500 Festival Announces New Board Members and Elected Officers for 2023-2024 

September 8, 2023

The 500 Festival announces elected officers for the 2023-2024 500 Festival Board of Directors, in addition to seven new civic and business leaders who are appointed. 

Serving as the governing body of the 500 Festival, the board of directors is comprised of 33 community leaders. The board guides the strategic vision of the 500 Festival and its members act as trustees, representing the organization within the community. Committed to bettering the organization, members serve on various committees that support and enhance the 500 Festival and its 30 events and programs. 

 

500 Festival  

Elected officers for 2023-2024 

 

“Mike has been a leader among his peers on the board of directors,” said President and CEO of the 500 Festival Bob Bryant. “He has been highly engaged and involved in every event and program committee on which he has served. Mike’s board class resoundingly supported his elevation to board chair, and we look forward to his leadership and continued support.” 

 

New members of the 500 Festival Board of Directors:  

 

Bowman Elder, President, Southern Indiana Commerce Corporation 

Born and raised in Indianapolis, IN, Bowman is happy to be “Back home again in Indiana”. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Colorado, he spent 15+ years working in Commercial Real Estate in Chicago, IL. 

In 2007, he accepted a position at Vernick & Associates, Ltd., working on their corporate retail development team. Bowman enjoyed the assiduous detail needed to manage large corporate clients’ growth demands and the relationship driven focus of retail real estate. During his years at Vernick & Associates, he worked on behalf of Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Sherwin Williams, Yum! Brands, Rent-A-Center, and several others. 

In 2022, shortly after moving back to Indiana with his wife Lauren, Bowman assumed the leadership role of the Southern Indiana Commerce Corporation (SICC), which today is a holding company for a real estate portfolio including the Chamber of Commerce Building and is the majority owner in Moody’s Butcher Shops. 

Bowman is looking forward to new opportunities and relationships within Indiana as he helps manage the SICC assets from their offices in the Chamber of Commerce Building in downtown Indianapolis. He is an outdoorsman, an avid golfer, and loves being with his family. Bowman is currently a member of the Woodstock Club, Crooked Stick, and serves on the board of the Plum Lake Golf Club and University Club of Indianapolis. 

 

Brandi Davis-Handy, Chief Customer Officer, AES Utilities 

Brandi Davis-Handy has more than 20 years of customer and stakeholder engagement, communications, and marketing experience. Today, Brandi serves as Chief Customer Officer for AES’ utilities in Indiana and Ohio. Within this role, she leads a team focused on providing an exceptional customer experience and accelerating efforts on new solutions to help customers achieve their most important objectives of reliability, affordability, and sustainability. Prior to AES, she served as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Project Lead The Way and has also led communications teams at OneAmerica Financial Partners and the American Cancer Society.  

Brandi is an active community leader in Central Indiana serving as Board President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, Board President of GangGang Culture, and board member for the Indiana Sports Corporation, Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, and Lynx Capital Corporation. She is a graduate of the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series and Leadership Dayton. Brandi is also a founding member of the African American Legacy Fund of Indianapolis which is focused on raising awareness and advocating on issues affecting the African American community.  

Brandi has been recognized as a 2022 Woman of Influence by the Indianapolis Business Journal, Center for Leadership Development Minority Achiever in Media and Communications in 2018 and was the recipient of the Breakthrough Woman in Leadership Development Award for 2018 from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. 

 

Kevin Speer, Senior Vice President and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension St. Vincent  

Kevin is a committed leader with a healthcare career spanning over 30 years. He served as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for St. Vincent Health (now Ascension St. Vincent) from 2004 to 2006 as part of the law firm Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman. In 2006 he joined St. Vincent Health as an associate to serve as System Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, a role he held until 2012. In that capacity he spearheaded the creation of multiple new programs, services and facilities including St. Vincent Children’s Hospital renamed Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in 2007. 

Since 2012, Kevin has served as President & CEO of Hendricks Regional Health, a west central Indiana health system that includes two acute care hospitals and six outpatient medical centers. While at Hendricks, Kevin led the health system to nationally recognized successes in quality, safety and patient experience. 

Kevin is also the Executive Vice President of the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians and serves on the board of directors of the Indiana Hospital Association, Suburban Health Organization and Vizient Community-based Health Systems steering committee. In 2014, then-Gov. Mike Pence appointed Kevin to the Indiana Medical Education Board. 

He was recognized in 2021 as Leadership Hendricks County’s 2020 Leader of the Year for his efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Kevin is active in serving the community, with leadership roles in the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, Crossroads of America Council/Boy Scouts of America, and Indiana Chamber of Commerce. 

He is a graduate of Purdue University and Valparaiso University School of Law and a recipient of the Purdue Distinguished Alumni Award. 

 

 

Larry Jones, Founder and President, Teagen Development / CCIC 

Larry Jones is the founder and President of Teagen Development, an urban redevelopment and property management company established in 1990. Since its inception, Teagen Development has focused on the restoration and revitalization of downtown neighborhoods through creative reuse. By keeping a pulse on efforts by individuals, neighborhood groups, and the City of Indianapolis, Teagen has been at the forefront of development in some of the city’s most vibrant areas including Massachusetts Avenue, Chatham Arch, Fountain Square, and most recently, the Mass Ave/Brookside Industrial Corridor. 

