Governor Holcomb makes commission, board appointments

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — Governor Eric Holcomb has announced several appointments to various state boards and commissions. They include the Fire Prevention & Building Safety Commission, Indiana Wetlands Task Force and the State Fair Commission. 

Department of Financial Institutions Board of Directors

The governor made two reappointments to the board, who will serve until August 31, 2025:

• Benjamin Bochnowski (Munster), president and CEO of Peoples Bank
• Richard Rice (Indianapolis), former president and CEO of TCU

Electric Vehicle Product Commission

The governor made six appointments to the new commission, who will serve until August 31, 2025:

• David Dukes (Kokomo), director of operations with Stellantis
• Danny Ernstes (Fairland), CAP coordinator for Indiana and retiree representative for Indiana for UAW Region 2B
• Craig Kelle (Newburgh), group manager for project planning, chief manufacturing project engineer with Toyota
• Michael Maten (Novi), senior strategist, EV and energy policy with General Motors
• Paul Mitchell (Indianapolis), president and CEO of Energy Systems Network
• Ben Wrightsman (Pendleton), president and CEO of the Battery Innovation Center

Fire Prevention & Building Safety Commission

The governor made five reappointments to the commission, who will serve until August 31, 2025:

• Joseph Heinsman (Mooresville), senior structural engineer with Lynch, Harrison & Brumleve, Inc.
• David Henson (Petersburg), owner of Architectural Design Concepts, LLC
• James Murua (Fort Wayne), assistant chief and fire marshal with the Fort Wayne Fire Department
• Scott Pannicke (Indianapolis), architect with RATIO Architects, Inc.
• Michael Popich (Indianapolis), manager of the Bureau of Construction Services for the City of Indianapolis

The governor also made one new appointment to the commission, who will serve until August 31, 2025:

• John Watson (Indianapolis), VP of operations with Mid-America Elevator Co., Inc.

Indiana Real Estate Commission

The governor made five reappointments to the commission, who will serve until August 31, 2025:

• John Briscoe (Evansville), realtor/broker with F.C. Tucker Emge
• John De Souza (South Bend), president of Cressy & Everett Real Estate
• Pamela Lumley (Sellersburg), owner RE/MAX Ability Plus
• Charlie Shook (West Lafayette), president of Coldwell Banker Shook
• Sahara Williams (Indianapolis), associate with Barnes & Thornburg LLP

The governor also made four new appointments to the commission:

• Troy Helman (Terre Haute), co-owner and president of Coldwell Banker Helman, who will serve until August 31, 2025
• Tracy Hutton (Carmel), president and CEO of Century 21 Scheetz, who will serve until December 31, 2023
• Cheryl Stuckwish (Vallonia), owner and president of South Central Realty-Columbus and -Seymour, who will serve until December 31, 2023
• Brian Thompson (Bloomington), sales manager for FC Tucker/Bloomington, who will serve until December 31, 2023

Indiana Wetlands Task Force

The governor made thirteen appointments to the new task force, who will serve until December 31, 2022:

• The Honorable Zach Beasley (West Lafayette), Tippecanoe County Surveyor
• Will Ditzler (Westfield), president of RiverBirch Executive Advisors, who will also serve as chair of the task force
• Jill Hoffmann (Indianapolis), executive director of the White River Alliance
• Jared Kakasuleff (Cicero), farmer at Kakasuleff Farms
• Jeremy Kieffner (Evansville), environmental permit manager at Lochmueller Group
• Dr. Sara McMillan (West Lafayette), associate professor of Agricultural & Biological Engineering at Purdue University
• Matt Meersman (South Bend), director of the St. Joseph River Basin Commission
• Michael Novotney (Valparaiso), Porter County Engineer and director of engineering
• Commissioner Bruno Pigott, representing the Indiana Department of Environmental Management
• Kyle Rorah (Dexter, MI), regional director of public policy for Ducks Unlimited
• Joe Schmees (Fishers), executive director of the Indiana Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts
• The Honorable Richard Strick, Mayor of Huntington
• Jeff Thomas (Fort Wayne), co-owner and vice president of Oakmont Development, LLC

Midwestern Higher Education Commission

The governor made one new appointment to the commission:

• Ronald Rochon (Newburgh), president of the University of Southern Indiana

State Board of Education

The governor made two reappointments to the board, who will serve until June 30, 2025:

• William Durham (Indianapolis), executive director of 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, Inc.
• Gregory Gastineau (Fishers), teacher and coach at Hamilton Southeastern High School

The governor also made one new appointment to the board, who will serve until June 30, 2023:

• Scott Bess (Danville), head of school for Purdue Polytechnic High School

State Fair Board

The governor made two reappointments to the board, who will serve until September 30, 2025:

• Jeanette Merritt (Peru), director of checkoff programs at Indiana Pork
• Terry Strueh (Lafayette), former vice president for governmental relations at Purdue University

The governor also made one new appointment to the board, who will serve until September 30, 2024:

• Ryan Hilton (DeMotte), swine logistics and livestock relocation professional at Belstra Milling

State Fair Commission

The governor made two new appointments to the commission:

• Mitch Frazier (Westfield), president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana, who will serve as chair of the commission through September 30, 2022
• Greg Schenkel (Indianapolis), retired former vice president of corporate, community and public relations with Pacers Sports & Entertainment, who will serve through September 30, 2024

Unemployment Insurance Review Board

The governor reappointed Lawrence Dailey (Zionsville) to the full-time board; he will continue his service until August 31, 2024.

The governor also appointed Gabe Paul (Carmel) as chair of the board; he will serve until August 31, 2024.

Worker’s Compensation Board of Indiana

The governor reappointed Daniel Foote (Indianapolis) and Douglas Meagher (Indianapolis) to the board; both will serve until August 31, 2025.