Category: Latest News

  • March 22, Anucha Browne, Vice President, Women’s Basketball Championships

    March 22, Anucha Browne, Vice President, Women’s Basketball Championships

    Anucha Browne Sanders is the NCAA’s vice president of women’s basketball championships. In this role, Browne Sanders sets the strategic direction for, and oversees the operation and management of, the Division I, II and III women’s basketball championships. The NCAA’s Women’s Final Four is just around corner on April 3 and 5 and is set to take place right here in Indianapolis, so this is the perfect time to learn more about the championship!

    Browne Sanders was previously the University of Buffalo senior associate athletic director and senior woman administrator, where she supervised men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, softball, swimming, diving and rowing. She was also responsible for marketing and ticket sales efforts, corporate partnerships, community relations, event presentation and operations for revenue sports.

    Prior to her service at Buffalo, Browne Sanders was the senior vice president of marketing and business operations for the NBA’s New York Knicks. In her collegiate career, Browne Sanders was a highly decorated women’s basketball student-athlete at Northwestern University, earning all-Big Ten team honors three times and Big Ten Player of the Year twice. Browne Sanders holds the all-time conference records for scoring (2,307 points) and rebounds (951). In 1985, she led all Division I women’s basketball players in scoring average with 30.5 points per game. We are excited to welcome this champion to Rotary!

  • March 15, Ann Murtlow, President & CEO, United Way of Central Indiana

    March 15, Ann Murtlow, President & CEO, United Way of Central Indiana

    On April 1, 2013, Ann D. Murtlow became the 13th executive to lead United Way of Central Indiana. She was chosen following a national search and has extensive corporate and nonprofit board experience.

    Prior to joining United Way of Central Indiana, she was an independent consultant providing advice on strategy, execution, growth and leadership. Previously, Ann was an AES Corporation executive and president & CEO at Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) where she became one of the few female chief executives in the electric utility industry. During her nine-year tenure at IPL, she focused on providing value to company stakeholders through operating excellence in the areas of safety, environmental performance, reliability, customer service, financial performance, employee engagement and community leadership.

  • March 8, Brian Payne, CICF

    Listen to the audio:

    Brian Payne100 Years of The Indianapolis Foundation: Looking Back and Charging Forward

    The Indianapolis Foundation, which began in 1916, is one of the oldest community foundations in the world.  It was founded by Evans Woollen who was also the entrepreneur who started the Fletcher Savings and Trust Company and was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the United States Presidential election of 1928.  Founding Trustees of the Board included J.K. Lilly and Vice President of the United States Charles Fairbanks.

    Brian will talk about how The Indianapolis Foundation and the Central Indiana Community Foundation will celebrate throughout the year by engaging and “wowing” the community including the establishment of two exciting “Ben Franklin Funds!”

  • April 23, Tree Planting at Garfield Park

    April 23, Tree Planting at Garfield Park


    A lot of us are starting to think about spring and tree planting! Can’t wait to get out? Then, check out the Garfield Park Tree Planting event. This is a Rotary-supported event along with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and the Friends of Garfield Park.

    Sign up today! We are targeting 150 volunteers to plant 140 trees. And, a tree planting demo will be provided along with the required tools and refreshments at the event. Kids are welcome.

  • Rotary Golfs in the Winter!

    Rotary Golfs in the Winter!

    On a cold February day (25 degrees), 12 Rotarians met to play golf in the warm inside confines of Golftec (70 degrees).  We divided into 3 teams and played a scramble format golf tournament coordinated on 3 simulators to be the exact course.  Rotarians got to swing their own clubs on the high tech simulators for a chance to play golf in the depth of winter.  The simulators were advanced Trackman launch monitors and High Definition monitors that showed the flight of the ball and provided distance, club head speed and many other statistics.  The simulators even allowed for putting on the greens which seemed to confound many of the participants.

    The consensus of the group was that it was a fun experience and we were glad to have an opportunity to swing a club with fellow Rotarian in the winter. Afterwards we met at a local brewery for fellowship and discuss our golf prowess (or lack thereof).  Thanks to Jerry Clifford for the attached picture of the group.

  • April 16 – Join the Rotary Racers Team!

    April 16 – Join the Rotary Racers Team!

    On April 16, 2016 our Rotary Racers Team will walk or run for the Cure! Plus, there will be Tutus and lots of pink adorned Rotarians to recognize cancer survivors, loved ones, family members and friends. It’s a great cause and our club can be proud of our Rotary Racers! Won’t you join us? Sign-up by joining the Rotary Racers Team!

    Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® Series is the world’s largest and most successful education and fundraising event for breast cancer ever created.

