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FOUNDATION STAFF

Alice Susemichel

Chief Executive Officer
alice@bccfin.org

Jenise Bohbrink

Operations & Programs Manager
jenise@bccfin.org

Carol Brown

Director of Development & Community Engagement
carol@bccfin.org

Thelma Slisher

Finance Manager
thelma@bccfin.org

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2024 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

John Elliott

Chairman of the Board

John led one of the largest food banks in the US and the largest social service charity in Indiana, distributing more than 105 million meals per year, growing 6-fold to $200 million in revenue, 115 employees, 35,000 donors and 20,000 volunteers. Gleaners supported hundreds of partner organizations and operated a regional natural disaster hub and a perishable food cooperative with USDA clean room supporting more than 50 network food banks. John chaired the state food bank association, helped lead Indy Hunger Network and national Feeding America network, served on two pandemic task forces, the National Academies of Sciences Engineering & Medicine’s pandemic resilience task force and the White House Conference on Hunger. Prior to Gleaners, John led public affairs and served as media spokesman for The Kroger Co., distributing resources to hundreds of charities and representing the company on 9 industry association and other boards. Prior to Kroger, John owned a private consultancy focused on strategic planning and organizational effectiveness for non-profits, government, higher-ed and business. John helped found and was inaugural Executive Director of Hanover College’s Center for Business Preparation, transforming how business is taught in a liberal arts environment. John served 10 years as a diplomat with the Department of State in Washington DC, Burma, Taiwan, Thailand and in United Nations meetings. He later served on the US Department of Commerce’s Export Council. John then led Asian business development and international operations for Inland Paperboard & Packaging. He developed Inland’s market entry strategy for Asia, expansion in Latin America and worked with the company’s European partner, then led 8 mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, business process redesign, business intelligence and e-commerce projects. John has deep passion for community service and has served on more than 25 community boards and organizations and has founded multiple non-profits. John is a graduate of Hanover College, Butler University and the US Foreign Service Institute in Washington. John and his wife Karen, a school guidance counselor, are the proud parents of son George and daughters Katie and Jessica.

Terry Norman

Treasurer

Terry and his wife of more than 40 years, Janet, have lived in Nashville since 2009. They have 2 sons and a growing group of grandchildren now consisting of 3 girls and 1 boy. Terry is a graduate of the Indiana University Kelly School of Business with a major in accounting. After working for Cummins Inc. for 40 years in various financial/accounting roles, Terry retired at the end of 2019. While working for Cummins, Terry earned the Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant designations.  This is a return to the Board of Trustees for Terry as he served in the early 2010’s as Chair of the Scholarship Committee and member of the Finance Committee. He was recognized as the Board Volunteer of the Year during his prior service period.

Rachel Perry

Secretary

Rachel Perry grew up in Bloomington Indiana and attended the Indiana University Music School until she realized that others took music more seriously than she did. Her college career was then eclectic, with a few years at Berkeley, and finally an undergrad degree from Indiana University at age 42. She went on to earn an M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. Rachel’s career has been eclectic as well with stints as a postal clerk, a cab driver, a farrier, and twenty-six years with the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. Since retiring as a fine arts curator in 2012, Rachel has been writing books about Indianan artists and doing contract work for the Indiana State Museum and Indiana Historical Society.

Victor Bongard

Victor Bongard resides in Nashville with his partner, Emily Austin, and those of their five children that have not yet entirely flown the nest. Victor works full-time as a Senior Lecturer of Business Law and Ethics at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University – Bloomington.  He serves on the Town of Nashville Redevelopment Commission, is a member of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, and is an associate member of the Urban Land Institute. He is a graduate of Duke University and Duke Law School in Durham, North Carolina.

Debbie Kelley

After 20 years in Philadelphia, Debbie Kelley and her husband, Tim, retired and moved to Brown County in 2016. She has a finance degree from Wayne State University and is pursuing her master’s degree in Philanthropy from Indiana University. She has two sons and three grandchildren. She worked nearly 40 years in banking, led global marketing teams in Europe, South Africa and North America, and served in various roles as SVP at GE Capital. Her volunteer activities include the Ambler Area YMCA, Brown County YMCA, Darkness to Light, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Chariots for Hope and the Brown County Weekend Backpacks.

Kevin McCracken

Kevin is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology and Mental Health Counseling at Indiana University Columbus. He began working full-time for Indiana University in 2011. Most recently, he served as the Director of IUPUI’s Adaptive Educational Services, the student disability services office for IU students on the Indianapolis, Columbus, and Ft. Wayne campuses as well as the IU School of Medicine students at nine statewide locations. In addition, he first served as an adjunct lecturer in 1997 and has taught courses in business, computer science, computer technology, psychology, and counseling.
 
He holds a B.S. with honors in psychology, an M.S. Ed. in counseling/counselor education, an MBA in general management, and an Ed D in Instructional Systems Technology, all from Indiana University.
 
He had a 16-year career in community mental health services where he worked as a staff therapist, program director, and assistant vice-president. During his career in mental health services, he founded and grew a social enterprise that employed people with psychiatric disabilities. Additionally, he established a grant-funded regional training center for people with disabilities.
 
