The Indiana State Museum is privileged to have an incredible board of directors who believe in the power of museums. This passionate group of professionals is committed to our mission and dedicated to making our vision a reality.
See the board of directors’ meeting schedule and audited financials.
Fred H. Cate a Distinguished Professor and C. Ben Dutton Professor of Law at Indiana University. He served as Vice President for Research from 2015 to 2023 and as the founding director of IU’s Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research from 2003 to 2014, where he is now a senior fellow. He specializes in information security and privacy law and has testified before numerous congressional committees and served on many government, industry, UN, OECD, and National Academies’ committees. Professor Cate attended Oxford University and received his J.D. and his A.B. with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University. A former Senator and President of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, he is a fellow of Phi Beta Kappa and the American Bar Foundation, and an elected member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute. He is a senior advisor to Red Barn Strategy, a strategic consulting firm that partners with government and private organizations to advance responsible data stewardship.
Nancy Jordan serves on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, representing Northeast Indiana’s District 3. Also, through Bulldog Consulting Services, Nancy provides executive expertise for Insurance Industry and other business clients. Prior to joining Bulldog, Nancy stepped down as Senior Vice President at Lincoln Financial Group to serve on Indiana Governor Holcomb’s Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission. At Lincoln, she served as SVP, Head of Individual Annuity Operations, responsible for the care of over 1 million annuity contracts and $130 billion in assets. She was a member of the company’s Corporate Leadership Group and site leader for the Fort Wayne operations. She served on the Lincoln Financial Foundation grant committee and also as the founding Executive Chair of Lincoln’s People with Disabilities Business Resource Group, leading Lincoln to 4 consecutive 100% scores on the Disability Equity Index Benchmarking. Active in community affairs, Jordan serves on the Indiana State Museum Foundation Board and the AWS Foundation Finance Committee. Her service includes the boards of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, Greater Fort Wayne Inc. and she is past President of the Allen County-Fort Wayne Capital Improvement Board. Jordan holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University Fort Wayne and was named Outstanding Alumni by The Doermer School of Business. She is a CPA, is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and held FINRA registrations Series 6, 26 and 27.
Liz Witte serves as the Chief Financial Officer of SIGMA Equipment in Evansville, Indiana. Prior to joining SIGMA, she was the Vice President of Planning & Corporate Development for Vectren Corporation.
Liz is a graduate of Ball State University, where she earned her B.S. in Finance and Master of Business Administration degrees. Liz is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana but she and her husband, Ken, have resided in Newburgh, Indiana for over 20 years.
Melissa Caito, community volunteer, was chief operating officer of the Indy Championships Fund, Inc., an organization tasked with raising more than $25 million to support the planning and execution of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, the 2021 NCAA Men’s Final Four and the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Previously, she served as vice president of external relations and community affairs for Indiana Sports Corporation, Director at NCAA, vice president of marketing for The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and other positions. Melissa serves as a chair or member of numerous committees, project teams and community organizations. She graduated from Indiana University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in sports marketing and management.
Cathy Ferree was named president and CEO of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites (ISMHS) on May 1, 2017. In her time at ISMHS, she has developed a new strategic plan for the institution, along with refreshed mission, vision and value statements. She has put relevancy at the forefront for the museum system, opening experiences to address topics important to visitors today, including “FIX: Heartbreak and Hope Inside Our Opioid Crisis” and “Major Taylor: Fastest Cyclist in the World.” She has also put new emphasis on attracting families and creating lifelong learners through initiatives such as a dedicated early childhood programming space called Firefly Landing. Prior to her time at ISMHS, she served as vice president and chief operating officer at Conner Prairie, overseeing facilities, programming, education, exhibits and more. Before her time there, she served as the associate vice president of exhibits at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis; director of exhibits, programs and operations on the first leadership team at The Children’s Museum of Atlanta; and more.
Ferree currently serves on the board of directors for the Walther Cancer Foundation Inc., the board of directors for the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, and on the Indiana University Paul H. O’Neill Alumni Advisory Council. She is also a member of the Noyce Leadership Institute and the Getty Leadership Institute. Ferree has more than 30 years of experience in the museum industry. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Affairs in Nonprofit Management from Indiana University.
Charles Cammack, Jr. most recently served as Chief Operations Officer of Fort Wayne Community Schools. Prior to employment with FWCS Mr. Cammack worked for Philadelphia Newspapers Incorporated as Vice President of Human Resources.
Mr. Cammack earned a bachelor’s degree at Purdue University-West Lafayette and holds a master’s degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Andy retired in 2022 following a 40-year career with JP Morgan/Chase Bank, serving as Private Banking Executive Director and Advisor providing investment/banking services for high-net-worth individuals and families. He also has vast experience in loan organization, financial and credit analysis.
