Meet our Team
President & CEO
Marie foster-bruns
Marie began her role as President & CEO of One Region and the Northwest Indiana Regional Opportunities Council in May, 2021 and has extensive background in nonprofit management, entrepreneurship, fundraising and community relations. She was most recently an executive of West Lafayette-based Purdue Alumni Association, which has more than 600,000 members. Marie is a Purdue University at West Lafayette graduate who earned her MBA at Purdue Northwest. She also held leadership roles at Purdue Northwest, in Porter County government, and corporate marketing. She is a graduate of Leadership Northwest Indiana, was named as one of the NWI Times’ “20 Under 40” and has been a Northwest Indiana Influential Women finalist. She resides in LaPorte County with her husband, Norvin, where they enjoy raising their teenage children and taking their little dog, George, on kayaking & hiking adventures.
Marketing & Program Coordinator
Bailey McGrath
Bailey joined the One Region team July 6th, of 2021 and has a diverse set of skills in project management, marketing, and economic development. She most recently joined the team after starting her career with La Porte County Community and Economic Development. Her experience in managing large projects, assisting in the announcement of 500 jobs creations for 2020, and ability to adapt to an ever changing landscape, she will be a valuable addition to the One Region team. Bailey is completing her MBA in December of 2021 at Purdue University Northwest where she has molded her educational path towards economic and community development for Northwest Indiana. She currently resides in Michigan City where she regularly volunteers at the local animal shelter.
Board of Directors
- Violet Sistovaris
Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer, NiSource - Craig Dwight
CEO of Horizon Bank (Vice-Chairman) - Tom Keon
Chancellor of Purdue Northwest (Secretary) - Ben Bochnowski
President and CEO of Peoples Bank (Chair Emeritus) - Matt Wells
(Non-Voting Treasurer)
- Chris White
Publisher of the Northwest Indiana Times - Ashley Dickinson
CEO, Northwest Health - BR Lane
Helios Consulting - Michael Bergerson
Partner, Barnes & Thornburg - José Padilla
President of Valparaiso University