“No one can do everything, but everybody can do something.” That is the shortened version of the approach and mission of Uncovered.com. Ashlee Fujawa, Anna Eaglin and Jim Brown have teamed to unleash an army of “citizen detectives” to help address the more than 200,000 cold cases involving murdered or missing people in the United States. They do not promise justice, but peace of mind that everything possible is being done to find answers. Some cases are 50 years old; others may have just recently occurred. All publicly available information is brought together in one place from news stories, photos and maps to podcasts, timelines and more. Crowdsourcing is used to help fill in gaps. The three tech veterans are employing a common playbook of collecting information and bringing it back together – and applying it in a new space. Learn more:

www.Uncovered.com

Ashlee Fujawa (www.linkedin.com/in/ashlee-wilson-fujawa)

Anna Eaglin (www.linkedin.com/in/anna-eaglin)

Jim Brown (www.linkedin.com/in/jimbrown) 

A business trip to New York City decades ago had him thinking, “Oh, my gosh, I made it!” But despite national and international business deals and travels, Scott McCorkle is all Indiana all the time. The Software Artistry-ExactTarget-Salesforce veteran is seeking another big hit with MetaCX and its focus on the software partnership between buyers and sellers. It’s a risky proposition, with an additional $7.5 million (and more) in funding on the way. McCorkle shares the benefits of talking to a customer each and every day, provides his analysis to the ongoing question of venture capital for Indiana entrepreneurs and says the overall success of Indiana’s tech ecosystem should be measured in decades – not years.

 Learn more: 

MetaCX (metacx.com)

Scott McCorkle (www.linkedin.com/in/scott-mccorkle-206b1)

High Alpha (highalpha.com) 

Michael McRobbie came to Indiana University in 1997 (from his native Australia) as the school’s first vice president for information technology and chief information officer. He retires (as of June 30) 24 years later (14 as president) with a long list of accomplishments, including numbers of degrees awarded and amounts of external research funding earned. The approach to regional campuses evolved during his tenure, while the commitment to international opportunities and partnerships accelerated to record levels. Innovation always was at the forefront for the 70-year-old McRobbie, who cites an enormous challenge to American university supremacy in this area. He outlines the role of athletics at a major university – and the “jab” he was able to take at his wife during the 2020 football season.

 Learn more:

IU Office of the President (https://president.iu.edu)

Michael McRobbie (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-mcrobbie-6a503838/) 

Allison Barber brings an education and business background to her role as president and chief operating officer of the Indiana Fever. It’s no surprise that she teamed with several community partners to create a unique program titled Athlete to Advocate. The goal was to give Fever players a chance to amplify their message and make a bigger difference than they already are in the areas in which they are most passionate. On the court, the team is “home” for the first time in more than 600 days. A new coach and a good mix of veteran players and newcomers provides optimism for the 2021 season, the 25th in WNBA history. Barber outlines the growing championship culture for the Fever and the benefits it will bring for all aspects of the franchise and for its players. Learn more:

 Indiana Fever (fever.wnba.com)

Allison Barber (fever.wnba.com/video/meet-fever-president-dr-allison-barber)

Athlete to Advocate (fever.wnba.com/news/fever-players-athlete-to-advocate-program)

Beth Keyser, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana, says her life’s work has been focused on “improving the health of humanity.” In her nearly 10 months in her current role, she has emphasized those words to Anthem’s nearly 5,000 Indiana associates. She says it is reinforcing that Anthem is not just a health insurance company, but a health-focused one. The strategies are not new in the form of proactive, preventive care instead of sick care. While she acknowledges the challenges – including poor outcomes and high costs – in her new home state, she is optimistic about movement toward “making the healthy choice the easy choice.” The Mississippi native has worked in the industry through the country and internationally. She is enjoying Indiana sunsets and looking forward to some travel experiences around the state.

Learn more:

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (www.anthem.com)

July 2020 press release (www.anthem.com/press/indiana/beth-keyser-named-president-of-anthem-blue-cross-and-blue-shield-in-indiana)

Growing up in a housing project in Terre Haute and seeing his mother faced with a $400 gas bill she could not pay left a lasting impression on AJ Patton. Today, he is blending entrepreneurship, clean energy, neighborhood revitalization, new jobs and more through 548 Capital in hard-hit communities in Chicago. A Black man, he was on the receiving end of hundreds of “No’s” when it came to raising money. It took a stint as an Uber driver to turn things around. Terre Haute is still home for family members, and he is looking to bring the important work he is doing there and to several other Indiana locations. From someone who “did not know a person who looked like me who wore a tie to work until I was 18 years old” to leading a single project that included 14 minority- and women-owned contractors, Patton is determined to build more bridges. “I’m part of those people you just can’t write of,” he says. And you should not.

Learn more:

·        548 Capital (https://548capital.com)

·        AJ Patton (www.linkedin.com/in/aj-patton-34077914)

·        Energy News Network profile (https://energynews.us/2019/08/22/entrepreneurs-launch-clean-energy-powered-affordable-housing-startup-in-chicago)

“It’s a really, really, really big world out there and there are a lot of customers in it.” That is among the parting shots during an engaging conversation with Mark Klein, regional director for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Klein adds that companies, no matter their size or product line, should not be afraid to ask for help. While exporting may not be for everyone, there are more than a few businesses that would no longer be in business without the international customers. EXIM is the official export credit agency of the U.S., supplementing financing that is already out there. Through a pre-export solution to export credit insurance and foreign buyer financing, EXIM reduces risk and provides the guarantees that help keep the export chain well-oiled. Klein has 20-plus years of experience in Indiana in the banking and EXIM worlds.

Learn more:

Export-Import Bank of the United States www.exim.gov

Mark Klein www.linkedin.com/in/markklein1

Indiana’s first Secretary of Education makes it immediately clear that she is passionate about her profession. “I go to bed thinking about it. I wake up thinking about it. And sometimes, in the middle of the night, I wake up thinking about it.” Jenner outlines her experiences – both in the classroom and with community partners in administrative roles – her relationship with Gov. Eric Holcomb (her current and former boss) and the priorities she is hearing about on a current listening tour. She says there is no room for the finger pointing between K-12 education and business that took place at one point in time. Similarly, the government silos must, once and for all, be broken down. Partnerships are one of the keys – as long as they ultimately benefit students.

 Indiana Department of Education (www.doe.in.gov)

Katie Jenner (www.doe.in.gov/idoe/superintendent)