Board & Committees

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is the governing body of YLNI. Their big-picture approach is to guide the organization to fulfill our mission. The day-to-day happenings include approving activities, securing funding, being advocates for our demographic and generally trying to figure out what we’re doing. The board meets once a month and all members welcome your input. Have a question or comment for the board? They can be reached at the emails below or at board@ylni.org.
 

Meet the current YLNI Board of Directors

Lisa Updike, President
lisa@ylni.org
Lisa has an undergraduate degree in finance from Manchester College and her J.D. from Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis. She practices in the finance, insolvency and restructuring department and the corporate department at Barnes & Thornburg LLP. A Huntington native, Lisa is an avid traveler and enjoys being outdoors and active. Lisa served as treasurer for YLNI for two years and as vice president for one year prior to becoming the president. Outside of YLNI, Lisa serves on Alliance’s Downtown Development Committee, the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership Advisory Board and as a member of the Manchester College President’s Leadership Council. Lisa was a 2010 Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly “40 Under 40” award recipient and was recognized in 2011 by the Indiana Lawyer as a Leadership in Law Up-and-Coming Lawyer.

Sam Graves, Vice President
sam@ylni.org
Sam is a project manager, estimator, and shareholder at Strahm Group, a local interior contracting & maintenance company. Born, raised and currently residing in New Haven, Sam has a strong attachment to Northeast Indiana and its success from having the opportunity to see many of the local businesses first hand through his work & also many of the different community entities through YLNI. Sam enjoys participating in the United Way “Real Men Read” program, volunteering at his church’s nursery, and spending as much time as possible with his 6-year-old boy/girl twins and 3-year-old daughter. A YLNI Leadership Institute graduate, Sam’s involvement in YLNI includes serving a two year term as V.P. of Community Involvement, as the 2009 Masquerade Ball Chair, and on any number of YLNI committees and volunteering at many of our events.

Beth Bobay, Secretary
beth@ylni.org
Beth is a graduate of Indiana University Kelley School of Business with a degree in Marketing and is currently employed at Northwestern Mutual. She has been involved with YLNI for nearly six years by serving on the Masquerade Ball committee and Hot Spot task force. This is Beth’s third year on the YLNI Board of Directors. Beth is a Fort Wayne native who is excited to further work to make Northeast Indiana a great place for young people to work and have fun. She also volunteers on the Public Relations Committee for the Dr. Bill Lewis Center for Children. She enjoys spending her extra time with family and friends, going to concerts and being active.

Dave Wagley, Treasurer
dave@ylni.org
Dave was born and raised in Fort Wayne. He graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in accounting. After graduating in 2008, Dave accepted a position at Hamil, Lehman & England, PC as a staff accountant. He is currently working on attaining CPA designation. Dave has attended the monthly YLNI Hot Spots over the last couple of years, and is excited for the opportunity to become more involved with the organization in serving as the treasurer. In addition to graduating 2008, Dave also married his high school sweetheart, Amber. They enjoy spending time with friends and family, traveling, trying new restaurants, and watching movies.

Ryan Hart, Director at Large on the Executive Committee
ryan@ylni.org
Ryan, a Fort Wayne native, is a graduate of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and is currently completing his MBA at IPFW. Over the last several years Ryan has served in a variety of capacities including task force leader, Social Chair, Treasurer, and is also a graduate of YLNI’s Leadership Institute. Highlights of his YLNI involvement include planning the annual Masquerade Ball and the 5th Birthday Bash. Beyond his YLNI involvement, he is active in the Northern Indiana Chapter of the Risk Management Association, currently serving as the President. Outside of his community work, Ryan is an Assistant Vice President and Credit Administration Officer with Lake City Bank and is glad he chose to stay in the community.

Justin Shurley, Vice President of Leadership Development
justins@ylni.org
Justin is fairly new to the Fort Wayne area. Since moving here in 2008, he has seen Fort Wayne go through some tremendous changes, starting with his place of work, Parkview Field. Justin works for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, as a Ticket Sales Manager. He moved here from Birmingham, Alabama, where he worked for the Minor League baseball team, the Birmingham Barons. Beyond baseball, Justin’s experiences have been extremely varied, from job-type, to location. After graduating from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) with a degree in marketing, he has lived in Boston, MA, Paducah, KY, and Birmingham, AL. His jobs have ranged from a marketing research firm, to radio. As VP of Leadership Development, Justin brings a strong desire to help better the community that he has grown to call home for the past 4 years.

Melissa Beber, Vice President of Community Impact
melissa@ylni.org
Melissa Beber, a Fort Wayne native, is the Government Affairs Coordinator for the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. Melissa attended Purdue University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in both political science and psychology and received her master’s degree in public management from IPFW. Prior to joining the Chamber, Melissa served as a financial specialist at Salin Bank and Trust for four years. An YLNI Leadership Institute graduate, Melissa’s involvement in YLNI includes serving as Chair for YLNI the Vote and currently serves on the board as the V.P. of Community Impact. Melissa is also a member of the board of directors for Goodwill Industries of Northeast Indiana.

Justin Clupper, Vice President of Social
justinc@ylni.org
Justin, a lifelong resident of Northeast Indiana, spent his college days at Taylor University where he earned his degree in Media Communication. After moving back to Fort Wayne, Justin quickly became involved with YLNI through a social event at a baseball game. Since that first event Justin has served the organization in a variety of roles including Hot Spot Chair, Social Chair and now VP of Social Programming. He is also a graduate of the Leadership Institute Class of 2011. His day job is spent at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art where he is the Director of Special Events, so the social aspect of YLNI comes very natural to him. When he isn’t planning events for the Museum of Art or YLNI, you can find him supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, cooking in his kitchen (regularly hosting Clupper Suppers for friends and family) or playing with his four-legged son Buddha – a Lab/Dane rescued from the ACSPCA.

