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Director | Department of Public Works, City of Indianapolis
Brandon Herget has embraced public service at the local, state and national levels. As a regional field director for the Indiana Democratic Party, he helped elect Joe Donnelly to the U.S. Senate in 2012. As deputy state director for Donnelly’s office, he worked with the Indy Chamber to expand a microloan program through the U.S. Small Business Administration. As policy director and chief financial officer for the Indianapolis City-County Council, he led the council’s redistricting effort. In December, he was named director of of the Indianapolis Department of Public Works, the city’s largest department by budget and second largest in terms of workforce. “Public service is rarely easy but keeps me motivated and engaged,” he said.
Getting here: Herget said he knew as a high school senior after 9/11 that he wanted to get involved in politics and government but wasn’t sure how. Later, after getting married, he quit his job to take an internship at the Indiana General Assembly. That experience opened the door to further opportunities.
First job: A soda jerk at the Hook’s Drug Store Museum at the Indiana State Fair. “I still make it a point to go back every year to enjoy a root beer float,” he said.
Self-realization: Growing up, he was the eldest of four siblings and bore much of the responsibility of caring for his mother, who had a physical handicap and used a wheelchair. Rarely are there easy answers to complex challenges, he said. Empathy can help build consensus.
Mentor: City-County Council President Vop Osili. “Vop not only gave me a significant opportunity but helped me to think critically about my own implicit biases and behavior in constructive ways to make me a more well-rounded leader and public servant,” Herget said.
Givebacks: He has served as co-chair of the Abe Lincoln Scholarship Fund for the Downtown Indianapolis Kiwanis Club and has been involved with Drug Free Marion County, the United Way of Central Indiana, and Accelerating Indiana’s Municipalities.
Advice: Always follow through with your commitments, no matter how small. Your relationships and reputation may be hard to establish but are even harder to repair.•
Check out more Forty Under 40 honorees.
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