Speakers
Thank you to all of the speakers who participated in the 2024 Suburban Housing Conference. The speakers from the general session and breakout sessions are listed in alphabetical order.
Caleb Bauer
City of South Bend
Caleb Bauer is the Executive Director of the City of South Bend’s Department of Community Investment, which leads the City’s community development, economic development, and sustainability efforts. The Department manages a budget of more than $50M annually and includes a team of 77 people that advance a majority of the City’s discretionary programs. Bauer has worked in other roles in local government and is a former newspaper reporter. He is a graduate of Indiana University.
Marie Beason
Prosperity Indiana
Marie’s deep roots in community-based programming began with her work as Executive Director of Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center (INRC) and grew throughout her career leading philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. With a career dedicated to community development and effective nonprofit management, Marie currently serves as Capacity Building Director with Prosperity Indiana (PI), the state’s only community economic development network.
Prior to joining PI, Marie operated an organizational capacity consulting practice and served as Director of Professional Development and Special Initiatives for the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance (IPA). She holds a bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Northwestern University and master’s degree in Instructional Design from Purdue University.
Tauhric Brown
CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions
President and CEO at CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions. Prior to joining CICOA, Tauhric served as the chief operating officer for Senior Services, Inc. of Kalamazoo, Mich., a nonprofit providing services to assure the independence and well-being of older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers in Southwest Michigan. While at Senior Services, Brown held P&L responsibilities for a $16.5 million annual budget and oversaw the areas of finance, human resources, clinical staff, organizational development, and change management. He also previously served as division director of business development, where he created a new customer service culture and infused LEAN system thinking to increase revenue and decrease program expenses.
Brown also previously served in the U.S. Army, where he held roles in administrative and human resources and facilitated domestic and international deployments. Brown holds a master of science management degree and a bachelor of science in business administration from Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Lauren Guynn
Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County
Executive Director for Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County
Lauren joined SCHC in 2015 with the goal to help the organization meet the needs of our growing aging community. With her background in social work and law, Lauren has led the organization through an extensive growth phase, expanding programming and services for seniors aging in place in Hamilton County. Lauren currently serves as the Board Secretary for HAND and previously served on the Wellbeing Coalition of Westfield board of directors.
Stephanie Holmes-Gullans
Prevail, Inc.
Stephanie Holmes-Gullans is currently the Director of Mission Services at Prevail, Inc., a victim advocacy agency located in Hamilton County. Prevail provides support to individuals who have experienced abuse or crime. Stephanie has been working with survivors in various capacities at Prevail for over 11 years. In her current role, she focuses on supporting the direct service team to achieve their mission and provide survivors with the best level of care to help them feel empowered, educated, and supported.
Stephanie earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Indiana University, Bloomington and later obtained her master’s degree in education from Indiana Wesleyan University. After teaching for six years, Stephanie ventured into other professional spaces.
In her free time, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and two dogs. She is a proud mother of two children, Leilani (20) and William (17), and resides in Westfield with her husband, John. They enjoy their daily dog walks, traveling, and spending quality time with friends.
Yolanda Kincaid
Janus Developmental Services
Yolanda Kincaid is the President/CEO at Janus Developmental Services whose mission is to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to participate and contribute within the community. With over 20 years of experience serving people and families with intellectual and developmental differences, Yolanda is passionate and committed to providing high quality supports that honors each person’s unique strengths, abilities, and goals. She currently serves on the Indiana Association of Rehabilitative Facilities (INARF) board of directors/executive committee, the Human Services Advisory Board at Ivy Tech/Hamilton County, the Hamilton County Transportation Advisory Committee, and The Noblesville Advisory Council on Disability, as well as several committees and workgroups leading positive change on a local, state, and national level.
Yolanda received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University and her MBA from the University of Notre Dame. A lifetime Hoosier, Yolanda is originally from northern Indiana, and has found her home in Hamilton County home for over 12 years where she is raising her son. In her personal time, she volunteers as a den leader Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts of America and as a Leader/Coach with the children’s ministry at her church.
Liz Maradik
City of South Bend
Liz Maradik is Chief Neighborhoods Officer with the City of South Bend’s Department of Community Investment, leading a team focused on stabilizing and strengthening South Bend neighborhoods. The Neighborhoods Division manages a variety of services and programs including direct services to city residents, resources to increase and improve the housing stock, administration of federal funding, and overseeing animal welfare and enforcement in the community. She is a certified planner and a graduate of University at Buffalo.
