Aaron Prickel
January 15
A Lushin management consultant since; 2007, Aaron acts as the glue that binds and strengthens the team’s collective; talents. As a sales trainer and resource, he encourages clients to stay true to themselves and their missions, and adapts; his training style to best serve each individual. He alms to teach sales training clients the simplicity of effective solutions.
Winner of the 2015 Ball State Achievement Award from the Miller College of Business, Aaron spends his precious free time outdoors, usually cheering on his three kids in their respective sports competitions.
First Lady Maureen Braun
February 10
First Lady Maureen Braun 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.
Ryan Gard
February 19
Ryan Gard is Vice President for Cintas Corporation’s North Central Region, where he leads with a commitment to operational excellence and talent development. Cintas, a Fortune 500 company, provides essential services to over one million customers across North America.
Ryan earned his bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from Ball State University in 2006 and immediately began his career with Cintas as a Sales Representative. Over the past two decades, he has navigated a dynamic career path through roles including Sales Manager, Enterprise Training Manager, and General Manager, culminating in his current executive leadership position. He remains engaged with his alma mater as a member of the Miller College of Business Leadership and Management Advisory Board.
Anchored by his guiding philosophy, “When you start to give 99% is when you start to fail,” Ryan is passionate about building strong leaders and driving performance. Outside the office, he enjoys coaching his son’s travel baseball team, spending time outdoors, and being with his family.
Jill Lehman
February 24
During her career journey, Jill held executive roles within global corporations to privately held companies for more than two decades.
As an entrepreneur, Jill founded and operates several small businesses focused on the combination of career experiences and personal interest.
At Evolve HR Group, she serves as the Founder and the Sr. Advisor helping organizations craft and execute people strategies that enable the achievement of both business and talent goals.
At High Frequency Arts, she serves as Founder and Managing Consultant of an art gallery and art project management firm based on Main Street in Carmel Indiana.
As a coach, Jill works with clients across a variety of industries and career levels with the goal of helping clients discover their potential, own their careers, and align personal and professional goals to achieve success. She has recently co-authored an anthology with a group of women leaders sharing this passion and expertise to become You-Powered in our career journey.
Jill is an accredited CPC through iPEC and ACC by the International Coaching Federation, as well as an Energy Leadership Index (ELI) master practitioner. She is a Purdue University graduate and serves on an Alumni Board at Purdue University, with FORUM Credit Union and a long time advisory board member within the Miller College at Ball State University.
Brad and Cindy Schum
March 17
Brad Schum is a graduate of Ball State University’s Miller College of Business, where he earned his degree in Business Management. While at Ball State, he was active in the Greek community as a member of Theta Chi fraternity. Since beginning his career in 2001, Brad has developed a strong track record of helping organizations operate more efficiently, elevate customer service, and enhance internal processes.
Brad spent more than 15 years in sales, primarily within the plastic distribution market serving the healthcare industry. In 2018, he transitioned into the construction services sector through the purchase of Coast 2 Coast Chipping. Under his leadership, the company delivered concrete-removal services across 37 states and doubled in size before being acquired by a competitor in late 2024. That same year, Brad and his wife, Cindy, purchased Heartwood Enterprises Inc., which later became a division of A.G. Maas Supply Co., a company they had originally acquired in 2019.
After the sale of Coast 2 Coast Chipping, Brad joined A.G. Maas Supply Company full time as Vice President. In this role, he helps drive the growth of the company’s Division 8, 10, and 12 specialties for general contractors while continuing to strengthen its janitorial and facility-supply divisions. He brings more than two decades of experience in leadership, operations, and sales experience to the organization.
Outside of work, Brad serves as a Mudsock Boys Lacrosse Board Member and volunteers his time with various organizations that he and Cindy support. Grounded by family, faith, and service, Brad believes that successful businesses are built on trust, consistency, and relationships, principles that guide his leadership and his commitment to customers and his team each day.
Cindy Schum graduated from Ball State University cum laude in 2001 with a degree in Finance. While at Ball State, she was active in the Greek community with her sorority Delta Zeta and the National Panhellenic Council. She began her career in commercial banking, where she spent nearly 20 years advising business clients, managing risk, and overseeing multi-million-dollar loan portfolios. Her work gave her a deep understanding of how companies operate and a growing desire to lead one herself.
