Building upon the strength of our Board of Directors, Simon Youth Foundation has appointed four new Committee members. Their strategic placement and focus aim to catapult SYF into diverse arenas and diversify our external resources and our think tanks. They are going to help us continue to ensure that SYF means Graduation, no matter what!
Anna Powell, Director of Donor & Alumni Relations, Ivy Tech
Anna Powell is the Director of Donor and Alumni Relations at Ivy Tech Community College and has an educational background in Philanthropic Studies. Anna is drawn to SYF because her passion is equity in education and ensuring that students have their basic needs met so they can focus on education. The Simon Youth Foundation is an extension of Anna’s personal mission to help students succeed and thrive in education. As a beneficiary of higher education, Anna herself has been able to thrive in ways that her family was unable to do. She understands personally how education can transform lives and family generations.
Dr. Robert Taylor, Executive Director, Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents
When Dr. JT Coopman stepped down from the SYF Board and Programs Committee last year, he recommended Dr. Robert Taylor take his place. Dr. Taylor currently is the Executive Director at the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents. In his work, he focuses on making sure that education is relevant and viable at all levels of delivery and application. He steadfastly believes that we must be more diversified and innovative than we were in previous years in order to insure we are providing an optimum learning experience for all students.
TJ McGovern, McGovern Consulting
TJ McGovern is the former Director of Development of the Ivy Tech Community College Foundation, from 2007-2012. He currently is a Nonprofit Consultant with McGovern Consulting. TJ has over 21 years of experience with program development, major gift fundraising, board development and business ownership. With a master’s in non-profit management and a bevy of experience under his belt, TJ is a fantastic and strategic add to SYF’s Committee membership.
Detra Mills, Executive Vice President and General Council, The Basement
Detra Mills currently serves on the IU Robert H McKinney School of Law Board of Directors and is the Executive Vice President and General Council for The Basement, and Indianapolis-based agency that explores your resources and data to determine what you can do to better enable strategic, targeting and effective marketing campaigns. She brings years of board and marketing experience to the SYF Committees.
Ali Slocum Vice President of Public Relations and Communications Simon Property Group
Ali Slocum is the Vice President of Public Relations and Communications for Simon. While spearheading enterprise communications and crisis communications, with powerful industry contacts all over the world, she has developed an impressive reputation for implementing high-impact strategies. Slocum’s previous leadership experience includes the non-profit, newsroom, government, and higher education sectors. She is known for breaking down silos and fostering an inclusive, forward-leaning culture that achieves real-world transformation. Advancing the values and mission-driven vision of the organization sets her apart from other communications experts, along with her ability to motivate and sustain lasting, systemic change. Ali’s expertise in branding and communication will play an integral part of building national awareness for SYF.
Michael O’Connor Associate Vice President of State Government and Corporate Affairs for Eli Lilly and Company
Michael O’Connor is the Associate Vice President of State Government and Corporate Affairs for Eli Lilly and Company. O’Connor has served in various capacities at all levels of the government, most recently serving the City of Indianapolis as Chief Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff from 2000 through 2005. O’Connor serves on the Board of Directors for the Indianapolis Indians, a AAA professional baseball team associated with the Major League’s Pittsburg Pirates. O’Connor served from 2015-2020 as an elected Commissioner on the Indianapolis Public School Board and served as the President of the Board of School Commissioners from 2018-2020 leading initiatives during his tenure to increase education funding in Indianapolis by hundreds of millions of dollars and lead the most recent search for the Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent. Michael’s diverse background in service and education provides SYF additional depth in expertise.
Anna Powell, Dr. Robert Taylor, and Michael O’Connor are joining the Programs Services Committee; Detra Mills and Ali Slocum are joining the Awareness Committee, which has been newly branded as the Branding, Marketing and Communications Committee; and TJ McGovern is stepping into the Advancement Committee. Welcome all!