Amber Recker, Vice President of Communications
amber@ylni.org
Amber Recker earned her undergraduate degree in English from Northern Illinois University and her MBA in marketing and management from Indiana Institute of Technology. Currently, she is the Director of Development & Marketing at Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana. Amber is committed to making our community a better place and volunteers as much as she can. She serves on the board of directors of Anthony Wayne Rotary and is the club’s president elect. She’s also involved with the YWCA’s Circle of Women and Women United’s Power of the Purse and chairs Fort Wayne Derby Girls’ Bust a Move event. In her spare time, she enjoys helping her husband in the kitchen. Together, they have created a food blog: thegingerkitchen.com.

Luke Squires, Vice President of Fund Development
luke@ylni.org
Luke was born, raised, and resides in the Fort Wayne area. He attended IPFW graduating with an undergrad degree in business. During his time at IPFW, Luke was selected as a Lawson Scholar and spent time studying international business abroad. He is now an AVP in the commercial lending division of 1st Source Bank where he spearheads an entrepreneurial preparedness program through a partnership with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center. In addition to his role as director at large on the Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana board, Luke sits on the board for the Northeast Indiana Better Business Bureau, the YWCA finance committee, and volunteers with Erin’s House for Grieving Children. He was married to his wife Ayesha in 2008; together they enjoy golfing, spending time with family and friends, and traveling overseas.

Amy Johnson, Vice President of Membership
amy@ylni.org
Amy is the Director of Selection for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, where she interned while working toward a Purdue University degree. She grew up in Fort Wayne, and jumped into YLNI in June of 2005 after graduation. Amy has a varied background with the organization, beginning with chairing the Membership Committee to recently serving as Marketing VP, participating in the first Leadership Institute as well as its task force, planning Speed Networking for Downtown Development, volunteering at the Barr Street Market, planning General Membership Meetings and frequenting Hot Spots. Amy loves her involvement with YLNI, church, and Junior League of Fort Wayne. Beyond community involvement, she enjoys frequenting our fantastic downtown restaurants with family and friends, and taking advantage of the city’s parks and entertainment.

Mike King, Director at Large
mike@ylni.org
Mike launched his own downtown digital agency, King + Knight, in early 2011. He has been married since 2005 and participating in YLNI since 2006. Mike grew up in Fort Wayne and went to North Side High School. He graduated from the Bloomington campus of Indiana University in 2001 with a business degree concentrating in Computer Information Systems. He also spent a couple of years working outside of Fort Wayne before returning to the area. Mike has been very active with YLNI's programming efforts. His foray into YLNI began with the Leadership Institute, and he has been passionate about it ever since. Mike also helped lead business-oriented programs like YLNI's CEO Experience, A View From the Top, and the Executive Think Tank. He is currently in his fourth year on the board. Outside of YLNI, Mike spent three years as a Lunch Buddy for Big Brothers Big Sisters. In April 2011, he participated as a Chef in the Parkview Foundation’s Cookin’ Men event. He has also participated with events benefitting the American Cancer Society and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Mike was named to the 2010 class of The Greater Business Weekly’s 40 Under 40. He was also recognized as one of the area’s 101 Connectors in 2011 by IPFW, the Journal Gazette, and Leadership Fort Wayne. Mike has two adorable small kids with his wife, Julie. He loves being a dad and spending time with his young family, all while growing his new business and being a part of YLNI.

Tamesha Fikes, Director at Large
tamesha@ylni.org
Tamesha is a Quality Analyst at Lincoln Financial. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Financial Management from Indiana University. She also holds her MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University. She enjoys spending time with her family and being involved with her children. She likes reading, singing, and is very passionate about helping retain young people in Northeast Indiana. Tamesha is also an advocate for young professionals helping make our community a better place by staying involved with different organizations.

Dan Swartz, Director at Large
dan@ylni.org
Dan Swartz is currently working with the Downtown Improvement District, Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, the City of Fort Wayne, and Visit Fort Wayne as Cultural District Liaison. In this role, he is creating stronger ties between Fort Wayne’s cultural assets and our City’s economic development strategies. Outside of his day job, Dan is an artist and curator, and writes for the Fort Wayne Reader.

Andy Welfle, Director at Large
andy@ylni.org
Andy Welfle is a social media and content strategist for Reusser Design, a web development and digital agency in Roanoke, Indiana. A fan of the history and mechanics of writing, he's perhaps the world’s only professional wooden pencil blogger. A vociferous advocate for the nonprofit arts community Andy volunteers with many organizations like Fort Wayne Trails and the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, and is a founding member of NextGen Fort Wayne, a discussion group for young nonprofit professionals. With an interest in social media and marketing for a digital age, Andy can be found lurking on Twitter and LinkedIn. He lives in the West Central neighborhood in Fort Wayne with his wife and elderly cat. And don’t let his Twitter picture fool you; he’s taller in real life.

Advisory Council

We also have an advisory council consisting of established community leaders to help direct our success.

• Joe Dorko, Lutheran Health Network
• Scott Glaze, Fort Wayne Metals
• Greg Johnson, Fort Wayne Newspapers
• Jim Marcuccilli, STAR Financial Bank
• Helen Murray, University of Saint Francis
• Mike Packnett, Parkview Health
• Irene Walters, IPFW