Innovate Southwest Indiana - Evansville

Amy Romain Barron is Chief Executive Officer of United Companies which is comprised of Professional Transportation, Inc., Romain Automotive Group, United Leasing & Finance, and Tri-State Aero. Amy is the third generation of Romain family ownership. She is a graduate of Indiana University has been involved in various aspects of the companies for almost 25 years.

Amy has been active in a number of civic, charitable, and corporate organizations and currently serves as Chair of the Evansville Day School Board of Trustees and as a Board Member for the Welborn Baptist Foundation.

She resides in Evansville with her husband and three daughters.

Nate began his aviation career in Midland, Texas, in 2005, before joining EVV in 2011 as Director of Operations and Maintenance. In that role, he earned recognition for leading the airport’s complex runway relocation project—delivered safely, under budget, and one year ahead of the FAA deadline. He was also a driving force behind EVV’s transformative terminal modernization project, completed in 2018, which significantly enhanced the passenger experience.  On January 1, 2019, Nate was appointed Executive Director. Since then, he has overseen numerous award-winning initiatives, including the installation of the airport’s solar-covered parking array—one of the largest in the country—along with the construction of a state-of-the-art snow removal equipment storage and maintenance facility. His leadership continues to bring national attention to the airport and the broader Evansville region.

Deeply committed to community and economic development, Nate serves on the Board of Directors of the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, where he contributes to several key committees. In recognition of his impact, he was honored as the organization’s “Young Professional of the Year” in 2018 and the Lt. Governor’s Leadership Award in 2023.  At the state level, Nate is a board member of Aviation Indiana and currently serves as its President. Nationally, he remains an active member of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), having earned the prestigious Accredited Airport Executive designation—one of the industry’s highest honors.

After an exit from his Wyoming-based advanced materials startup, Logan arrived in Evansville in the Spring of 2023. He runs the nonprofit Circular Venture Lab, helping to build ventures with purpose and for the betterment of communities. Their regional entrepreneurship projects have won multiple grant awards from the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the state of Indiana.

Kara Yates serves as the Chief of Workforce & Education at the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, where she leads regional efforts to strengthen the connection between education and the workforce. Her work focuses on building scalable solutions that help students, job seekers, and employers navigate career pathways more effectively.

 With a background spanning instructional design, workforce development, and organizational leadership, Kara has led initiatives across K–12 education, higher education, and industry partnerships. She is known for building high-capacity teams, developing impactful training programs, and bringing diverse stakeholders together to solve complex workforce challenges.

 Kara currently leads the development of erepio, a software platform designed to streamline work-based learning, improve career readiness, and connect talent to opportunity across the region. Her work is grounded in a belief that strong communities are built when people have clear, accessible pathways to meaningful careers.