Andy is a graduate of Indiana University (1991, Bachelors of Science, Business) and Butler University (1994, Masters of Business Administration).
He has been a long-time community volunteer, providing his time, talent and leadership to many Indiana non-profits including the following organizations: Indiana Sports Corp, 2022 College Football Playoff Indianapolis Host Committee, Horizon League Local Host Committee, NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships, NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championships, 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee, and RCA Tennis Championships.
Andy and his wife Sandy are parents to Kelsey and grandparents to Rowan and Evelyn. They currently reside in Zionsville.
Amber Finley is Corporation Counsel for the City of Lawrence. Amber previously served as Associate General Counsel at The Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, an Associate Consultant at Eli Lilly and Company, a Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Indiana Attorney General, and in private practice at law firms in Indianapolis and New York City. She is licensed to practice law in Indiana and New York.
Amber serves as the 2024 President of the Junior League of Indianapolis and was the 2023 President of the Marion County Bar Association. In addition to her service on the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites Board, Amber also serves as a board member on the Indiana State Psychology Board, Indiana University – Robert H. McKinney School of Law Board of Visitors, and the Indianapolis Bar Foundation Board.
In 2021, Amber received the Indiana Lawyer’s Leadership in Law “Up and Coming Lawyer” Award. In 2022, Amber was named to the Indianapolis Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” Class of 2022. In 2023, Amber received the Junior Achievement of Central Indiana’s “Indy’s Best and Brightest” Award and was named the overall winner in the Law category. In 2024, Amber received the Marion County Bar Association’s Outstanding Service Award.
Amber received her undergraduate degree from Tennessee State University, and her J.D. from Indiana University – Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She is a 2008 Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity (ICLEO) Fellow. Amber is originally from New Albany, Indiana, but has called Indianapolis home for the past 11 years.
Professor David B. Go is the Viola D. Hank Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Vice President and Associate Provost for Academic Strategy at the University of Notre Dame. Professor Go was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana until he graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (2001). Upon graduation, Professor Go joined General Electric Aviation (formerly G. E. Aircraft Engines) where he was a design engineer in the Edison Engineering Development Program (EEDP) until 2004. While working at G.E., Professor Go also completed his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati (2004). He completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering Purdue in 2008. Professor Go joined the faculty at the University of Notre Dame in 2008, and is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and past President (2019-22) of the Electrostatics Society of America.
Professor Go resides in South Bend, Indiana with his wife Beth, a garden and landscape designer and also a South Bend native, and his two children, Indiana and Donovan.
De’Amon Harges – faculty member of the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute, Community Organizer, Creator of the Learning Tree, chairperson of the Grassroots Grantmakers Association Board, and featured in the new documentary “The Antidote: On Kindness in America” – is a frequent speaker on ABCD in secular and religious groups around the world, and is a layperson at Broadway UMC, Indianapolis, IN. De’Amon’s role is to listen and discover the gifts, passions and dreams of citizens in his community, and to find ways to utilize them in order to build community, economy, and mutual “delight.”
The bulk of De’Amon’s work is based on the principles and practices of the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) that brings neighbors and institutions together to discover the power of being a good neighbor. De’Amon builds on what is already present and in place in the neighborhood, using those formally undiscovered assets to connect and empower rather than working only from the community’s needs and deficits.
DeAmon now describes his role on this planet as a social banker. He utilizes the intangible currencies that are cultivated and used by human assets and relationships to build a more abundant community.
Peter Nagel is the Director of Pension Investments in Cummins’ Corporate Treasury department in Columbus, Indiana. In this role, Pete is responsible for working with internal and external strategic partners in pension governance, compliance, pension administration and HR to create the strategy for the company’s pension and 401(k) plans’ investments. He works with the Cummins Foundation and Dynamo Captive Insurance Company to assist with managing their investments. Pete also served as the Global Credit Manager and the Capital Markets Manager at Cummins.
Prior to joining Cummins, Pete worked in the Corporate Treasury department at Biomet Inc. in Warsaw, Indiana. Pete began his career working for Credit Suisse as an investment banking analyst in its Global Industrials and Services group in Chicago.
Pete is originally from northwest Indiana and is a graduate of Indiana University Kelley School of Business. He lives in Greenwood, Indiana with his wife and two children.
Angila is the Vice President, Environmental and Corporate Responsibility, for CenterPoint Energy, Inc. In her current position Angila is responsible for CenterPoint’s environmental and sustainability programs, and leads a team of 28 environmental professionals in CenterPoint’s Houston, Minneapolis and Evansville offices. Prior to joining the utility in 2001, Angila was Senior Bureau Counsel, Bureau of Mine Reclamation, for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and a Deputy Attorney General for the Indiana Attorney General’s Office, where she represented the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in environmental litigation.
