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Associate Attorney | Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Age: 29
Hometown: Swayzee
Education: bachelor’s in psychology, Indiana University; law degree, health law certificate, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
Family: husband, Clint; two golden retrievers, Biscuit and Beauxjangle; three cats, Nomar, Abraham and Laeylah
Years with organization: 2
First job: Working for her parents in their summer concession stand business—“a job that involved long, tiring shifts and taught me the value of hard work and treating people right.”
Community involvement: Blackburn is Barnes & Thornburg’s liaison to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. She also volunteers with Junior Achievement of Central Indiana when her schedule permits and mentors younger professionals who are the first in their families to navigate college or law school.
Something surprising: She can play the drums and has a seven-piece Ludwig drum kit in her basement.
In 10 years … : Blackburn expects to continue to be working at the intersection of health care, law and community development in central Indiana.
Favorite book: “Dracula” by Bram Stoker
Coffee order: At Starbucks, an iced brown sugar shaken espresso. At Dunkin, an iced butter pecan iced coffee. At Mocha Nut in Southport, anything on the menu.
Marina Blackburn is a health care and public finance attorney who helps nonprofit hospitals, senior living communities and other health care providers navigate complex financing structures to fund their capital projects. “I love that my work has a tangible impact,” she said. “When we close a deal, we’re not just moving money around; we’re helping a hospital expand services or building affordable senior housing or supporting a rural community’s access to care.” As a child, Blackburn spent time as a patient at Riley Hospital for Children, which sparked an early interest in medicine and a desire to give back to communities like Swayzee, the small town in which she grew up. While pursuing her undergraduate studies, she chose to pursue a legal career focused on health care. She graduated with honors in 2020, and just weeks later, her husband was seriously injured in a car accident. She spent her first year as a practicing attorney providing 24/7 care at home while working remotely.•
Check out more 20 in their Twenties honorees.
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