha Chi Omega and the Indianapolis Zoo.
Una Osili is director of research at the IU School of Philanthropy in Indianapolis. “I am honored to be in the company of so many outstanding community leaders,” Osili said. “It is a privilege to collaborate with exceptional colleagues at IUPUI, at IU and around the world to help make a difference.” Read more.
Katie Culp, senior managing director and principal at Cassidy Turley Commercial Real Estate Services, graduated with an MBA from the Kelley School of Business-Indianapolis in 2004 and a Bachelor of Science in public policy from IU Bloomington's School of Public and Environmental Affairs in 1999. As senior managing director for Cassidy Turley, she’s done business in 42 states, negotiating $115 million in incentives for 8 million square feet of office and industrial space. “It’s meaningful to be engaged and spend time and invest money in an organization where you can see directly the benefits of the program,” she said.
Edward Battista, owner and manager of Bluebeard restaurant, earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from the Kelley School of Business-Indianapolis in 2009. Battista owns the trendy Bluebeard restaurant in Fountain Square and is a law student at the McKinney School of Law. “I want to build community-based development. I want to build a whole community and bring up a whole area,” he said.
Frank Dale, entrepreneur, earned an MBA from the Kelley School of Business-Indianapolis in 2010. He works for DeveloperTown helping startups get their products to market more quickly. “I like solving challenging problems,” he said. “So I’ll look at where the gaps are, what I need to learn, then I try to find opportunities that give me a chance to stretch.”
Rob Laycock, vice president of marketing for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, completed a Bachelor of Science in marketing and sociology at IU Bloomington in 2003 and an MBA at Kelley in Indianapolis in 2006. “Everywhere I go outside the state, when people find out I work for the Pacers, they always mention the movie ‘Hoosiers,’ and ‘in 49 states, it’s just basketball.’ In the business world, you call that a core competency, and I want to make sure we keep that as a community.”
Michele Jackson, of the law firm Harden Jackson and president of MLJ Adoptions, earned her J.D. from the McKinney School of Law in 2000. "Every day, I just look at the big picture of what’s happening, even if I’m just doing business contracts, and how that’s helping put children in families forever that otherwise -- especially in my Africa program -- would starve to death. For those kids, it’s making all the difference in their lives.”
Hannah Joseph, of the law firm Katz & Korin, and co-owner of King David Dogs with her husband, earned her J.D. from the McKinney School of Law in 2004. She also makes time to teach as an adjunct at the McKinney School. “I understand what my clients are going through and appreciate the anxiety and cost associated with using an attorney -- but also the necessity of it,” she said.
Lawren Mills, attorney and lobbyist with Ice Miller Strategies, earned her J.D. from the McKinney School of Law in 2004. She was previously senior policy director and legislative director in Gov. Mitch Daniels’ administration. The biggest challenge she saw in state government was “to balance good ideas with the money to implement them,” she said.
