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One rewarding thing about leading the IBJ newsroom is the myriad ways my team and I get to interact with people from all parts of our community—often at our own events. We hear amazing stories, meet fantastic leaders and learn more about the challenges facing our community.
Such was the case at IBJ’s inaugural Nonprofit Excellence Awards, which took place late Tuesday afternoon at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.
This event was special. In front of an audience of more than 500, we honored organizations, nonprofit leaders and donors who are addressing community needs in the areas of hunger, housing, mental health, health care and so much more.
And we heard from former Eli Lilly and Co. CEOs Randall Tobias and John Lechleiter, who—with their wives—recently donated a combined $20 million to develop the Tobias-Lechleiter Institute for Clinical Innovation at Indiana University Health.
IBJ Publisher Nate Feltman interviewed the men on stage about the gift and their philosophies about philanthropy. And he asked them for advice for nonprofit leaders looking to raise money for their causes and for corporate leaders about why they should support community organizations.
Lechleiter told the audience, for example, that giving and supporting community-based organizations isn’t just a moral mission; it also provides a business benefit. “The health of a company is in some significant measure a function of the health of the community,” he said. “You want a place where employees want to live. You want a place where there are schools and education opportunities for children of your employees.”
You can listen to the conversation and see the awards ceremony at IBJ.com/videos. And you can read more about the honorees in the Nonprofit Excellence Awards publication included with this week’s issue of IBJ.
Now we’re looking ahead to another new awards event: the CEO of the Year & C-Suite Awards. We are taking nominations now for this program that will honor leaders across business C-suites. We are looking for the region’s most impactful corporate leaders.
Please consider nominating a co-worker, a supervisor, one of your top lieutenants or even a friend or client who you thinkis worthy.
The CEO of the Year award will honor the top executive at three companies—one each in a small, medium and large category. And the C-Suite Awards will honor executives who are part of high-level management teams and are innovators and changemakers.
This program replaces IBJ’s Tech Exec of the Year and CFO of the Year awards programs. Rather than focusing on specific titles, we wanted to recognize leaders across the C-suite.
Nominees for both the CEO and C-suite awards must work for a public or private company. Executives in government and nonprofits are not permitted. Exceptions are nonprofit hospital systems and utilities, whose leaders were not eligible for IBJ’s Nonprofit Excellence Awards.
Judges will consider all aspects of a CEO’s and company’s performance. Metrics or data related to finances, innovation, employee engagement, reputation and market position could be considered.
In the C-suite category, IBJ is looking for executives who are making a significant impact within their organizations and who are respected among their peers. Those nominations should include a recommendation from the organization’s CEO or board chair.
We can’t wait to see whom you nominate. Go to IBJ.com/nominations to learn more and submit nominations.•
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Weidenbener is editor of IBJ and assistant publisher of IBJ and The Indiana Lawyer. Reach her at [email protected].
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