Living & Lasting Legacy

Clare Sheehan serves as the communications manager for IPA, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping our organization's outreach efforts. Her primary responsibilities include supporting communications and marketing strategies, amplifying member news, managing social media channels, and overseeing website management. Prior to her tenure at IPA, Clare honed her talents working in the marketing agency realm. In her previous roles, she developed tailored cross-platform content and organic marketing strategies for various clients including nonprofit organizations such as: Women4Change, Women & HighTech, and the Starfish Initiative. Clare earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from the Herron School of Art and Design where she worked as a dedicated student mentor and academic coordinator. Outside of the office, she provides grant writing support to nonprofits in Nashville, TN.

In her role, Lissa oversees organizational communications and marketing strategy while also managing core internal systems, including CRM and website integrations, reporting and dashboards, and cross-functional workflows. She plays a key role in translating organizational priorities into operational plans and performance measures that guide decision-making and continuous improvement. Lissa also helps lead Press Forward Indiana, a statewide philanthropic effort to strengthen local journalism as essential civic infrastructure. In this capacity, she supports strategy, coordination, and systems alignment across funders and partners working to rebuild sustainable local news ecosystems. She currently serves as a member of United Philanthropy Forum’s Knowledge Management Collaborative, a national network advancing shared Salesforce- and Drupal-based CRM and website platforms for philanthropy-supporting organizations. Prior to joining IPA in 2016, Lissa was instrumental in building the federal market practice at American Structurepoint, a nationally ranked design firm. In addition to supporting complex, regulated business development efforts, she helped stand up firm-wide wellness and community engagement initiatives that strengthened employee engagement, organizational culture, and social impact across multiple offices. Earlier in her career, Lissa held communications and public relations roles with the Eskenazi Museum of Art and the IU Mathers Museum of World Cultures. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University, where she graduated cum laude.