Angila grew up in Greenwood, Indiana, and is a graduate of Indiana University and University of Denver College of Law. She lives on a small farm in Posey County, Indiana, with her husband and two daughters.
Marc Samardzija is the Vice President of Compliance at Scout Investments / Reams Asset Management.
His career started on the trading floor at the Chicago Board of Trade and New York Mercantile Exchange as a Derivatives Trader and Portfolio Strategist. There, he specialized in the design and implementation of trading strategies across the interest rate futures and options complex. His interest in derivatives and fixed income led him to investment management opportunities at Federal Home Loan Bank Cincinnati, the Indiana Public Retirement System and Eli Lilly and Company.
Marc earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and his graduate degree from Florida State University. He holds the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations.
Judy Singleton, from Indianapolis, is a seventh-generation Hoosier with a deep interest in Indiana history. The author of two books on Indiana’s Trailblazing Women, Judy also is a businesswoman and community volunteer. In 1986, she co-founded Singleton Associates, a commercial real estate investment company. In 1990, she co-founded the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series, a program to develop women political and government leaders now with over 1,500 graduates nationwide. Named to an early list of “Most Influential Women” by the Indianapolis Business Journal, Judy serves on the board of the Lugar Series and has served on the boards of the Indiana Commission for Women, Girls Inc., Indiana Women’s Archives, the Indiana 4-H Foundation and the Purdue HSS Alumni Association. She received the Indiana Woman of Achievement Award from Ball State, the Hoosier Torchbearer Award from the Indiana Commission for Women, and was inducted into the Carmel High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame.
Mary Walker is the executive director of the Wayne County Convention & Tourism Bureau Inc., serving in that role since 1981. In addition to the Indiana State Museum, she is a board member for the Indiana University East Board of Advisors and Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce (WCACC). She also is a member of numerous community organizations.
John Wechsler is Founder and CEO of spokenote, the technology platform that allows you to “add video to anything.”
John has founded, co-founded, or served in C-level roles in several high-growth companies. Over the last decade, John’s efforts have been focused on entrepreneurial ecosystem development through the creation of Launch Fishers, The Indiana IoT Lab, and The Fishers Test Kitchen.
John serves on the Boards of Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indiana Technology and Innovation Association, and Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
John was recognized as the 2018 Trailblazer Award recipient by TechPoint, the growth accelerator for Indiana’s tech ecosystem. The award recognizes “visionaries whose contributions have had lasting and significant impact on our technology ecosystem and our state.”
In 2022, John was selected as a member of the Inaugural Indiana 250, recognizing the state’s most influential and impactful leaders across business, philanthropy, the arts, government and not-for-profits.
Prior to joining IBM to start his career, John earned a marketing degree from Indiana University where he participated in the School of Business Overseas Study Program in Maastricht, the Netherlands. John also served in the US Army as a Combat Engineer in the First Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.
Michael Zick is an Executive Director and Banker for J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Mike oversees the sophisticated wealth scenarios of a diverse range of affluent clients, including successful individuals, current executives, post-transaction business owners and families with inherited wealth. He serves as a tireless advocate for his clients and their best interests, and is their first point of contact to help navigate the complexity of financial decisions.
Mike views his role as that of a counselor, asking questions to discover each family’s intentions for their wealth, the values they hold dear and any problems that need to be solved. He takes a planning approach, surrounding clients with a team of specialist resources matching their priorities and goals, from estate planning and philanthropy to investment choices and more. Mike is conscientious, detail-oriented and organized, fostering positive outcomes at every stage of his clients’ financial lives.
Over the course of 25-plus years in wealth management, Mike has risen to senior leadership positions and been an ally to clients at every step. His strengths include investment consulting, business succession, credit analysis and a deep understanding of the needs of ultra-high-net-worth individuals. The majority of Mike’s career has been with J.P. Morgan and its predecessor banks in the Kentucky and Indiana markets. He also spent a decade as a Senior Relationship Strategist at PNC Private Bank.
Mike is a graduate of Purdue University, where he earned a B.S. in Financial Counseling & Planning. He holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation.
