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president, Innovative Planning LLC
executive director, Carmel Redevelopment Commission
ON BOARD: Corrie Meyer stepped down from the board of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission in 2014 to become the organization’s executive director as an independent consultant. The Minnesota native has a bachelor’s in landscape architecture and a master’s in urban planning, which she earned at Ball State University while working as project manager for Indianapolis architecture firm Schmidt Associates.
A matter of degrees: Being a full-time student, full-time employee and full-time mom was challenging. “I quickly learned that I need to be wholly focused.” Her focus shifted from architecture while in school. “I grew up on farms. I love being outdoors. I really appreciate God’s capability to create these amazing environments.” She worked with engineering firms and learned how topography works, how to do utilities properly, and the ins and outs of site planning.
Foreign influence: A traveler who has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Meyer brings back lessons to apply at home, whether that’s experiencing the walkability of Paris with her husband or experiencing Cameroon while at Schmidt Associates. “I really took away how culture can influence design,” she said. “When working with neighborhoods, I apply that. It’s important to be as grass-roots as possible.”
Family: husband, Nate; children Andrew, 10; Will, 5
Going governmental: Much of her time is spent bringing people together, including dealing with the City Council which, she said, “has really been reasonable. Everyone on the council will openly express their opinions and share their feelings about what we are doing. And that’s fine. When we make the first step toward listening and compromising, that opens up the trust lines. That allows them to listen to us when we say something.”
Follow the leader: “Christ led me here,” she said. “I felt pulled to be part of the change. My career is shaped by the way God wants to lead me.” A volunteer at Northview Church, Meyer also serves as co-chairwoman of Reconnecting to Our Waterways in Indianapolis, and as vice president of the Nickel Plate Arts Council. She is former secretary for the Indianapolis Parks Foundation board of trustees. “If I wanted to be isolated in Carmel, I could,” Meyer said. “But I don’t because we’re a region, and I want to be part of us being stronger as a region.”•
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