March 19: Fred Payne
By Rotary Club of Indianapolis on March 15, 2024
| Join us Tuesday to hear from Fred Payne the President and CEO of the United Way of Central Indiana, where his focus is helping people live the lives they are capable of living throughout Central Indiana, and a goal of distancing 10,000 households from poverty over the next five years. Fred previously served as Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development after being appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb in 2017. He led Indiana’s response to the extreme unemployment brought on by the COVID pandemic in 2020, which saw the state’s unemployment rate quickly rise to the highest level, 16.9%, in recent history. Under Fred’s tenure, the state unemployment rate moved down to a historic low of 2.2%. He was instrumental in developing the state’s Next Level Jobs program and increased the number of MBE & WBE participants utilizing Employer Training grants, and more than 26,000 Hoosiers gained employment skills and high quality job credentials or college credits. Prior to serving as Commissioner, Fred was an executive at Honda’s Indiana Auto Plant (IAP), where he served as Chief Administrator, General Counsel, Manager of the Business Division, corporate secretary, a member of the Company Operating Committee, and represented Honda across North America on the Retirement & 401k and Diversity & Inclusion Committees. During his time at Honda, he was instrumental in DEI efforts and established the Office of Inclusion & Diversity. Fred spent his early career practicing employment and labor law, representing clients in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Indiana Civil Rights Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board. Recognized as one of Indiana’s 250 Most Influential Leaders by the Indianapolis Business Journal, Fred is considered an expert on workforce/employment and poverty topics and is frequently asked to speak in many venues. He was awarded the Sagamore of The Wabash, the highest honor given by a sitting governor to those who have rendered distinguished service to the state. Fred serves on the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, and the boards of Ascend Indiana, InvestEd, and Honda Federal Credit Union. Fred earned his J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law, M.A. (geography) from the University of Northern Iowa, and B.A. (political science) from Grambling State University. All are welcome at Rotary programs. If attending in-person at the Murat Shrine reservations and prepayment are appreciated, but not required. Register on Square at https://rotary-club-of-indianapolis.square.site/. If registering on site we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. Lunch and networking start at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. To join our meeting via Zoom starting at 12:15 p.m. go to https://zoom.us/j/710170874?pwd=bFE4ejJTc29IMlNzVmx1Wlg4MTA1UT09. While our Tuesday programs via Zoom are free to attend a suggested donation of $3 – $5 is appreciated in lieu of the typical room fee. These contributions help defray the cost of our hybrid meetings. Please note that donations to the Rotary Club of Indianapolis are not tax deductible. You can support our hybrid meetings at https://rotary-club-of-indianapolis.square.site/. Meeting ID: 710 170 874 Password: 821795 If joining via a mobile phone for audio only click one of the following numbers: +13126266799,,710170874#,,#,821795# US (Chicago) +19292056099,,710170874#,,#,821795# US (New York) You can also join us from a landline phone. +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) Meeting ID: 710 170 874 Password: 821795 Upcoming Programs: March 26: Offsite Program at RecycleForce, Pre-registration is required April 2: Tyler Leishman, Chief Strategy Officer, Riley Children’s Health April 9: Joshua Pedde, Executive Artistic Director, Indianapolis Children’s Choir April 16: Gregory Hill, Sr., CEO, Indianapolis Public Library |
