There have been numerous marches for minority rights in America’s history: the March on Washington in 1963, the Women’s Suffrage Parade in 1913, the Million Man March in 1995. But those who have dedicated their lives to making sure minorities are treated fairly and equally in this country know their march can’t be confined to a time or place. It exists physically and spiritually, and too often it gets tossed to the side as America tells itself a fairytale about harmony.
Every year, Indiana Minority Business Magazine (IMBM), a sister publication of the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, honors those who bring diverse values, backgrounds and abilities for the benefit of consumers and employers. Our Champions of Diversity event, 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 18 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Indianapolis, formally celebrates those individuals.
The following are profiles of the 16 IMBM Champions of Diversity 2019 recipients.
Alkeyna Aldridge
Alkeyna Aldridge is the director of engagement and economic empowerment for South Bend. This year Aldridge was appointed to the American Planning Association’s (APA) Future of Community Task Force. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Near Northwest Neighborhood and the Neighborhood Resources Connection. Aldridge graduated from the University of Notre Dame and is currently working toward a master’s degree in urban and regional planning.
Jim and Nancy Cotterill
Unite Indy, which connects volunteers and experts to assist urban churches, ministries and other charities, was founded by Jim and Nancy Cotterill. The Cotterills co-authored “World-Changing Generosity,” a book with “inspiring stories about ordinary people who are changing the world as a result of their extraordinarily generous acts …” Previously, Jim was president of National Christian Foundation Indiana. Nancy was an award-winning editorial writer, serving as editor or editorial director for several publications and was publisher of Indianapolis Business Journal. She founded the nonprofit, People on Wheels Inc. after Jim’s spinal cord injury.
Sue Ellspermann
As the first female president of Ivy Tech Community College, Sue Ellspermann launched the five-year strategic plan, “Our Communities. Your College. Pathways for Student Success and Stronger Indiana.” Before accepting her role at Ivy Tech, Ellspermann was Indiana’s 50th lieutenant governor, serving from 2013 until March 2016. In 2010, she was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives for District 74. Ellspermann was vice chair of the Indiana Career Council where she led efforts to align education and workforce development.
Darrell R. Gordon
Darrell R. Gordon is CEO and president of Wernle Youth and Family Treatment Center, Richmond, which serves neglected and abused youth in Indiana and Ohio. Before taking his current role, Gordon was an adjunct sports law professor at Ball State University and worked in the legislative and student athlete advisory department at the NCAA. Gordon is a national public speaker on the topics of character development, diversity training and leadership empowerment. Gordon graduated from the University of Notre Dame where he played on the 1988 National Championship football team. Gordon has received numerous awards including the Distinguished Minority Notre Dame Exemplar Award, the Notre Dame Law Association St. Yves Award as well as the Sagamore of the Wabash, Indiana’s highest honor, from then Gov. Mike Pence.
Leslie Craig Henderzahs
Leslie Craig Henderzahs is the first female partner at the 137-year-old Church, Church, Hittle and Antrim law firm. In addition, Henderzahs is currently president-elect of the Indiana Bar Association. She will become president in 2020. Henderzahs serves on the Board of Governors and is former chair of the Membership and Membership Benefits Committee and Women in Law Committee. Henderzahs specializes in civil litigation and is a certified family law specialist. She volunteers in the Mentor Match program and served on the board of the Noblesville Boys and Girls Club and Hanover College Parent’s Board.
Gurinder Singh Khalsa
Gurinder Singh Khalsa is the founder and chairman of SikhsPAC and SikhsMEDIA. Singh Khalsa was born in India and moved to the U.S. in 1996, becoming an entrepreneur, philanthropist and leader in the Sikh community in Indiana. After a TSA agent refused to allow him on a plane in 2007 because of his turban, Singh Khalsa took the issue to Congress, which changed the TSA headwear policy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and geography from the University of Punjab, India, and completed an advanced business finance program at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1998.
