The Freedom Forum with Angela B. Freeman

Lawrence Mayor Deborah Whitfield is tackling an eight-year life expectancy gap within her city while making history as Marion County's first Black female mayor. The former health care executive explains how four decades in the medical field shaped her approach to public service, economic opportunity and community leadership.

Whitfield traces her path from Waterbury, Connecticut, to Hampton Institute, Mattatuck Community College and the Bridgeport Hospital School of Respiratory Therapy. She discusses the confidence she gained at a historically Black college, the value of community college education and her transition from respiratory therapist to director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Community Health Network.

She also addresses Indiana's rollback of diversity initiatives and her concerns about opportunities for minority-owned, women-owned and other small businesses. In a deeply personal conversation, Whitfield shares her experience surviving domestic violence, the role of family and faith in her recovery, and how those experiences influenced her leadership.

Whitfield explains why she initially declined requests to run for mayor, what she learned knocking on 19,000 doors and how her Live Longer in Lawrence initiative is addressing health disparities across eight neighborhoods. She outlines her priorities for another term, including housing, infrastructure, public safety, parks and economic development.

Banking leadership was never Pamela Anderson's plan. She started college studying piano and took 11 years to finish her bachelor's degree.Now a commercial relationship manager at PNC Bank, Anderson traces her path from working through school to leading a business banking team across central and southern Indiana. She explains how Anderson University shaped her approach to servant leadership, why she writes down her values and goals each year, and what she learned from mentors who encouraged her to speak up and celebrate her accomplishments.Anderson also shares how her husband's death in 2021 changed her family and career. She recalls receiving the news on her first day at a new financial firm and the colleagues and friends who helped with everything from business meetings to laundry. She describes learning to ask for help and letting go of the fear of other people's opinions.The conversation covers working motherhood, the guilt of missing games and school assignments, and the daily 30 minutes she sets aside with her son. Anderson discusses building trust with employees, acknowledging leadership mistakes and keeping expectations consistent during difficult conversations. She also explains why mentees need to drive their relationships with mentors, how women can sponsor one another without an executive title, and what Indianapolis employers can do to invest in young professionals.

Five years of real conversations. One recurring question: Who gets the opportunity, and what do inclusive leaders do once they have the power to create opportunities for others?

The latest episode of IBJ’s The Freedom Forum with Angela B. Freeman looks back at five years of candid conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, mentorship, representation and leadership in Indiana.

Hosted by Chris Spangle, this retrospective episode was curated to highlight and celebrate the 5th anniversary of this groundbreaking and award-winning podcast. It features insights and stories from the monthly podcast's regular host, Angela B. Freeman, and some of her standout guests, including Jimmie McMillian, Pete Yonkman, Juan Gonzalez, Kristin Weeden, Kaye Vitug and Mario Rodriguez. Their collective experiences show what inclusive leadership should look like in practice: seeing potential beyond a resume, creating space for people to succeed and fail, making representation meaningful, investing intentionally in individuals and communities, and building teams where different perspectives are genuinely valued.

Thank you to every guest who has trusted The Freedom Forum with their story, and to Angela for five years of authentic conversations designed to move Indiana’s business community forward. Listen to this fifth anniversary retrospective and explore the full Freedom Forum podcast archive at IBJ.com.

This episode is brought to you by Equity 1821. Learn more at www.equity1821.org.

Health care legal leadership requires more than knowing the law. Karen Ann Lloyd explains how she built a trusted legal function inside one of Indiana’s largest health systems while making room for diverse talent to lead.

Lloyd, executive vice president of legal affairs and general counsel at Community Health Network, traces her path from Indianapolis and Indiana University to health policy work on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, private practice and more than two decades in-house. She describes the shift from interpreting policy to advising clients, then learning that internal business partners do not always know the question they need to ask.