    The event raises significant funds and awareness for the breast cancer movement, celebrates breast cancer survivorship and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease.

    This Race is unique in the fact that 100% of the net proceeds are allocated to our mission. 75 percent of the net income stays in our community to help fund local programs offering breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment. The remaining 25 percent of the net income supports the Susan G. Komen® Grants Program.

  • February 23, 2016, Michael McRobbie, president, Indiana University

    February 23, 2016, Michael McRobbie, president, Indiana University

    Planning for Excellence in Indiana University’s Third Century: Strategic Initiatives and Opportunities for IU, Central Indiana, and the State

    As a public institution, Indiana University maintains a steadfast commitment to contributing to the economic vitality and cultural enrichment of the state of Indiana, while extending its impact across the nation and around the world. As IU prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2020, President McRobbie will describe the progress being made on the priorities of the university’s Bicentennial Strategic Plan, including strengthening the university’s commitment to student success and maximizing its capacity for research, scholarship and creative activity.

    Michael A. McRobbie became the 18th president of Indiana University on July 1, 2007. IU is one of the largest university systems in the U.S. with eight campuses, a total budget of around $3 billion, and more than 7,000 faculty, 11,000 staff, and nearly 115,000 students.

    McRobbie joined IU in 1997 as vice president for information technology and chief information officer, and was appointed vice president for research in 2003. He was named interim provost and vice president for academic affairs for IU’s Bloomington campus in 2006, and became president the following year.

  • Hubs and Spokes – Voting March 8

    Hubs and Spokes – Voting March 8

    Download the Candidate Profiles!

    2016-MASTER-slate

  • February 9, Scott Davison, CEO, OneAmerica

    February 9, Scott Davison, CEO, OneAmerica

    OneAmerica: The 138 year old company you thought you knew

    OneAmerica has been around a long time – 138 years to be precise. It’s known locally as a stable company, an exceptional community partner and for its iconic sign boards on Capital and Illinois streets.

    But there is a lot to the story you may not know. For example, did you know the company is six times larger than it was 10 years ago? Did you know that in just the last two years it has doubled in size and increased its workforce by a third? Did you know it has a national reputation as the most innovative player in the Long Term Care insurance market?

    President and CEO Scott Davison will share the story of a small regional life insurance carrier that has transformed itself into a large, diversified, financial services organization capable of competing against the giants in the industry and his views on the future of OneAmerica.

    Mr. Davison is a board member of Indiana University Health, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, LIMRA/LOMA LL Global, Million Dollar Roundtable Foundation and is a trustee of The American College. He previously served as director and Chairman of the Board of Camptown, Inc., an Indianapolis youth serving non-profit.

  • Rotarian, Elaine Bedel and her company, Bedel Financial Consulting recognized!

    Rotarian, Elaine Bedel and her company, Bedel Financial Consulting recognized!

    Rotarian Elaine Bedel and her company, Bedel Financial Consulting Selected for Financial Planning’s Top 150 RIAs List for 2016

    Financialplanning.com recently released its Top RIAs list for 2016. It’s the fifth year Financial Planning has published this list, and Bedel Financial Consulting is the only Indianapolis-based firm to be included. The 150 are a select group of RIAs (Registered Investment Advisors) who provide fee-only services. According to research firm Aité Group, there were 59,422 independent RIAs at the end of 2014, managing $2.7 trillion in assets of high net-worth individuals and institutional investors.

    “I’m honored and delighted to be ranked among the top 150 RIAs in the U.S.,” said Elaine E. Bedel, CFP®, CEO and president of Bedel Financial. “Being an independent fee-only RIA is challenging in today’s rapidly changing financial environment. But I strongly believe our independence and fee-only business model offers the highest and most ethical service to our clients.”

    New Jersey-based Discovery Data, which collects data on the financial industry, compiled the rankings for Financial Planning based on the amount of discretionary and nondiscretionary assets managed by the RIAs. To be included, the RIAs must be based in the U.S. and truly independent—free of affiliations with broker-dealers, insurance, firms, banks and large outside investors. Furthermore, individuals had to comprise 50 percent or higher of their client base.

    Bedel’s expertise as a financial advisor is frequently requested for speaking engagements and for interviews. She’s featured on WTHR Channel 13’s Your Money show every Wednesday and has authored a weekly financial planning column for Inside Indiana Business’s newsletter, “The Inside Edge,” since 2003.

    Bedel Financial is a wealth management firm providing fee-only financial planning and investment management services. Bedel founded the firm, which has since grown to 19 employees, in 1989. Bedel Financial actively manages more than $900 million in client investments.
    For more information, visit Bedel Financial.