Maranda Fishback Engquist is the Grants and Partnerships Director for Legacy Foundation, the community foundation for Lake County, Indiana. In her position, Maranda oversees the grantmaking, community engagement, and strategic initiatives of the community foundation. Maranda seeks to build relationships and collaborations with nonprofit organizations, businesses, local government, and residents to strengthen community and cultivate opportunities to empower residents to be changemakers. Maranda began her career at Legacy Foundation in 2015 as part of the Community Foundation Internship, a program of Indiana Philanthropy Alliance funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc. Maranda has served as Legacy Foundation’s Community Engagement Coordinator, and the Foundation’s Marketing and Communications Manager. Maranda received a B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management and a M.B.A from Purdue University Northwest. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, trying DIY projects, testing new recipes, and exploring new small businesses throughout the region.

Al Getler joined the Community Heart & Soul after a career in media. Al published websites, newspapers, and magazines in the northeast and Ohio. He and his teams were Pulitzer Prize, Associated Press, and Edward R. Murrow (TV/video) Award winners. He served as a sought-after lecturer at the American Press Institute and is a strong believer in community journalism. Al formed a non-profit organization that oversaw an $8.5 million restoration of a theater in downtown Newark, OH along with building an endowment. He currently serves the New England Newspaper and Press Association on the Lake Champlain Access Television board. He recently hung up his helmet as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in South Hero, VT where he and his wife Nancy live with their two rescue dogs. He credits his parents for raising their family to serve their communities. It is why he believes in the mission of Community Heart & Soul.

Sara’s passion is connecting with people and hearing their stories, and she also enjoys telling a story or two. Sara grew up in a small town (population 350) in western Iowa, where she experienced life in a tight-knit and caring community and learned the importance of volunteerism. Prior to joining Community Heart & Soul, Sara was a Director of Programming and Training in the Peace Corps, working in the education and public health sectors in the Eastern Caribbean and the Republic of Vanuatu for nearly a decade. Sara lives in Shelburne, Vermont with her family, where she volunteers at the town library and attends various sporting events across New England (and always has a book in her bag!).