Hoosier Academies – Indianapolis

Stacie Porter Bilger, President, has been a long time advocate for education reform and charter schools. Her daughter currently attends Hoosier Academies. From 1994–2004, Stacie worked for the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce in public affairs, focusing on economic development, tax issues, and education. In 2001, she led the launch of Indiana INTERNnet, a statewide nonprofit focused on increasing internships across the State. In 2002, she was recognized by the Indianapolis Business Journal for Who's Who in Education. From 2004–2008, Stacie worked for the Indiana Venture Center as the Director of University Relations, working with teams to analyze the potential of more than 600 business concepts. Recently, Stacie founded IndyWebExperts, LLC., a company focused on helping businesses grow online through social media, SEO, and website development strategies.

John Luta, Treasurer, is a proud Hoosier Academy parent. He has been a Certified Financial Planner for over 20 years, and has been in private practice since 1999. Prior to that, he held a position as Vice President with Bank One of Indiana for 19 years. John has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Washington, where he majored in Marketing and Finance, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Purdue University. In addition to his service on the Board of Hoosier Academy Indianapolis, John serves on the Board of Super Shootout, Inc. and the Shoot for Life Foundation.

Deborah L. Anderson, Secretary, is a native of Indianapolis. She received her B.S. from Purdue University and her J.D. from Indiana University School of Law–Indianapolis. She retired from Chase Bank as First Vice President and Senior Counsel. Debbie has served on the boards of St. Elizabeth's Home, Christamore House, CCI, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (Indianapolis Alumnae Chapter). She believes in public education as a basic building block of our country, and that charter schools have improved the quality of public education. Debbie appreciates the opportunity to serve the taxpayers of Indiana and the families of Hoosier Academy–Indianapolis and the Indiana Virtual Pilot School.

Lesley Neff graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and English from Purdue University and earned her M.A. in English literature from Butler University in 2005. After 10 years in the legal field, she pursued a career change in 2006 and started teaching English composition, writing and literature courses at Ivy Tech Community College and IUPUI. She also taught at Marian University, where she is currently the Director of Educational Services in their adult program, an accelerated business program known as Marian's Adult Programs (MAP). Since 2008; Lesley has supervised the core MAP faculty, the academic programs and curriculum, and serves as the academic liaison between MAP and the traditional college administration, deans, and department chairs.

John Marske received his undergraduate and his MBA degrees from the University of Notre Dame. In the past he has served as a bank examiner for the Comptroller of the Currency and as a business owner, and he is currently employed as an investment analyst at M&I Bank. He teaches economics, accounting, and risk management courses at Marian University, and he has taught and started economic clubs at various high schools. He is a graduate of the Stanley K. Lacy leadership class and HCLA Leadership Academy, and currently sits on the board of the Entrepreneurial Advancement Center.

Hoosier Academies – Muncie

Richard D. Crist, President is an accomplished executive leader and business consultant with an extensive portfolio of business development successes with clients in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. He serves as chief operating officer at Whitinger & Company, a Muncie-based public accounting and consultancy firm, where he focuses on client development, consultation, and administration. Prior, Richard operated Waymaker Consulting, a management consulting firm he founded in 2008. In addition to his business roles, he serves as executive director at LEAD-ECI, a regional leadership institute, and as executive-in-residence at the Innovation Connector in Muncie, providing consulting services to entrepreneurs and emerging companies in the business incubator stage. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and management from Taylor University.

Sarah V. McCord, Treasurer is vice president of Hurst Financial Management, Inc., a registered investment advisor. She is involved in all phases of the investment advisory business at both Hurst Financial and Cardinal Capital. Sarah's lifelong involvement in the local community led her to roles which included: past member of the Exchange Club Board and former vice president on the Board of the Prevent Child Abuse Council of Delaware County. Sarah sits on the government relations committee for the Muncie/Delaware County Chamber of Commerce as chamber ambassador. Sarah was a nominee for the 2009 and 2010 Athena Award, which recognizes individuals active in the community in helping women to achieve success.

Andrew Draper, Secretary is president of the Urban Light Community Development Corporation (CDC) and senior pastor at Urban Light Community Church. He actively leads in many community-building initiatives including housing redevelopment, education improvement, and addiction recovery. Andrew is vice president of the Muncie chapter of the NAACP as well as former president of the Muncie Alliance church planting network. A veteran community organizer, Andrew has advocated on numerous important issues affecting Muncie's inner city, and has led several successful community campaigns. Andrew currently serves as adjunct faculty at Taylor University, teaching interdisciplinary courses on holistic urban ministry. He holds a bachelor's degree in communication studies from Taylor University and a master's degree in divinity from Winebrenner Theological Seminary.

Eric Lindley is a vice president and regional trust manager at Old National Wealth Management, a company he joined in 2008 after practicing estate planning and probate administration law. He earned his JD from Indiana University School of Law in 2005. He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing and an MBA in finance from Anderson University, where he graduated with honors. Eric is a member of the Indiana State Bar, licensed to practice law before the Indiana Supreme Court, U.S. District Court of Northern Indiana, and U.S. District Court of Southern Indiana. In addition, he is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Muncie Bar Association. Eric teaches as an adjunct professor at Anderson University and serves on the board of Inside Out, a community service organization.A native of Muncie, he resides in Pendleton.

Christa Ellis is a longtime enthusiastic advocate of public and private alternative schools. She earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education with highest distinction from Indiana University. From 2000–2004, Christa served on the Union School Corporation Board of Trustees, holding the office of president from 2003–2004. Her observations while training to be a teacher and her experience as a school board member led to Christa's decision to privately homeschool her own four children. She currently serves as list manager for the Indiana Home Educators' Network. Christa and her husband are active in organizing youth activities and youth athletic programs in their community.

Stephen Mitchell, a native of Muncie, is a graduate of Purdue University's Krannert School of Management. Stephen embodies the entrepreneurial spirit, having worked as a professional consultant in medical imaging equipment sales, writing professional business plans, and now serving as interim executive director at Muncie's Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse (MAPA), a local non-profit organization. In addition, Stephen volunteers as treasurer of the NAACP Muncie Branch. His passion for proactively introducing urban youth to the rewarding world of education is why Stephen has proudly served on the Hoosier Academies - Muncie Board since 2010.