Mr. Vincent Ash, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Vice President of Development, IEDC
 
As Vice President of Development for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Vincent is charged with is charged with helping the IEDC grow the state economy, drive economic development, and help businesses launch, grow and locate in Indiana. He formerly served as Director of Indianapolis Economic Development at the Indy Chamber. A native of Indianapolis and a graduate of Arsenal Tech High School, Vincent is passionate about the city and economic development. Vincent graduated from IU Kelley School of Business with a bachelor’s in Finance. He loves staying involved with the community and serves on the board of Reconnecting to our Waterways and Indianapolis Park Foundation. As a resident of Speedway, in his free time, Vincent loves attending concerts, sporting events, and game nights with his wife Ashanti and two kids, daughter Noelle and son Grayson.

Mr. Pete Watson, Vice-Chairman
Senior Consultant, CHORUS Inc.

Pete retired from Eli Lilly in 2017 after nearly 34 years with the company, having held numerous leadership roles over the span of his career – retiring as a Senior Director in the Medical Division of Lilly Research Labs. He is now a part-time Senior Consultant with CHORUS, Inc., a local strategy/management consulting firm. His passions are servant leadership and mentoring, thus he’s involved in a number of local ministries including EDGE Mentoring, Citizen 7 Indy, Shepherd Community and now Elevate. He looks forward to working with urban youth in helping them realize their full God-given potential. Personally, he’s married and father to four adopted children, and has four grandchildren. He resides in Zionsville.

Mr. Steve Cosler, Founding Board Chair
Operating Partner, Water Street Healthcare Partners, LLC

• A Purdue University graduate, born and raised in Central Indiana, Steve Cosler is an Operating Partner of Water Street Healthcare Partners, LLC. Steve has extensive experience in Healthcare and business, having served as President & CEO of Priority Healthcare and as an executive with CoreSource, Inc. & IBM Corporation. While living in Orlando, Florida 12 years ago, he Co-Founded and served as Board Chairman of Elevate Orlando, one of the first Elevate affiliates in the country. After moving back to Indiana, he founded Elevate Indianapolis and has served as Board Chair since that time. Steve and his wife Lynne are incredibly supportive to our students, staff, and Elevate community with their time and resources. ​Indianapolis Business Executive. Steve also served as the founding Chairman of the Board for Elevate Indianapolis from 2015-2022.

Mrs. Rochelle A. Woods, Former Vice Chair
Chief Clarifier/President
Rochelle A. Woods LLC

Rochelle Woods is a seasoned corporate leader with a lifelong commitment to excellence in leadership, personal growth, and development. She retired from a successful 22-year career with The Dow Chemical Company in 2014. Most of her corporate career was spent in various positions in R&D where she held technical and leadership roles. During her tenure at Dow, she participated in national recruiting efforts to recruit underrepresented minorities in technical roles. Since her retirement, she has become an entrepreneur who strives to help people achieve their fullest potential. She is a John C. Maxwell certified coach, speaker, and teacher. Her clients include corporate professionals and small business owners. She holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and an MS in Polymer Engineering from the University of Akron.  Rochelle and her late husband of 30 years, Leon, have three wonderful adult children, Saul, Mariah, and Alexis. She holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and an MS in Polymer Engineering from the University of Akron.

Ms. Julie E. Welch, CPA, CFA, Board Treasurer
Financial Reporting Manager for Clean Energy, AES Corporation

Julie Welch is the Financial Reporting Manager for Clean Energy at The AES Corporation. She is a Certified Public Accountant with over twenty years of progressive financial accounting experience, with expertise in internal and external reporting and analysis. A resident of Indy’s eastside, Julie is active in the community. She has made a clear priority of serving the next generation, with a particular focus on caring for youth who are marginalized. Julie is a consummate volunteer of both her professional expertise and her time, serving an active role as a foster parent. She holds a Bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Oklahoma (Go Sooners!), a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Southern California, and a Master’s in Ministry from Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University.

Ms. Krystle Ford
Director, Metropolitan Youth Orchestra

Ms. Ford graduated from Pike High School and is a contemporary violinist, and alumnus of Butler University’s Jordan College of Fine Arts. She resided in Brooklyn for almost ten years and served as the Artistic Director for the Noel Pointer Foundation. Since 1996 she has served as a participant and teacher of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. In 2015 she relocated back to Indianapolis to become the Director of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, a family youth and development program of the Indianapolis Symphony. Together, with her fiancé Quinton, they officially adopted their 2yr old daughter Zoe in July.

