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Director of Legislative Affairs | Paganelli Law Group
Chaka Coleman lobbies state and local government officials for clients in the energy, health care, alcohol, agriculture and gambling sectors. “In my 30-plus years of experience with the Statehouse, I have never seen anyone so fully learn and engage on complex issues,” said Jeff Papa, chief of staff and general counsel for the Indiana Senate. In addition to her intelligence, Coleman’s work ethic impressed mentors and colleagues as she quickly forged a career under unlikely circumstances—a single mother of five working her way through law school at night. Her experience drives her to advocate tenaciously for minorities and working mothers as an active member of the Indianapolis Bar Association and through her recent work on the Carmel Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Human Relations. She is a current cohort in the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series.
Getting here: Coleman worked as an imports coordinator for FedEx and earned the company’s highest recognition for employees. She entered the public sector as a bailiff for Marion Superior Court and deputy city clerk for the city of Fishers. While clerking at Paganelli Law Group, she dreamed of becoming a lobbyist, an interest she traces back to growing up with parents who valued civic engagement. The managing attorney, Tony Paganelli, introduced her to lobbyist and former state Rep. Mark Palmer, and together he and Coleman formed a “dynamic duo” at the Carmel firm.
First job: Family Video
Givebacks: Mayoral appointee, Carmel Planning Commission; board treasurer, Bishop Joseph D. Farris Community Living Center; volunteer, Hamilton County Leadership Academy
Influential moment: Meeting Gretchen Gutman, the vice president of public policy at Cook Medical. “I walked away thinking, ‘I want to be her when I grow up.’ She is smart, funny and authentic, and she does not hesitate to challenge me to think beyond my own perspective.”
Advice: “Your life is not over at 30. You likely will not be the best version of yourself for many years after that milestone, so do not succumb to the pressure of having it all before you even know who you are.”•
Check out more Forty Under 40 honorees.
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