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Chief of Staff | Office of the Secretary of Health and Family Services, Office of Indiana Gov. Mike Braun
Age: 28
Hometown: Indianapolis
Education: bachelor’s in psychology, University of Dayton
Family: fiance, John Frenzel; dogs, Birdie (Bernedoodle) and Oak (border collie/shepherd mix); cat, Fran (gray tabby); parents; older sister; younger brother
Years with organization: less than 1
First job: making snow cones in the one-person shaved ice snow cone shack in Broad Ripple
Something surprising: In 2016, Arbogast started the “Gathering of the Gingers”—also called the “Running of the Gingers”—tradition at the University of Dayton, in which all the natural redheads on campus gather at the top of the main campus street and parade (sprint) down the middle of the street. The tradition is still running strong.
What I’ve learned about myself since joining the workforce: “It is important to measure success from where you started, rather than how much further you have to go.”
In 10 years … : Arbogast hopes to still be active in Indiana’s health care industry.
Coffee order: iced vanilla latte with an extra shot and almond milk
Audrey Arbogast’s mom instilled a belief in her and her siblings that, “You can do anything you set your mind to.” So in May 2019, Arbogast signed a 12-month lease on an apartment in Washington, D.C., after being offered a six-week internship in then-Sen. Mike Braun’s office. She wound up spending almost 5-1/2 years in Washington, working first for Braun, then for Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. In January, she returned to Indiana to become chief of staff to Health and Family Services Secretary Gloria Sachdev. In that role, she acts on behalf of the secretary to oversee the Indiana Department of Health, Family and Social Services Administration, Department of Child Services and Department of Veteran Affairs—a total of about 10,000 employees and a $28.2 billion budget. Arbogast said she approaches work with initiative, determination, tenacity and the personal motto that it doesn’t cost any extra to be kind. “I also never turned down an opportunity to step outside my comfort zone or embrace uncertainty to learn and grow by accepting new tasks, no matter how menial or great.”•
Check out more 20 in their Twenties honorees.
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