STAFF
Board Members & Staff
Mary callahan
Board Chair & Preseident
Mary Azar Callahan is the Vice President of Grants Management at Marian University. Before joining the team at the Marian University, she was responsible for Indy Chamber goals through investments and sponsorships for chamber programs; prior to Indy Chamber Mary was responsible for communications, marketing, event management and sales strategy operations at JPMorgan Chase. Mary currently serves on the board of directors of the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, Fight for Life Foundation, and is also a Rotarian. A proud graduate of Purdue University, Mary lives in Central Indiana with her husband and their two children.
Veronica Watkins
Bod - Treasurer - Seceretary
Veronica Watkins is a native of Jackson, Mississippi. A daughter of a preacher caused her to move from Mississippi, to Texas, to Indiana her sophomore year of high school. After high school Veronica attended Anderson University where she met her husband of twenty years, Samuel. They have three beautiful children, Marquise 21, Da’Marcus 19, & Monica 17. While attending Anderson University Veronica found her gift and passion for helping and serving others.
Veronica’s passion helped her obtain positions with several nonprofit organizations. She has over 25 years of experience managing and leading others. She has served as a Program Director of a residential facility for at risk teen girls, Program Supervisor of a residential facility for mentally retarded adult men, Program Coordinator for Behavioral Health & Psychological Services, and as a Respite Houseparent for at risk children and teens.
In 2011, Veronica started working for Centaur Gaming. Centaur owns two casinos, Hoosier Park & Indiana Grand. Veronica started with Hoosier Park in Marketing as a Guest Services Supervisor & Casino. While working at Hoosier Park Veronica’s gift for leading others did not go unnoticed. After 2 years of supervising in Guest Services she was promoted to a Senior VIP Casino Host, after 2 years of being a Senior VIP Casino Host, she was promoted to the Human Resources Training Instructor. A year later, she was asked to transfer to Indiana Grand Racing and Casino, located in Shelbyville, Indiana. Currently, Veronica is the Relationship Marketing Executive for Indiana Grand.
Carolyn Gentle-Genitty, PhD
BOD - Vice President
Dr. Gentle-Genitty is a passionate educator and servant leader who excels in leadership and curriculum development. She is service and student driven. She is a national truancy expert, sitting as president of International Association of Truancy and Dropout Prevention. She is the co-founder of the INSA (International Network for School Attendance). She is an award winning teacher, researcher, and service scholar. As a national book and journal author, app and model developer. She has and continues to make impact around the world for youth through her work and publications under philosophy of student bond = student success. Her model for teaching theory S.A.L.T. Theory and the copyrighted Perception of School Social Bonding (PSSB) instrument are examples. She is now focused on school absenteeism and establishing a field of study in the US and with INSA colleagues worldwide.
Francis Bowen, PhD
BOD - Research committee
Dr. Bowen is a mission-driven researcher who thrives on mentorship and exploring creative solutions for his community using AI and machine learning. Leveraging his diverse entrepreneurial background, Dr. Bowen finds fulfillment in building and scaling solutions, regardless if it is at the algorithmic or company level. As an assistant professor at Butler University, Dr. Bowen develops new curriculum with the intent of inspiring his students to gain new perspectives through data. His award-winning research spans a variety of fields including supply chain management, robotics, and educational psychology. Dr. Bowen proudly serves on boards for the University of Indianapolis and the Supply Chain 4.0 Network. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University as well as an MBA from Butler University.
Andrew Morton, Esq.
Foundation Legal Counsel
Andrew Morton is a Partner and Chair of the Sports and Entertainment Law Practice at Handler Thayer LLP, where he serves as philanthropy and public policy counsel to high-profile public figures engaged in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining Handler Thayer, Andrew practiced with the Political Law and Government Relations groups of Latham & Watkins LLP, and Foley & Lardner LLP. In those roles, he advised the firm’s nonprofit and commercial clients in the areas of corporate governance, compliance and Board oversight, as well as legislative strategy and public policy engagement. A frequent speaker on international human rights and immigration law, Andrew has testified before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and appeared in national media outlets including CNN, ABC World News Tonight, National Public Radio, the New York Times and the Washington Post. Andrew earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University Of Pennsylvania Law School, where he served as a member of the Board of Editors of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and Co-Chair of the Equal Justice Foundation. Andrew also attended the University of Maryland, earning an M.P.P. in international security and economic policy from the School of Public Affairs, and a B.A., magna cum laude, in economics and Spanish.
Lisa
Mitchell
COO
Lisa Mitchell is a passionate executive that finds her greatest fulfillment through using technology in innovative ways to solve big problems. Lisa brings her experience as a technology/SaaS founder, business consultant, and corporate operations exec to continue to scale the operations and impact of the Building Dreams program. She has a Masters in Management and Bachelors in Business Administration and also serves as a Non Profit board member. Lisa lives in Fishers, Indiana with her daughter Kierstin and their dog Emy.
Anna
Sutter
director of Program management
Anna Sutter is an energetic & innovative education advocate with five years of invaluable experience as a school counselor in Indianapolis where she used a radically student-centered and data-driven approach to support Hoosier youth. Anna held the role of Director of School Counseling where she led a team of youth serving educators and mental health professionals and managed an award-winning, comprehensive student services program for over 1,800 students. Not only does she hold passion in education, but Anna also gets fired up over mental health, civil rights, and politics. She is a proud advocate for education reform & policy and has testified before the Indiana House of Representatives and Senate education committees. Anna holds a Masters in School Counseling and Bachelors in Psychology, both from Butler University. She’s been involved with various nonprofits in the Indianapolis area, including Brooke’s Place for Grieving Young People and College Mentors for Kids. Anna lives in Fountain Square with her two cats Otis and Salina.
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