Philanthropy Leads Dinner


Allison Barber, PhD
Marvella Foundation
Former President of the Indiana Fever
With a career that spans from the schoolhouse to the White House to the Fieldhouse, Dr. Allison Barber has built a reputation for leadership, innovation, and impact. A former elementary school teacher in Merrillville, Indiana, she went on to serve as a communications strategist in the White House and the U.S. Department of Defense, where she received the Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the Pentagon’s highest civilian award.
Barber made history in Indiana as the first Chancellor of WGU Indiana and later as President and COO of the Indiana Fever, where she led efforts to build fan engagement across all 92 counties. Under her leadership, the Fever reached national headlines by selecting Caitlin Clark as the #1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She has also been recognized with the Sagamore of the Wabash, Indiana’s highest civilian honor, and was named Indiana Chamber Executive of the Year in 2024.
Today, Barber serves as CEO of To the Hoop Strategies and Board Chair of the Marvella Foundation, whose first major project is transforming rural Northwest Indiana into a national destination for girls’ sports and leadership development. Marvella combines world-class athletic facilities with training, education, and leadership programs to empower young women and strengthen communities.
Barber is also actively engaged in civic leadership, serving on the boards of the Sagamore Institute, American Red Cross, Indiana Chamber, Indiana Destination Development Corporation, and volunteering with organizations including the Elizabeth Dole Hidden Heroes Foundation and Wheeler Mission.


Mark D. Miles
Penske Entertainment Corp.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mark D. Miles is President and Chief Executive Officer of Penske Entertainment Corp., comprised of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), INDYCAR and IMS Productions (IMSP). Penske Entertainment Corp. is a subsidiary of Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader employing more than 64,000 people worldwide.
From January 2013 to January 2020, Miles was president and chief executive officer of Hulman & Company, the previous parent organization of IMS, INDYCAR and IMS Productions. During this time, Miles and his leadership team presided over the sold-out 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race and several years of attendance and viewership growth for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
Prior to entering the world of motorsports, from January 2006 through December 2012, Miles was president and chief executive officer of Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, Inc. (“CICP”), a non-profit, regional alliance of corporate CEOs and university presidents focused on long-term growth and economic development throughout the Central Indiana region, including strategic priorities as wide-ranging as human capital (education), entrepreneurship and innovation, government reform, and mass transit.
In 2008, Miles led a successful effort to earn Indianapolis the right to host Super Bowl XLVI. He was chairman of the board of the 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee, with 18 staff members and thousands of volunteers, and which served as an extension of the National Football League in the local community to centralize planning and execution of the 2012 Super Bowl event.
From August 1990 through 2005, Miles was chief executive officer of the Association of Tennis Professionals (“ATP”) Tour. While there, Miles built the ATP Tour into a world-class, professional sanctioning body for global tennis, stabilized a tour that was struggling to compete with other sports and entertainment entities, posted impressive revenue gains, launched innovative marketing initiatives, and expanded its global presence through successful events in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
In 1984, Miles was chosen to organize and produce the Pan American Games, scheduled to be held in Indianapolis in 1987. As president of the organizing body, he led the $100 million event with 38,000 volunteers and staged the most successful Pan Am Games in history.
From 1974-80, Miles worked on and managed numerous political campaigns. He was on the staff of the 1974 campaign for U.S. Senate of Indianapolis Mayor Richard Lugar, served as campaign manager in 1979 for the successful re-election of Indianapolis Mayor Bill Hudnut and in 1980 managed the successful campaign of Congressman Dan Quayle to the U.S. Senate.
Miles also has served as president and volunteer Tournament Director of the ATP Indianapolis tournament and as executive director of corporate relations for Eli Lilly and Company, an international pharmaceutical, medical instrument and agricultural chemical company headquartered in Indianapolis.
Miles serves on the board of LDI, Ltd., a century-old family office, funding and operating customer-focused, middle-market company. Miles serves on numerous civic and non-profit boards and committees.
Miles earned his bachelor’s degree from Wabash College and is a member of the Wabash College Athletic Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Helen, have four children and five grandchildren and reside in Indianapolis.

First Lady Maureen Braun
State of Indiana
First Lady Maureen Braun is championing the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which is bringing free books to more than 127,000 Hoosier children.
Maureen has been married to Indiana Governor Mike Braun for 48 years. The couple has four adult children and seven grandchildren. Maureen is a long-time small business owner who knew at an early age she wanted to have her own store. She attended Indiana University, earning a business degree in 1976. Post-college, she gained retail and buyer experience at Ann Taylor and Filene’s in Boston, Massachusetts. Strong roots eventually brought Maureen and Mike back to their hometown of Jasper, Indiana. In 1978, with lots of hard work and energy from Maureen and her family and friends, Maureen opened her own store, Finishing Touches, a home décor and gift store which continues to operate successfully to this day.
As First Lady, she will encourage more women entrepreneurs.
Maureen helped to establish Heart of Jasper, a non-profit modeled after Main Street America’s national organization. She is active in promoting Jasper’s downtown, believing a city’s downtown is the heart of any community. Through this board, they have improved building facades, public art, and retail occupancy in the newly renovated downtown.
Maureen is a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church where she was on the design committee for the church’s preservation and restoration. Her priorities are faith, family and community and she hopes to inspire those priorities in others as First Lady of Indiana.


John M. Mutz
Philanthropist
John Mutz is a distinguished business leader, philanthropist, politician, and author. He was the president of Lilly Endowment Inc. at the launch of the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) program, which continues to support the growth and development of community foundations in each of Indiana's 92 counties.
In Indiana politics, Mutz served as State Representative from 1967 to 1970, State Senator from 1971 to 1980, and as the 45th Lieutenant Governor, serving under Robert D. Orr from 1980 to 1988. As a member of the Indiana General Assembly, Mutz was author of Unigov legislation, which unified the government and tax structures of the City of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana.
In addition to more than two decades in public life, Mutz has been a business entrepreneur and philanthropic leader. He has served as president of PSI Energy, chaired the board of Lumina Foundation for Education, and worked in public relations for Alcoa. He also established a chain of restaurant franchises that grew to 31 locations and helped develop a major national equipment-leasing firm. Before joining Lilly Endowment Inc., Mutz served as trustee or director to a number of educational, religious, and community development nonprofit organizations that the Endowment supported. Mutz was also a co-chairman of Hoosier Initiative 21, a human services task force sponsored by Indiana United Way, the State of Indiana, the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce, and the A.F.L.-C.I.O.
Mutz is the author of Fundraising for Dummies, now in its third printing, and An Examined Life: The John Mutz Story. A graduate of Northwestern University, Mutz is the recipient of nine honorary degrees.


Claudia Cummings
Indiana Philanthropy Alliance
President/CEO