Award-winning
Connect with Southern Indiana Program's 2009 Class at Work
Twenty-three people – including a few from the USI community - have
been selected for the fourth class of USI’s regionally-based
Connect with
Southern Indiana program. Funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment
and sponsored by USI, the program is intended to boost Indiana’s
retention of intellectual capital by helping participants strengthen
their skills and opportunities for involvement in community and regional
projects; meet business and civic leaders; and gain greater awareness of
community and regional needs.
Connect with Southern Indiana received the 2008 Program of Excellence
Award for Innovations in Outreach and Engagement from the University
Continuing Education Association (UCEA). Past classes implemented a
project tackling childhood obesity, a prisoner-to-community re-entry
program, a program providing activities for youths age 10-14, a program
meant to bring history to life for young people, a regional Hispanic
community survey, and programs connecting agriculture to consumers and
seniors to youth.
The 2009 class includes Kevin S. Axsom '96, sales associate, F.C.
Tucker Emge Realtors; Scott A. Birk, welder, Sisson Steel;
Jennifer A. Bracher '89, engineer, American Electric Power; Amy
M. Casavant '03, diversity and work life specialist, Old National
Bank; Virginia L. Combs, regional manager, Indiana Department of
Child Services; Jennifer L. Craig '02, director, Southwest
Indiana Area Health Education Center (located at USI); InSuk Granholm,
owner, Granholm Philanthropic Services; Becky A. Hickman,
training and development officer, German American Bank; Sue Hurst,
curator, Santa Claus Museum; Michael P. Kern, commercial bank
officer, German American Bank; Chris V. Kinnett, president and
CEO of Perry County Development Corporation; Amy S. Lasher,
manager and sales specialist, Kimball International; Margaret
Moutseous, library manager, St. Mary’s Health Care System; Vivian
Ramos, veterinarian, Banfield, The Pet Hospital; Samantha Jo
Ramsey, director of cleaning/drink stations, Koch Development
Corp./Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari; Katie L. Sims, economic
development coordinator, Vectren Corporation; Michael J. Steffe,
buyer, Kimball International; Cheri W. Taylor, executive
director, Perry County Chamber of Commerce; Deborah J. Timmons,
call center manager/vice president, Old National Bank; Angie Marie
Valuch, substitute teacher, Greater Jasper Consolidated School
Corporation; Christopher Whann '96, director of facilities/real
estate, Kimball International; and Jacob D. Williams '07,
research associate, USI.
This year’s class also includes Omar Bibi, a B/MD Scholar at USI
and the first student participant in the program.
Residents of Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer,
Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties are eligible to participate in the
program. Applications for the 2010 Connect with Southern Indiana class
will be accepted in fall 2009. For more information,
click here
or contact Charmaine McDowell '85, director of the Center for Human
Resource Development, at 812/465-1629 or camcdowell@usi.edu.