Vanessa Allen-McCloud
Vanessa Allen-McCloud became president and CEO of the Urban League of Northwest Indiana in 2010. She previously worked as an administrator at Purdue University Calumet, South Suburban College and Gary Community School Corporation. McCloud is a lifetime NAACP member, and she serves on numerous boards including the IUN Board of Advisors and the National Negro Council of Women. She is an advocate for education and career advancement and supports charity. McCloud received a Bachelor of Science in organizational management from Calumet College, a master’s degree in education from Purdue University Calumet and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Argosy University, Chicago.
Maureen Mitchell
Maureen Mitchell, regional vice president, Central Region for Meijer, volunteers at the Ronald McDonald, Oaklawn, Illinois, and she previously served on the Board of the North Illinois Foodbank. Mitchell was one of the original women who founded Women at Meijer, and she serves on the corporate Women at Meijer Executive Committee and leads Retail Women at Meijer as their executive sponsor with a team member resource group in each region. Mitchell recently partnered with Meijer and Make a Wish Foundation delivering a presentation to grant a wish to a local high school.
Patricia Gamble-Moore
Patricia Gamble-Moore is the Indiana Market Manager for Community Development Banking at PNC, where she is responsible for managing community development in central and northern Indiana. Gamble-Moore is also the local executive sponsor of the PNC African-American Employee Resource Group and is on the Retail Diversity and Inclusion Council. As the owner of her own consulting business before taking her current positions, Gamble-Moore helped reactivate the Martin Luther King Community Center. Gamble-Moore holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Ball State University.
Bryan Roach
Bryan Roach has been the Chief of Police for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) since January 2017. The Indiana Public Health Community awarded Roach with the Hulman Health Achievement Award for his role in Indiana’s first law enforcement Naloxone program for opiate overdose victims, a tragedy that has its roots in rural parts of the country but still takes its toll in inner cities. Raised in Indianapolis, Roach graduated in 1989 from IUPUI with a degree in political science.
Tysha Hardy-Sellers
Tysha Hardy-Sellers is CEO of Edna Martin Christian Center and EMCC Holdings, which provide opportunities promoting hope for residents committed to community service in Indianapolis through programs and services. Before joining EMCC, she served as CEO of Infinite Inc., one of the state’s largest African-American-owned marketing communications agencies. Hardy-Sellers began her career as a columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. She has taught classes for various state colleges and health agencies in subjects such as sociology, health and social justice and law. Hardy-Sellers holds two bachelor’s degrees in public relations and Russian studies from Bradley University, and a master’s degree in medical sociology from Indiana University.
Nathan and Deborah Oatts
Nathan and Deborah Oatts have been married for 48 years and own Oatts Trucking and Nubian Construction Group. Oatts Trucking was handed over by Nathan’s father, becoming a company that’s been passed down through three generations. Deborah started Nubian Transport Management, Nubian’s transport arm, in 1994, working with existing minority-owned businesses in the field to help them better understand the operations of their companies. Deborah serves on the Diversity Team for the Indiana University Health Bloomington Regional Academic Health Center project, and is the Diversity Consultant for 16 Tech, an urban innovation district on the northwest side of Indianapolis.
James C. Wimbush
James C. Wimbush is the vice president for diversity, equity and multicultural affairs; dean of The University Graduate School; and Johnson Chair for Diversity and Leadership at Indiana University. Wimbush has made a concerted effort to recruit and retain students and faculty from underrepresented groups. Under his leadership IU has received national recognition for its diversity and inclusion efforts. He also has led several diversity and inclusion initiatives such as the Black Philanthropy Circle and First Nations Leadership Ambassadors Council. Under his leadership IU conducted its first comprehensive diversity assessment, which will help strategic planning efforts.
Curtis Wright
Curtis Wright is CEO of Eskenazi Medical Group and is the associate director of the Indiana University School of Medical Residency Training Program. Under his leadership, the training program has increased minority enrollment among young physicians to 25 percent, with the goal of having a physician workforce that represents the community. Wright has also advanced the careers of Latino and African-American physicians through his mentoring, appointing them to replace him as Director of Hospital Medicine for Eskenazi Health. Wright graduated from the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine.
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