The Tip-Off

Judith B. Thomas currently serves as President & CEO of Indy Arts Council. Indy Arts Council’s mission is to champion arts and culture. Previously Thomas was appointed by Mayor Joseph H. Hogsett in December 2020, to serve as the Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Engagement for the City of Indianapolis. In this role, she led initiatives aimed at strengthening community partnerships and enhancing the quality of life for residents across Indianapolis.

Thomas is the founder and principal consultant of Judith & Co., a consulting firm dedicated to advancing the arts, culture, and tourism sectors in Indianapolis and the broader state of Indiana. Her expertise in promoting diversity and cultural heritage played a vital role in elevating the region's cultural and tourism landscape.

In addition to her executive role, Thomas is a Community Scholar with the Africana Studies program at Indiana University Indianapolis. Her career spans over 35 years, with notable leadership positions at prominent organizations such as Visit Indy, the National Federation of State High School Associations, EmmisCommunications, and the Indiana Convention Center. She also served as President of the Madam Walker Legacy Center, further cementing her deep commitment to the preservation and promotion of African American culture and history.

Thomas is actively engaged in civic leadership, serving on the board of the Indiana Destination Development Corporation Foundation, and is a trustee at Butler University.

A native of Gary, Indiana, and a proud resident of the Millersville Fall Creek neighborhood, and is an alumna of Butler University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Public and Corporate Communications in 1990. She is also a dedicated member of Covenant Community Church.

Charlie Baker assumed the duties as the NCAA's sixth president on March 1, 2023. 

He was hired for the position on Dec. 15, 2022, as he neared the conclusion of his term as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts.

A former collegiate athlete at Harvard, Baker is credited with bringing bipartisan leadership to the state, successfully guiding Massachusetts through an exceptionally turbulent period for government officials. In addition to his two terms as governor, he has brought decades of experience spearheading transformations at high-profile institutions in the private and public sectors.

Baker has arrived at the NCAA at a moment of significant transformation. Legal shifts in the environment surrounding college sports have challenged the NCAA's ability to serve as an effective national regulator for college athletics, resulting in an untenable patchwork of individual state laws. Partnering with federal policymakers to develop a consistent, sustainable legal framework to address issues common to student-athletes and athletic departments across the country is a top and immediate priority.

A Republican governor serving a predominantly Democratic state, Baker was re-elected to a second term in 2018 with 67 percent of the vote. After eight years in office, he achieved approval ratings exceeding 75 percent, making him the highest-rated governor in the United States and one of the highest-rated elected representatives in the nation. Baker earned widespread support by taking on issues with significant real-world impacts, and approaching them in substantive, innovative and bipartisan ways. Among his accomplishments during his two terms in office, Baker unleashed unprecedented investment into Massachusetts' K-12 education system, eliminated the state's structural budget deficit while cutting taxes, and led the nation in securing renewable energy sources to respond to climate change. As governor, Baker oversaw a 43,000-member workforce and was responsible for a $50 billion annual budget.

Prior to his tenure as governor, Baker had a distinguished career in business, nonprofit and government administration. Immediately prior to being elected governor, he served as executive in residence at General Catalyst Partners, where he served as an advisor to a variety of companies working on "Responsible Innovations". In particular, he co-led the development and launch of Oscar Health, now a personalized health insurance company operating in several states with a $6 billion valuation.

Earlier in his career, Baker served as CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a nonprofit health benefits provider. Under Baker's leadership, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care went from the verge of bankruptcy to 24 consecutive profitable quarters and a reputation as one of America's top health care plans. Prior to this, Baker served in a variety of leadership roles in Massachusetts state government, including as secretary of administration and finance, and as secretary of health and human services. In that role, he led the state's efforts to turn a billion-dollar budget deficit into a surplus and reform the K-12 education system which today leads the nation in student performance.  Early in his career, Baker ran a state policy think tank focused on innovations for improving health care.

Baker is a graduate of Harvard, where he was a member of the men's varsity basketball team, and holds a Master's of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is married to Lauren Baker, a former collegiate gymnast at Northwestern University, and father to three children (two of whom are former college athletes): Charlie, AJ, and Caroline. 

Nate Feltman is President & CEO of IBJ Media, parent company of the Indianapolis Business Journal, Inside Indiana Business and the Indiana Lawyer.    

Nate began his career as a corporate lawyer working in Moscow, Russia in the 1990s, then as a partner at Chicago and Indianapolis based law firms where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and 
economic development.

Nate worked in economic development for Governor Mitch Daniels and helped create the Indiana Economic Development Corporation in 2005 and served in Governor Daniels’ cabinet as Secretary of Commerce for the State of Indiana from 2007 – 2009.

Prior to his leadership role at IBJ Media, Nate served as co-owner and CEO of healthcare provider Home Health Depot.    

Dan Gavitt joined the NCAA staff as vice president of men’s basketball in August 2012 after spending the previous seven years as the associate commissioner for men’s basketball at the Big East Conference. In his current role, Gavitt oversees the day-to-day operations of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball championship, as well as the NCAA’s 11-year, $10.6 billion contracts with broadcast partners CBS and Turner Broadcasting. He also supervises the Postseason NIT and NCAA Divisions II and III Men’s Basketball Championships and serves as the staff’s day-to-day contact to the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and the Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee.

Prior to his service at the Big East, Gavitt was director of athletics and recreation at Bryant, which has one of the largest Division II athletics departments in the country. Earlier in his career, Gavitt ran his own sports marketing and event management firm, Craigville Sports Associates; served as an assistant basketball coach at Providence College; and ran the Rick Barnes basketball camp.

Gavitt holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth and a Master of Business Administration from Providence. Gavitt is a member of both the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

JoAn Scott was promoted to vice president of men’s basketball in February 2024 after serving as the managing director of men’s basketball championships since coming to the national office in 2013. She is responsible for the oversight of the Division I, II and III Men’s Basketball Championships, the National Invitation Tournament and the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Academy. Scott also manages the NCAA championships engagement unit, which supports corporate partner activations, branding, marketing, fan events and game presentation for all NCAA championships.

Before joining the NCAA, Scott spent 17 years at Nike. Before that, she worked at USA Basketball from 1987-96, culminating as the director of basketball operations from 1992-96. During that time, she was a staff administrator for the original Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics, as well as the 1996 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team. 

The Ansley, Nebraska, native played volleyball and one year of basketball at Nebraska-Kearney, where she received her bachelor’s degree in 1986. She earned a master’s degree in business administration from Butler in 2005.

Patrick Talty is the seventh president of the Indiana Sports Corp since the nation’s first sports commission was founded in 1979. Indiana Sports Corp’s mission is to create positive impact by hosting world-class sporting events that enhance vibrancy in the community, build civic pride, drive economic impact and media exposure, and encourage opportunities for youth. 

Talty started his career in Indianapolis at the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome, traveled and worked all over the world, and is now back in the Circle City. Prior to being elected President, Talty served as the COO for Indiana Sports Corp, General Manager at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, and Senior Vice President of Live Events for WWE.  

Talty received his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and did post-graduate work at Ball State University. He and his wife, Becky, live in Fishers.