Teagen Development's portfolio includes mixed-use, commercial, and residential properties in Downtown Indianapolis, including the 540,000 square foot Circle City Industrial Complex, which has provided a model for the redevelopment of underutilized real estate in the Mass Ave/Brookside Industrial Corridor.  

A longtime resident of Zionsville, Larry puts his nearly 40 years of real estate experience to use in service of the town Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals. 

 

Patricio Daneri, President and CEO, Energy Harness Corporation  

Patricio Daneri is President and CEO of Energy Harness Corporation, an LED lighting manufacturing & distribution firm. He is also the director of business development for Connecta Corporation, a precision-turned parts manufacturer as well as founder and board member of Electron Charger, LLC. Patricio serves on various boards including the International School of Indiana. He resides in Carmel with his wife and four daughters. 

 

Tom Kilian, President, Hamilton County Community Foundation 

As an experienced executive with more than 20 years of professional experience, 18 of those years devoted to philanthropy and fundraising, Tom Kilian, President of the Hamilton County Community Foundation and IMPACT Central IN has noteworthy expertise in strategic planning, major and planned gift acquisition, community development and accountability, foundation infrastructure and policies, board management, and innovative revenue generation. Throughout his professional career, Tom has managed the creation and implementation of programs, services, and operations while creating significant internal and external relationships throughout the philanthropic landscape.  

In his current role as the President of the Hamilton County Community Foundation, Tom has overseen the creation and implementation of the first comprehensive strategic plan of the foundation, ideated and implemented the first Not-For-Profit Collaboration Hub in Central Indiana, and increased assets from 53 million to 120 million in five years. In addition to his role as the President of the Foundation, Tom is also the co-creator and President of IMPACT Central Indiana. IMPACT Central Indiana deploys capital to underappreciated communities and invests in the development of entrepreneurs within those communities who do not have traditional access to capital. Since launching in the spring of 2020, IMPACT Central Indiana has invested more than $12 million into the community.  

Prior to Hamilton County Community Foundation, Tom’s career largely focused on higher education. Playing leadership roles in the development and execution of several philanthropic campaigns across various campus landscapes. Most recently, as Executive Director of the Ivy Tech Community College Foundation in Central Indiana, where he successfully launched the largest regional campaign in college history. Prior to joining Ivy Tech, Tom had extensive experience raising money in support of large four-year public institutions, as well as a small four-year private institution.  

Tom earned a B.S. from Indiana State University, an M.S. from Indiana University, and an executive certificate from the University of Notre Dame. Outside the office, Tom volunteers with several organizations, including sitting on the board of directors for the YMCA of Central Indiana. Both professionally and personally Tom strives to make a difference in the lives he touches. He is a result driven, innovative leader, eager to help individuals and organizations pursue their mission, create their vision and strategically achieve their goals. When he isn’t working or volunteering, he enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer and their daughters, Samantha and Ellison. He loves the culinary scene and tries to spend as much time as possible outdoors. 

 

Travis Brown, CEO, Mojo Up Marketing + Media 

Travis Brown is one of the most highly sought-after brand marketing strategists, motivational speakers, and DEI thought leaders in America.  

For the last 25 years, his career has been dedicated to motivating, inspiring, and building diverse teams, where people can achieve things, they never thought possible!  

Today, Travis is CEO of Mojo Up Marketing + Media, the largest black-owned marketing agency in Indiana. With his leadership, the agency has built a unique diverse + talented culture that builds strategic and creative campaigns for companies including Eli Lilly, McDonald's, AES Indiana, and Southwest Airlines. As a Keynote Speaker, he has also rocked over 3,500+ stages for Fortune 500 companies, industry-leading conferences, and NFL teams. Travis is the creator and host of the award-winning podcast, Mojo Up Live Diverse +Talented and the upcoming release of The DEI Effect!  

Over the years Travis has authored 4 books, created an anti-bullying curriculum for schools nationwide, hosted brand bootcamps, and built marketing courses for global brands.  

Travis and his wife Bre live in Fishers, with their 3 kids Jayla, Carter, and Braden. Travis attends Heartland church serves on both the 500 Festival and 1st Tee board of directors, and coaches youth basketball at the Mojo Up Sports complex. 

 

500 Festival Foundation  

The 500 Festival Foundation, a fully charitable 501(c)3 organization, leverages philanthropy to advance the 500 Festival’s mission to enrich lives and positively impact the community with a special focus on bringing education, fitness, and leadership opportunities to Indiana youth, also recently elected 2023-2024 officers and one new board director. 

 

Elected officers for 2023-2024 

 

New member of the 500 Festival Foundation Board of Directors: 

At-Large Director: Zachary B. Scott, Midwest President, UPS (Retired)  

Zack is the former Regional President for UPS in the Midwest. He received a degree in business administration from Hampton University. His current volunteer leadership includes serving on the Hampton University Board of Trustees, as a board member of the March Foundation, and as a director emeritus of United Way of Central Indiana. He formerly served as a board member of the 500 Festival, the World Trade Center of Kentucky, Indiana University Health, and Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) as well as on the executive committee for Conexus Indiana Logistics Council. Zack and his wife Jennil have three young adult children. 

 

“We are eager to welcome these exceptional leaders and community activists to our boards,” said Bob Bryant, president and CEO of the 500 Festival. “These individuals are successful not only in their professional careers but are also deeply engaged in their community. We look forward to the achievements and advancements the new and returning board members will bring to the 500 Festival.”  

 

To learn more about 500 Festival’s events and programs, please visit 500festival.com. 

 

###