The conversation examines how legal teams earn a place in strategic decisions by understanding operations, communicating practical guardrails and helping leaders move forward in a highly regulated industry. Lloyd also discusses quiet confidence, introverted leadership and the value of speaking before someone else claims an idea.

She reflects on mentorship, sponsorship and the professionals who created opportunities for her, as well as her responsibility to place team members in visible roles. Lloyd addresses workplace bias, the unequal consequences of failure for diverse attorneys and the importance of learning from mistakes instead of hiding them.

Her legacy includes building a diverse legal team, expanding social accountability programs, supporting food access and transportation services, adding bioethics expertise and serving on nonprofit boards. She closes with a challenge to Indiana leaders: define the skills a role requires, widen the circle of candidates and make diverse talent visible.

The Freedom Forum marks its fifth anniversary and 60th episode with a conversation about law, leadership, service and lasting community impact.

Dan Kerns, Senior Corporate Counsel at Stout, makes the case that authenticity at work is not just a cultural value but a measurable performance driver. The conversation covers his path from Lawrence North High School and Miami University to IU McKinney School of Law, through years of private practice at a Indianapolis firm, and into his current in-house role at Stout, a global advisory firm specializing in valuation, investment banking, disputes, and transactional advisory services.

Kerns and host Angela B. Freeman work through the practical differences between outside and in-house counsel, including what law firms get wrong about knowing a client's business, how legal teams move from being perceived as roadblocks to trusted business partners, and why risk tolerance varies dramatically across business units within the same organization.

The discussion also takes on representation in the legal profession directly. Kerns reflects on how meeting an openly gay partner early in his career shaped his decision to enter private practice and how that experience informed his leadership of Stout Pride, the firm's LGBTQ+ affinity group, which he helped grow from roughly 10 members to more than 80. He argues that affinity groups, when structured well, give in-house legal teams unexpected insight into business operations across departments.

Tavonna Harris Askew built a 20-year career in healthcare law by taking calculated risks, starting with a pivot from criminal prosecution to hospital operations. As Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Suburban Health Organization, she now serves as the organization's first-ever in-house counsel, building its legal function from the ground up while advising member hospitals across Indiana and Ohio.Harris Askew traces her path from growing up in Indianapolis's Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood to clerking in the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, practicing at Indiana Legal Services, and eventually entering health law at Health and Hospital Corporation of Indiana. She discusses the legal complexity behind hospital operations, including compliance, managed care contracting, anti-kickback statutes, and federally qualified health center certification.The conversation also covers how she approaches mentorship and sponsorship across lines of race, gender, and seniority; what it means to show up authentically in a small organization after decades in large institutions; and what Indiana's healthcare system must do to close equity gaps, build provider pipelines, and treat the whole patient. Harris Askew holds two degrees from Indiana University, including a J.D. from the IU Maurer School of Law.

Tanuja Singh, president of the University of Indianapolis, argues that higher education remains the highest-return investment a city or country can make. A physicist turned marketer turned academic leader, she points to UIndy's growth in online education, corporate partnerships with companies like Roche, a new Women's Leadership Institute, and experiential learning baked into every program as evidence that universities can evolve without losing their core mission. She is direct about Indiana's talent retention problem, telling business leaders they need to engage students early and invest in quality-of-life basics like childcare, green space, and walkable neighborhoods if they want graduates to stick around.

Singh highlights UIndy's commitment to first-generation students (roughly a third of the student body), neurodivergent learners through its BUILD program, and international students, while describing Indianapolis as a city where professional relationships turn into real friendships. Her closing challenge: as the economy shifts, higher education will matter more, not less, and making that case is not just the university's job but everyone’s.

Nicole D. Harper, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Services and CFO at Eskenazi Health, joins host Angela B. Freeman to talk about her unconventional path from health administration at Indiana University to the C-suite, shaped by mentors like former CFO Sharon Rogers, a non-linear academic journey through Walden University and Wharton, and a belief that asking outside questions is an asset rather than a liability. She reflects on bridging the divide between revenue cycle and finance teams, the stubborn underrepresentation of women in healthcare leadership, why failure is something to mine for data rather than fear, and how Eskenazi Health's mission to serve vulnerable populations drives every budget decision, making a direct case that passion, empathy, and a willingness to fight for your position are strategic assets, not soft skills.

