“It would startle a lot of people to realize Hamilton County does not have a women’s shelter. I’ll probably remain active in trying to bring a shelter [here],” he said. “It doesn’t really matter how much money you make, you can certainly be the victim of domestic violence.”

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Age: 30

Town Manager, Fishers

For five years, Scott Fadness has focused on what’s best for Fishers. Three years from now, what’s best for the town of 80,000 will include the end of his job, as the town becomes a city that will have a mayor to handle the work Fadness now does as town manager.

“I don’t view this as a negative. It’s just another turn in the road,” said Fadness, who was hired as budget director in 2006. He’s been managing day-to-day operations since 2011. He handles everything from putting out fires to economic development. Twelve department heads report to him. The town has 400 employees and a budget of $60 million to $80 million depending on the year.

“The great thing about my job is that every 45 minutes there is a new problem to solve,” said Fadness, who became interested in government work while working on his master’s degree in public affairs at Indiana University.

He grew up on a family farm in North Dakota, and always thought he’d be a farmer, another occupation where there are always new problems to solve. When he was 16, however, his family fell on hard times and sold the farm. He ended up studying political science at the University of North Dakota.

As an adjunct professor at IUPUI, he teaches in the Graduate School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

He is on the board of Alternatives Inc. of Madison County, a women’s shelter.

“I’ve seen firsthand from people close to me the long-term, lifelong effects of what domestic violence can do to an individual,” he said.

He and his wife, Aunna, are disaster action team members with the Hamilton County Red Cross. He is also involved with the United Way, both in Hamilton County and Central Indiana.

“I absolutely love what I do,” he said.•