Steven Meyer
Intend Indiana
Steven Meyer serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Intend Indiana, a non-profit that advances comprehensive community development through innovative financing and development solutions. Steven oversees the strategic growth of the organization, including its two Community Development Financial Institutions, affordable housing development, and land banking initiative. Prior to joining Intend, Steven worked for the City of Indianapolis and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management focusing on Brownfield redevelopment and environmental cost recovery litigation. Steven is a graduate of the IU McKinney School of Law and a licensed attorney.
Andrea Miller
Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization
Andrea works as a Senior Planner for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (IMPO) where she acts as the project manager for the Central Indiana Housing Study as well as its Safe Streets and Roads for All Safety Action Plan. In her time at the IMPO, and in her previous position at the City of Indianapolis, Andrea has guided planning processes, performed research on policy topics, developed public engagement processes, and facilitated conversations with stakeholders. Originally from Central Florida, she holds a Bachelor of Business Economics from the University of Central Florida and moved to Indiana to pursue her Master of Public Affairs at Indiana University. Outside of work Andrea enjoys hiking, running, and curling up with a good book.
Brenda Myers
Hamilton County Tourism, Inc.
Brenda Myers is President/CEO of Hamilton County Tourism, Inc., where she oversees the county’s tourism economic development. Myers and her team of talented professionals have created a nationally accredited, fully integrated marketing and product development program that focuses on business intelligence, community, and destination management, as well as innovative and sophisticated promotions strategy. Hamilton County now has the third largest tourism industry in the state of Indiana, driven by corporate, sports groups and leisure.
Myers has more than 30 years of experience in tourism development, working in cultural attractions management as well as in tourism development for the state of Indiana. She has been involved with the Hamilton County Housing Collaborative lending her marketing and community outreach expertise.
Melanie Reusze
Intend Indiana
Melanie Reusze is currently the Chief Operating Officer at RealAmerica Companies.
After successfully leading the Property Management Team at RealAmerica for 3 years, Melanie took on the responsibility as RealAmerica’s Chief Operating Officer in February of 2017 where she oversees the day to day operations of all of the RealAmerica companies, which include Development, Design, Construction and Property Management to ensure their priorities and tasks align across the board. Her role is critical in ensuring all of the companies work harmoniously together, while providing the oversight and accountability to ensure nothing is missed in the complicated process of developing and managing all of RealAmerica’s portfolio properties.
Melanie has worked in the real estate industry since 1995. She is an Indiana licensed Real Estate Principal Broker and has worked in various positions within the real estate industry including positions at the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and Ice Miller, LLP before joining RealAmerica in 2013.
Melanie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University in Public Finance and holds several certifications associated with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, housing development, and property management.
Melanie also has served in leadership positions on several not-for-profit Boards including, Partners in Housing in Indianapolis and the Affordable Housing Association of Indiana (AHAIN). She currently serves on the Boards of the Indiana Affordable Housing Council (IAHC), the Balance of State Continuum of Care (BoS CoC), and Seeds of Hope, Inc.
In her free time, Melanie enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, rooting for the Chicago Cubs, and spoiling her two puppies, Bernie & Dani.
Mike Thibideau
Invest Hamilton County
Mike serves Invest Hamilton County as President & CEO. Invest Hamilton County is focused on the economic vitality of the County’s communities, businesses and residents. In 2024, Invest is driving county-wide initiatives focused on challenges like child-care, disability employment, mental health, broadband, workforce development, K-12 career connections, re-entry, and training programs for underemployed and/or marginalized adult populations.
Mike’s previous roles include Director of Indiana Workforce Recovery, a public-private partnership between the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the administration of Gov. Eric Holcomb, and Executive Director of the Indiana Construction Roundtable.
Mike graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Public Policy & Public Administration and has a Graduate Certificate in Non-profit Management from the O’Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs at IUPUI. He serves as a board member of the Region 5 Workforce Board, Indiana Commission for Vocational Rehabilitation, and Aspire Indiana Health. He also serves as a Steering Committee member for the Hamilton County Behavioral Health Collaborative and Indiana Talent Network and is a past board chair of the Indiana Recovery Council.
Mike lives in Carmel, IN with his wife, Elizabeth, daughters, Hazel and Cecelia, and two cats. In his free time, he enjoys golf, playing the drums, and Michigan State Basketball.