In this Black History Month episode of The Freedom Forum, Angela B. Freeman talks with Kristian Little Stricklen, president and CEO of the Madam Walker Legacy Center, about Indiana Black history and the story behind one of Indianapolis’ most iconic landmarks on Indiana Avenue.

Stricklen shares her Indianapolis roots, her HBCU experience at Jackson State University, and how a path from radio into public relations shaped her career across nonprofits, corporate communications and Indianapolis Public Schools. She explains how those roles prepared her to lead the Walker through major moments, including renewed community engagement, headline performances, expanded programming and long-term sustainability efforts.

The conversation also traces the life of Sarah Breedlove, known as Madam C.J. Walker, from her early years to building a national business and philanthropic legacy, and why the Walker building was designed as a hub for entertainment, Black enterprise and community life. Stricklen closes with ways the community can support the center through time, talent and treasure as the Walker approaches its centennial.

Mario Rodriguez, executive director and CEO of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, joins Angela on IBJ’s Freedom Forum to talk about his path into aviation leadership, his Cuban immigrant family story, and how a people-first culture shapes the passenger experience at Indianapolis International Airport. Rodriguez explains his focus on collective wisdom, a flatter organization, and empathy in hiring, plus how the airport invests in the community through local spending, workforce education support, and opportunities for local artists. He also shares what is ahead for the airport and why he plans to stay in Indiana.

JD Finish Line Vice President of Talent Management and HR Compliance, Jackie Gessner, joins host Angela B. Freeman on The Freedom Forum to share her career journey from Fort Wayne to Purdue, the Indiana Statehouse and IU McKinney School of Law. Gessner reflects on early pivots, retaking the LSAT, lessons from private practice at Barnes & Thornburg and why people matter when choosing a workplace. She explains her transition from law firm life to in-house leadership, managing teams across HR and talent, and supporting employees through leave, life events and change. The conversation also explores women in law, authentic leadership and how Indiana employers can retain talent by promoting from within and building strong workplace culture.

On this episode of the Freedom Forum, Indianapolis native Darrell Johnson shares his path from playing basketball at the University of South Florida and overseas in Turkey to becoming President and CEO of Diversity Press. He explains how he discovered the printing industry, why the fast pace drew him in, and how he built a company grounded in service, relationships, and diverse capabilities. Johnson reflects on nearly 20 years of entrepreneurship, growing from small print jobs to partnerships with organizations like the Indianapolis Colts, and leading a multibuilding campus with a family oriented culture. He also discusses mentorship, giving back, and why the name Diversity Press remains central to the company’s mission.

Dr. DaWana Stubbs, Regional Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Humana, shares her inspiring journey from growing up on Indianapolis’s west side and graduating from Crispus Attucks High School to leading in one of the nation’s largest healthcare organizations. She reflects on being motivated by strong family roots, her faith, and early role models who showed her what was possible for women in medicine. In this episode, Dr. Stubbs discusses the importance of diversity in healthcare, how social determinants of health impact patients, and why representation and servant leadership are vital to equitable care.

Host Angela B. Freeman welcomes Nneka Breaux, Ph.D., U.S. Regulatory Policy Leader at Corteva Agriscience, for the 50th episode of the Freedom Forum. Dr. Breaux shares her journey from Mississippi to Spelman College, her pursuit of a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Purdue, and her career path leading to leadership in regulatory affairs. She discusses the influence of her HBCU education, her parents’ legacy as college professors, and her experiences navigating STEM as one of few Black women in the field.

