Nick Elam, Ph.D.
January 20, 2022
Nick Elam, Ph.D. is a career-long educator, currently serving as Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Ball State University. Along the way, Elam has served in a variety of roles in the sports world. In 2007, Elam devised a new format for basketball, whereby the final portion of the game would be played without a game clock to preserve a more natural and exciting style of play. After years of researching and promoting this concept, the Elam Ending was finally implemented for the first time by TBT: The Basketball Tournament in 2017. Since then, the Elam Ending has grown rapidly throughout the basketball world, being implemented at the NBA All-Star Game, Canadian Elite Basketball League, and dozens of grassroots-level leagues and events. Elam has shared his research and story in over 300 outlets, including schools, businesses, academic conferences, written articles, and podcast/radio/TV programs.
Andy Knopfmeier, Rob Smith, Matt Murray
January 27, 2022
Andy is the co-founder and Chief People Officer of Interstate Business Solutions (IBS), which has quickly grown to be an innovative leader in straight-line roadway litter collection since 2017. Prior to IBS, Andy was a leader in pharmaceutical and post-acute healthcare sales. Andy has additional experience in real estate investing and advertising sales. Andy is a graduate of Butler University where he majored in Biology. Andy currently lives in a suburb of Indianapolis, has been married for 20 years and has 2 daughters. When Andy isn’t solving the world’s litter problems, you can find him fishing, attending a club volleyball tournament, or coaching high school basketball.
Rob is a husband, father, and entrepreneur. Rob graduated from Butler University and McKinney School of Law. He started his career as an Army JAG Officer where he litigated hundreds of cases and traveled extensively around the United States. Rob moved on from the Army and entered the private legal practice at Barnes and Thornburg. As an attorney, he specializes in labor law, employment law, and contracts. Rob’s most recent venture was starting Interstate Business Solutions, LLC with three of his good friends. Rob has traveled to many countries and enjoys diverse cultures. Adventurous by nature, Rob has run with the bulls in Pamplona, sky dived and cage dived with sharks.
Matt is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of IBS. Prior to IBS, Matt founded Clean Zone Marketing in 2008, which quickly grew to become the Midwest’s largest transit advertising company. In 2017, Clean Zone Marketing was purchased by a private equity firm where Matt serves on their board of directors. Additionally, he has extensive experience in outdoor advertising sales, acquisitions, and leasing. He resides in a suburb of Indianapolis, has been married for almost 20 years and has 3 children. When not dreaming up the next million-dollar idea, he coaches his kids in their various sports activities, enjoys camping, tinkering in his barn, planning the next epic Indy 500 adventure, and serving at the Dream Center of Indianapolis.
Teresa Long
February 10, 2022
Teresa is native to Muncie and has been married to her husband Edward for 27 years, and together they have five sons. She is an active community member with 28 years of human service experience. Teresa opened God's Grace and Mercy Family Hair Care in November of 1994. She opened Grace Beauty College, the first African American-owned beauty school in East Central Indiana, in May of 2007; and the first barber college in the history of Muncie in 2015. Teresa's passion is to instruct, inspire, demonstrate, and motivate those she serves based on their personal and professional success goals. She is a member of Life Touch Ministry, where she serves as the church administrator and an associate minister. Teresa received her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Indiana Wesleyan University and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Fordham University. She earned her LSW from the State of Indiana and is currently working as a licensed mental health therapist. Other trainings and qualifications include TF-CBT, Motivational Interviewing, and ANSA/CANS assessments. Teresa earned a certification with the Mendez Foundation as a Too Good for Drugs Facilitator, an evidence-based drug prevention program for grades K-8th. Teresa has served on various boards such as the Roy C. Buley Center, Unity Center, United for Christ VBS committee, and the Muncie Black Expo. She currently serves on the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative committee (JDAI) and is vice president of Muncie Delaware County Black Chamber of Commerce. In 2019, Teresa founded Hope Chest Tikkun Olam Center LLC, a community-based wraparound agency addressing family and community health issues. She specializes in unpacking trauma, cultural relativism, holistic and innovative restoration for sustained inner healing practices. Teresa uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. She endeavors to be a resource of hope and self-empowerment for individuals and communities. In her free time, Teresa loves to read and spend quality time with her family.
Jihada Garrett
March 24, 2022
Jihada is a dynamic life and leadership coach who helps her clients realign with the most authentic versions of themselves, allowing them to break free of limiting beliefs, set new expectations, and confidently move forward with clarity, purpose, and passion. She is a skilled management consultant with a specific emphasis on marketing, branding and public relations. By helping her clients raise their emotional intelligence, they are better able to become thoughtful leaders who prioritize courage, compassion and connection with those within their realm of influence. Her clientele is diverse, including mid- and senior-level business leaders, corporate and non-profit executives, and entrepreneurs. Jihada holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Howard University. She is a certified life coach, wife, and mom of three.
Connor Hitchcock
April 7, 2022
Connor is CEO and co-founder of Homefield, a premium collegiate apparel brand based in Indianapolis. The venture began as a fun side project out of his college apartment in Bloomington, Indiana that he carried to his first condo in Indianapolis in 2016. He and his co-founder/wife Christa made the leap and quit their jobs in 2018 to officially turn a side project into a full-time adventure: Homefield. In the 3 years since the jump, the Homefield team has grown from 2 to 26, moved offices 4 times, and acquired over 125 collegiate licenses, quickly becoming one of the hottest names in the collegiate-licensed space. Connor's interests and areas of expertise lie in organic, community-based marketing and organizational development.
Jennifer Merrell
April 14, 2022
Starting as a dance performance major, Jennifer graduated from Butler University with a degree in Corporate Communications, served as social chairman of her sorority, won an alcohol-awareness award, and spent a season as a cheerleader (you followed that, right?). Jennifer’s life and career are intertwined in a series of directional changes that she best describes as “a trail I’ve used a machete to hack through.” Over the span of her 25+ year career, Jennifer has served in multiple industries including: entertainment, sports & fitness, tech, real estate, and economic development. She has climbed ladders and fallen off cliffs to discover that she is driven to solve problems while elevating the people and organizations around her. She also figured out that curiosity is the start of all great adventures. Today, Jennifer works to grow Indiana’s tech ecosystem, specifically in the area of closing the gaps between industry and academia as Director of Relationship Management at TechPoint.