In 2019, Cindy and her husband, Brad, acquired A.G. Maas Company, a 110-year-old Indianapolis-based business that provides facility and janitorial supplies and serves as a construction subcontractor specializing in Division 10, and 12 products. Then in 2024, Cindy and Brad acquired another business to expand into Division 8 capabilities. Under Cindy’s leadership, the company has grown its team fivefold and expanded its capabilities to better serve customers across Indiana and beyond.
Cindy was selected for the Indiana Construction Roundtable Mentor Protégé Program in 2022, and in 2024, A.G. Maas was named Vendor of the Month by the City of Indianapolis.
Rooted in her faith, Cindy believes in leading with integrity, generosity, and purpose. Family and community giving are central to her life and her business philosophy. She is passionate about creating opportunities for others, supporting local causes, and building a company that “supplies solutions and gives back always.”
Carrie Huffman
March 31
Carrie Huffman is a dynamic healthcare leader and Director of Operational Excellence at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where she drives strategic initiatives and leads multidisciplinary projects delivering millions in annual savings. With over 15 years of experience spanning nursing, clinical operations, and practice management, Carrie has spearheaded service model transformations, expanded primary care access, and advanced nursing innovation through technology partnerships—including a groundbreaking collaboration with Google.
A national speaker and poster presenter, she has presented at HIMSS, AMSN, and AACN, sharing insights on care models, staffing innovation, and performance improvement. Carrie is passionate about patient-centered care, operational excellence, and empowering teams to achieve measurable results. She recently completed her MBA in Healthcare Management to further her impact on healthcare transformation.
Marcus Hall
April 9
Marcus Hall serves as President and Partner at California Closets, a brand within the Threefold Portfolio. Marcus is responsible for operations across Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio. With 10+ years at the helm, Marcus leads a cross-functional team dedicated to delivering high-quality custom furniture and storage solutions within these franchise locations. His role focuses on strategic leadership, fostering innovation, and aligning teams to achieve shared goals while positively impacting clients, employees, and communities. California Closets Midwest is one brand within a portfolio of five companies within the Threefold platform. Threefold is a low leverage, permanent equity firm that partners with and grows specialty contracting companies serving the built environment.
Felix Medina
April 14
Born and raised on the U.S.–Mexico border in Ciudad Juárez, México, Félix earned his B.A. in Hispanic Literature & Linguistics from the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez. He moved to Indiana in 2007 and, inspired by his father’s entrepreneurial path, launched his first company—Vedia Global—in 2014. The translation and language-services firm grew quickly, serving major clients such as the Department of Justice, the NBA, the Smithsonian Institute, the City of Indianapolis, the NCAA, and the Indiana State Museum, before being acquired by a larger corporation.
After several years in the translation field, Félix transitioned into marketing and media, spending time with Telemundo and later working in the broader Indy marketing ecosystem. But the entrepreneurial call never left. In August 2025, he founded El Capitán Digital Marketing (AKA El Cap DM)—a multicultural boutique strategy agency helping U.S. companies authentically connect with Latino communities through culturally intelligent marketing, community engagement, and real-world bilingual insights.
Outside of work, Félix is usually traveling, skiing, drinking great coffee, brainstorming creative ideas with ChatGPT, playing tennis, or listening to Bad Bunny. A true language lover and multicultural explorer, he speaks Spanish, English, and Portuguese, is currently studying Turkish, and has traveled to more than 20 countries—including Iceland, Turkey, Greece, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Cuba, Italy, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Spain.
Darius and Kirsten Norwood
April 21
Darius Norwood is an entrepreneur and CEO who stepped into the leadership of a second-generation, family-owned commercial landscaping company serving the Indianapolis area for more than 30 years. Rather than building from a blank slate, Darius has focused on rebuilding, navigating legacy systems, inherited culture, and real-world constraints while modernizing operations and repositioning the business for long-term growth.
With experience across corporate environments, real estate, and entrepreneurship, Darius brings a practical, ground-level perspective on business development, decision-making under pressure, and leading through uncertainty. His approach is rooted in faith, accountability, and disciplined execution, with a belief that sustainable businesses are built by honoring people, process, and purpose, not shortcuts.
Kirsten Norwood is a second-generation entrepreneur and Executive Chair of a family-owned commercial landscaping company serving the Indianapolis area for more than 30 years. A Ball State University alum, she focuses on company strategy, workforce development, and community impact while navigating the realities of family business ownership. Kirsten is passionate about faith-driven leadership, breaking barriers as a Black woman in entrepreneurship, and helping the next generation build purpose-led careers.