Mr. Shadreck Kamwendo
Director-Community Outreach & Engagement, IU Health

Shadreck serves as the Director-Community Outreach & Engagement for IU Health. He holds bachelor’s degree in Health Services Management from Indiana University and an MBA from Anderson University. His community engagement includes; board treasure The power of 1. He previously served on the board of Westminster neighborhood services. Prior to joining IU Health, Shadreck worked at Special Olympics of Indiana, as the Director of health and as a Program Director at the Kidney Foundation of Indiana. Shadreck attends Second Presbyterian church, where he has served in many capacities as an elder and as a volunteer for the Indianapolis Great banquet community. On his spare time he like to spend time outdoors and workout with November Project Indianapolis.

Dr. Kraig Kinchen, M.D., M.Sc.
Associate Vice President, Value, Evidence and Outcomes, Diabetes, Eli Lilly and Company

Kraig Kinchen has worked at Eli Lilly and Company for over 20 years.  He currently is Associate Vice President in the Value, Evidence, and Outcomes group focusing on diabetes. He has been involved in efforts to work with youth through mentoring Indianapolis area students and volunteering with the Center for Leadership Development, 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, and Covenant Community Church.

Mr. Brandon Powell
Vice President of Business Development, Chatham Park Development 

• Brandon Powell, a lifelong resident of Indianapolis, is a seasoned entrepreneur in the areas of business formation and execution. He builds companies from idea to fruition and strives to make them a financial success for all parties involved. He is currently the Vice President of Business Development for Chatham Park Development.

Mr. Mike McCulloch, MBA
Senior Vice President – Senior Commercial Lender, WesBanco Bank Inc.

• Community volunteer and board member for myriad nonprofit organizations
• Board member, Indianapolis Aquatic Masters, competitive swimmer and coach
• University of Evansville graduate (swimming Academic All-America, All-Conference & Team Captain)
• MBA in Accounting, Indiana Wesleyan University

Mr. Jed Kay
Jed Kay Enterprises LLC

• Jed currently invests in, leads, & advises early-stage ventures while also seeking to foster better tomorrows in the communities where he and his family live, work, study, & play. Jed provides consulting services through Jed Kay Enterprises, LLC & advises and invests in multiple domains & geographies with a strong affinity for Indiana and Midwest companies in life sciences and other technology applications through Boomerang Studios, VisionTech Angels, & a variety of other ventures. Most recently, Jed served as VP Healthcare Strategy at MetaCX, he also led a variety of cross-functional teams at Eli Lilly & Co. including Global Customer Operations & as Lilly USA COO and Six Sigma Champion, where his teams were instrumental in transforming the go-to-market strategy and execution for pharmaceutical sales, marketing, & medical communications. Jed holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BS Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.  Outside of the professional arena, Jed leads Mudsock Youth Volleyball (Fishers) where he currently serves as President. Jed actively volunteers & supports Gleaner Food Bank. Prior community leadership and volunteer efforts have been heavily focused on education as Jed has been an active mentor and youth literacy volunteer through United Way’s Read-Up program & was the president or a member of the Friends Educational Fund from 2015 through the start of 2023. Jed & his wife have three children and live in Fishers, IN.

Mrs. Amandula Anderson
Executive Director at IFF

• Amandula Anderson is the Executive Director IFF’s Indiana Region, which includes statewide consulting, lending and development across Indiana and in Louisville, KY. Grounded in equity and deep sector expertise, IFF is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that champions nonprofits to shape more equitable and vibrant communities through community-centered lending, development, and real estate consulting. Amandula has 20+ years-experience in the nonprofit sector where she has led two community-based organizations. – Irvington Development Organization and United Northeast CDC; convened a Quality-of-Life initiative on the northeast side of Indianapolis; directed a program to facilitate a two-generational approach to supporting families within 5 Indianapolis communities; and spent a few years supporting affordable housing through a tax credit syndicator. She is a graduate of Arlington High School, received her BS in Public Affairs from IUPUI and has a Masters in Real Estate Development at University of Indianapolis. In her role at IFF, Amandula is a natural connector. In her role with IFF, she is building statewide opportunities to elevate facilities and finance to help nonprofits be in spaces that meet the needs of their clients and brings dignity to all. Amandula is married to Marlon and they have 5 amazing children along with a pet yorkie