On this episode of the Freedom Forum, Angela B. Freeman talks with Burnell “BJ” Grimes Jr., director of Legal for North America Energy Solutions at Carrier Global Corporation. A lifelong Hoosier, Grimes shares his path from IU Bloomington and IU McKinney Law School to big law, government service and corporate counsel. He also discusses the criticality of intellectual property and legal operations on innovation and growth for any company, large or small. Burnell further describes the importance of mentorship, authenticity, and the importance of community involvement for all leaders to have legacy impact.

Dr. Russell Ledet, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., shares his remarkable journey from digging through dumpsters as a child to becoming a triple board resident at IU Health. In this powerful episode of The Freedom Forum, host Angela B. Freeman explores how Dr. Ledet’s time in the U.S. Navy, his experience at an HBCU, and his pursuit of advanced education shaped his commitment to leadership, equity and service.

He discusses founding The 15 White Coats, fostering culturally relevant literacy, launching Reels and Roots, and developing an AI-powered mental health app to bridge communication between parents and teens. Dr. Ledet also reflects on how Indiana can build a more inclusive future in healthcare leadership.

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Dr. Katasha S. Butler, PharmD, MBA, joins The Freedom Forum to share her inspiring rise from a curious grade schooler in Illinois to a senior healthcare leader at Eskenazi Health. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Butler reflects on her time at Spelman College and Butler University, her rapid ascent into pharmacy leadership, and the challenges she’s faced as a Black woman navigating bias in highly regulated systems. She unpacks the complexities of formulary management, regulatory compliance, and strategic partnerships—all while leading with empathy and integrity. From people-first leadership to breaking down barriers in healthcare access and equity, Dr. Butler’s story is a powerful testament to purpose, resilience, and the impact of showing up fully and authentically.

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Our guest on this 46th episode of the 2025 season—celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month—is Kaye Vitug, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Roche Diagnostics. Vitug shares her powerful personal and professional journey from growing up in the Philippines to becoming a top financial executive in the global pharmaceutical and diagnostics industry.

She reflects on the values of education, service, faith and community that shaped her leadership style, and discusses the challenges of immigrating to the United States and navigating a corporate career as a Filipino American woman. Vitug also speaks about the importance of cultural agility, drawing from her global experiences in California, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Switzerland and now Indiana.

She offers valuable insight into the responsibilities of a CFO, the importance of authenticity in leadership, and the role that mentorship, coaching and sponsorship play in developing emerging leaders—particularly those from diverse backgrounds. She emphasizes resilience, humility and strategic thinking as essential qualities for success, and shares how her career has been shaped by leaders who took a chance on her potential. This episode is a thoughtful reflection on inclusive leadership, global experience and the importance of creating environments where all professionals can thrive.

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Our guest on this 45th episode is Leon Williamson, Indianapolis market president for iHeartMedia. Leon shared his career journey from his Jamaican roots to leading one of the largest media organizations in the world. Leon reflected on the cultural shifts he experienced moving from Miami to the Midwest, and the importance of building local community and cultural connection both personally and professionally. Leon also discussed how his sales background and authentic leadership style have shaped his approach to managing diverse teams and fostering organizational success. Finally, he offered thoughtful insights on the evolving discourse around diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how individuals—particularly young or underrepresented professionals—can develop the confidence and clarity needed to lead with purpose and conviction.

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In this special Women’s History Month episode of The Freedom Forum, host Angela B. Freeman talks with Tiffany Munsell, senior vice president of mature engine programs at Rolls-Royce. An Indianapolis native, Tiffany shares her unconventional path from law school to venture capital to aerospace leadership, highlighting the grit and resilience required to balance motherhood, career pivots and professional growth. She discusses her early role in helping launch Elevate Ventures, her transition to Rolls-Royce during the pandemic, and the challenges and rewards of being a Black female leader in a male-dominated industry. Tiffany also reflects on the lasting impact of her education at Spelman College, the importance of authenticity in leadership and the need for psychological safety in the workplace.

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