Born and raised in Louisville, Mike cherishes family time with his wife, Wenda, and their six children—three already following in the Purdue University legacy. He enjoys sports of all kinds, and values involvement in the community, volunteering in many activities over the years. Mike currently serves on the Board of Directors and finance committee for the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
Gary Anderson received his medical degree from the University of Michigan and continued his medical education at Indiana University. He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and Fort Bragg and subsequently became an academic cardiologist. After moving into the corporate world, he became CEO of several companies in communications and database management. Subsequently, he co-founded TL Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on high technology investments. Gary has held numerous positions in the nonprofit sector, including directorships in the Franklin Institute, Indiana University Foundation (IUF), Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation and served as chair of the IUF Investment committee. He has also served on the IU Advisory Boards of the Kelley School of Business, the School of Informatics and Computer Engineering, the Jacobs School of Music (chair) and the Center for Constitutional Democracy (chair). He is married to his wife, Kathy. They have five children and live in Indianapolis.
Andrew Briggs is retired after 50 years in the banking industry. He is the fifth-generation member of his family to serve as president of the Bank of Geneva. He is currently serving on the board of Farmers & Merchants State Bank, Geneva Town Council, Adams County Library System (treasurer), Adams County Economic Development (treasurer), Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority (chairman), Northeast Indiana Strategic Development Commission, Berne Indiana Chamber of Commerce (president) and the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites (treasurer). He also has served on the board of the Indiana Bankers Association as chairman, and he is a member of the IBA Forty Year Club.
William (Bill) Browne, Jr., is the CEO and founding principal of RATIO Architects. Since establishing RATIO more than 40 years ago, Bill has led the expansion of the firm to six studio locations in Indianapolis, Chicago, Raleigh, Denver, Milwaukee, and Champaign, Illinois, with a growing national body of expertise, and an international presence with work in Korea, China, Malaysia, and Egypt. Many of the firm’s most significant projects are located close to his home state of Indiana, including the new hospital for IU Health, the Elanco Headquarters, the expansion of the NCAA Headquarters, the expansion to the Indiana Convention Center with the new Signia by Hilton Hotel, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, numerous higher education facilities, and of course, the Indiana State Museum. Bill is an active member of the Indianapolis community, currently serving as president of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission. Bill also is the past chair of Downtown Indy, a commissioner with the White River State Park Commission, and a member of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, the American Institute of Architects, and Indiana Landmarks. Bill enjoys living downtown in the historic Lockerbie Square neighborhood with his wife Tiffany and their two Pomeranians, Renzo and Carlo.
Thao T. Nguyen is a Partner with the law firm of Plews Shadley Racher and Braun LLP. She focuses her practice on insurance coverage for policyholders and complex environmental and commercial litigation. She also handles transactions involving environmentally impacted real estate for both buyers and sellers. Thao represents companies, from international mega-corporations with billions in revenue to small, family-owned enterprises. She also works with municipalities, citizens’ groups and individuals on a wide variety of matters. Thao regularly presents on topics related to insurance coverage, from a general overview of the law for novices to more nuanced discussions for the advanced practitioner.
Thao is a past chair of the Indiana State Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section. She has served on the board of governors of the St. Joseph County Bar Association and is a member of the Robert A. Grant Inn of Court. Thao has been a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Outside of work, Thao enjoys travel (especially food tours), tolerates running and boxing, and cherishes time with her husband and two hilarious daughters.
Gregory Pemberton is a retired partner from Ice Miller LLP, where his practice primarily concentrated in corporate representation of all categories of health care providers and tax-exempt organizations. He frequently speaks and writes on the topics of health care regulations and transactions, as well as corporate and tax aspects of Indiana nonprofit corporations. One of Gregory’s most important professional achievements arise from his more than 20 years of service in the leadership of the Health Law Section of the American Bar Association. He served on the Governing Council for six years followed by service as the secretary, vice chair, chair-elect and then chair of the Section. Gregory served as a member of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates for nine years representing the Section.
Alice Kingsbury Schloss is an Indianapolis native who has lived in Indianapolis most of her life. She also lived briefly in Newburgh during childhood, Massachusetts while attending Mount Holyoke College, Chicago as an intern for Red Cross’ Service to Military Families and Philadelphia for graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work. She and her husband Bob returned to Indianapolis in 1965 where they raised their two sons and a daughter. Though she received a Master of Social Work (MSW) from IU School of Social Service, Alice has made a career of volunteer service in educational, cultural, medical and social issue organizations. Though no longer an activist, she supports such not-for-profits as a board member and philanthropist. Current board memberships include Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites Advisor Director, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Herron School of Art and Design Advisory Board, and Eskenazi Health Foundation.
A native of Pennsylvania, Robin Winston is a graduate of the University of Louisville. He has served as a Chief of Staff in government and is the former Chair of the Indiana Democratic Party during the term of Governor Frank O’Bannon. Now a successful businessman in Indianapolis, he runs one the largest minority-owned government-affairs, community-relations and public-outreach firms in the nation. Robin is a life member of the NAACP. In addition, he is a political analyst for CBS4 and FOX59.