McCracken and his wife Laura, a 7th-grade writing teacher, live near Nashville, IN. They enjoy hiking, kayaking, camping, and gardening.”

Phil McKown

Phil McKown was born in Indianapolis and received degrees from Purdue University and Indiana University.  Phil and his husband have lived in Brown County since 1975. Phil enjoyed a career in engineering and software development at Indiana University Information Technology Services, the Cummins Technical Center, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  He continues to enjoy a diverse set of interests, including music, visual arts, computer programming and auto racing. 

David Phelps

David has resided in Brown County for nearly all of his life.  He was a 2005 graduate of Brown County High School and recipient of the Lilly Scholarship.  He went on to earn a B.S. in Economics from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a MA in Religion from Cincinnati Christian University.   David has worked for Brown County Schools full-time since 2010 and is currently the Director of Technology.  He also coaches girls’ varsity soccer at BCHS and served as youth minister at Nashville United Methodist church for 8 years.  He lives just outside of Nashville with his amazing wife and two wonderful daughters.

Kerry Ridge

Kerry Ridge was raised on the far west side of Indianapolis. He met his wife at IU and upon her graduation in 1971 she accepted a teaching position at Brown County School Corporation. They were married in Brown County State Park in 1972 and have raised three sons in this beautiful part of Indiana. Most of his career has been in industrial sales. He worked for a distribution company headquartered in Indianapolis that marketed industrial batteries and charging equipment in support of the material handling industry and standby power equipment for telecommunications and utilities. He became president of the company in 2003 and retired in 2016.

Bill Walters

Bill received his undergraduate and master’s degrees in park administration from the University of Illinois. Following graduation, he worked for 23 years for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in a variety of capacities, including the last 12 years as director of state parks. He worked for the National Park Service for 15 years before retiring as chief of staff to the director in 2002. Bill and his wife Ann have owned property in Brown County since 1970 and have two children, and two grandchildren. They are active locally in the Nashville United Methodist Church, serve on the board of the We Care Gang. He has been on the board of Habitat for Humanity and in retirement served on the Secretary of Interior’s Advisory Board to the National Park Service.

Paige is an owner of Freitag & Martoglio, LLC, a law firm located in Bloomington, IN. She graduated from University of Evansville in 1994 and from Maurer School of Law in 1997. After law school, she was a judicial law clerk to The Honorable Edward W. Najam, Jr. of the Indiana Court of Appeals. Early in her legal career, she practiced civil rights law at the ACLU of Indiana and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and spent one year as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Bloomington. Paige entered private practice in 2006 and began focusing on estate planning and probate. She grew up in Southern Indiana near the Ohio River and has called Bloomington her home for over 25 years. Paige met her husband, Christian, in law school, and they live just east of town with their adopted Labrador retriever, Josie. Paige currently serves a pro bono legal counsel for the Brown County Community Foundation.

Paige Freitag

Volunteer Legal Counsel

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2024 BCCF COMMITTEES

Click on the section to learn about each of our committees and its members. 

The purpose of the Advancement Committee shall be:  1) To facilitate the orderly acquisition of qualified assets for the Brown County Community Foundation. 2) To improve the public image of the Brown County Community Foundation (BCCF) through public relations and education activities.

  • Rachel Perry, Chair
  • Shaely King
  • Sunny Leerkamp
  • Jan Mills
  • Bev Teach
  • Laurie Teal

The Finance & Investment Review Committee strives to manage the financial affairs of the Foundation in order to:  1) provide income sufficient for charitable distributions and Foundation operations; 2) promote long-term appreciation of capital; 3) ensure accountability to fund holders and the community; and 4) provide for compliance with IRS requirements and national standards for community foundations.

  • Terry Norman, Chair
  • Debbie Kelley
  • Phil McKown
  • Rebekah Nika
  • Laurie Teal
  • Jenise Bohbrink

The Governance Committee ensures organizational structure and function that protects the public interest and is in compliance with the most current version of Ethical and Operational Standards for Indiana Community Foundations.

  • John Elliott, Chair
  • Victor Bongard III
  • Dwight Thompson
  • Bill Walters

The Grants Committee enhances the opportunities of Brown County citizens through the granting of financial support for charitable projects/programs that address priority community needs.

  • Kerry Ridge, Chair
  • Erika Albert
  • Jim Drum
  • John Elliott
  • Terran Marks
  • David Phelps
  • Bill Walters
  • Jenise Bohbrink
  • Erika Rudd
  • Jenise Bohbrink

The Scholarship Committee enhances the opportunities of Brown County residents by providing financial assistance for post-secondary education.

  • Kevin McCracken, Chair
  • Rhea Ellen Boley
  • Connie Casey
  • Rhett Fagg
  • Phil McKown
  • Arthur Omberg
  • Kathleen Stephens
  • Rick Stringfellow
  • Ann Walters
  • Jenise Bohbrink
  • Debbie Kelley, Chair
  • Katie Finney
  • Annie Hawk
  • Sue Lindborg
  • Mark Lindenlaub
  • Phil McKown
  • Kerry Ridge
  • Bob Schloss
  • Andrea Bartels
  • Jenny Johnson
  • Len Logterman
  • Rachel Perry
  • Dwight Thompson

Dwight Thompson

David Phelps