Indy's Black Leadership

Aleesia Johnson has been an educator for 16 years. She was named superintendent for Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) in June 2019 and is the first African-American woman to serve in this capacity. In this role, Aleesia oversees the strategic direction and operations of the school district in achieving the district's mission to empower and educate all students to think critically, creatively, and responsibly; to embrace diversity; and to pursue their dreams with purpose.

Gregory L. Wilson, Sr. currently serves the state as Executive Director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission. Greg has a longstanding public service career, including community engagement for then Lt. Gov. Holcomb and most recently as Special Assistant to the Governor. His previous roles included developing and growing relationships with local, state and federal officials, sustaining and enhancing engagement efforts with key community leaders and deepening collaboration with state agency representatives. Greg currently serves as a board member for Visit Indy, the International Advisory Board, and is Chairman of the Governor’s Commission on Supplier Diversity.

Judith Thomas serves as the Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Engagement for the City of Indianapolis. Before stepping into this role, she was President of the Madam Walker Legacy Center. With strong roots in Indiana, she has also previously worked with Visit Indy, Emmis Communications, the National Federation of State High School Associations and the Indiana Convention Center. She is on the board of directors for the Indiana Destination Development Corporation Foundation,The Cabaret, Indiana Destination Development Corporation Foundation, and NXG Next Generacers.

Kelli N. Jones is Co-Founder of Be Nimble Foundation, a social enterprise dedicated to accelerating diversity and inclusion initiatives in technology for Central Indiana. Be Nimble hosts two anchor events: The Pardi Gras Ball, a fundraiser for millennials where all the proceeds benefit Black and Latinx entrepreneurs; and #DisruptIndy a tech diversity conference meant to unpack the diversity problem and create actionable solutions for tech employers. In 2018, Be Nimble launched Black Hatch Fund, a seed-stage venture capital fund and accelerator for Black and Latinx founders.

Perry joined Wheeler in 2021 as the Chief Development Officer before assuming his new role on March 22, 2023. Perry replaced Rick Alvis who served Wheeler Mission faithfully for nearly 33 years. He comes to this position with a wide depth and breadth of experience in both for profit and nonprofit organizations around the country. He is a former C-suite marketing executive with decades-long expertise honed in the halls of some of America’s premier companies.

Independent Business Owner, Tea's Me Café Indy

Tamika Catchings completed 16 seasons in the WNBA, stepping away from her future-hall-of-fame-career following the 2016 season. Her naming as recipient of the very first ESPN Humanitarian Award in 2015 and a 14-year run of community service by her Catch The Stars Foundation are testament to her work off the court. Since her playing retirement, she serves as VP of Basketball Operations with Pacers Sports & Entertainment, a post that keeps her engaged working with all three Pacers franchises: the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, and Ft. Wayne Mad Ants. She operates the cozy Tea’s Me Café on the north side of downtown Indianapolis and continues her service as an ambassador with the NBA and WNBA.

Dr. Virginia Caine works tirelessly to promote and advance public health through innovative programs and unprecedented collaborations. With a national reputation for her work in public health, she was instrumental in setting up the first nationwide physician educational program regarding AIDS for the National Medical Association, which was later duplicated by the American Medical Association. She led a countywide process with local primary care agencies dealing with HIV/AIDS, to create the city's first integrated HIV health care delivery system. She was principal investigator for the Ryan White Title III funds, which established the first AIDS clinics in major city hospitals, 10 community health centers, and resources for community-based HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

Alice Watson has been named the President & CEO of the Indiana Black Expo after serving many different roles for the Indianapolis community including Deputy Commissioner for the Indiana Department of Administration, where she led the Department of Minority and Women. For the past decade, Alice has served as Indiana Black Expo’s Senior Vice President, leading day-to-day operations. Alice is looking forward to getting out into the community and educating the public on the Expo’s plans for the coming years which include expanding the program under its four pillars: economic equity, youth/family empowerment, community empowerment, and health equity.

As the Co-Founder of what has become Indiana’s largest IT solutions and staffing company, Justin Christian knows how to develop a winning corporate strategy. A 2021 Trailblazer Award recipient from TechPoint, Justin’s knowledge is often sought, and he serves as a board member for the Lumina Foundation, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, AAA Hoosier Motor Club, and the Depauw Board of Trustees, among others. Justin’s passion is fighting systematic racism, and because of this BCforward gave $100,000 to the Central Indiana Community Foundation to help dismantle systematic racism.