Who We Are

The Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation strives to enable leaders and drive change in Indiana, just as Mitch Daniels did as the state’s 49th Governor. The vision for MDLF is to develop a statewide network of change agents, actively working to make Indiana the best place to build a future.

History

The Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation was started by alumni of the Mitch Daniels gubernatorial administration at the conclusion of his final term in office in 2013. The original goal was to create an organization in which leaders who exemplified the traits of leadership Mitch Daniels characterized could receive recognition as an example for others to follow. This was primarily accomplished through the bi-annual awarding of the Mitch Daniels Leadership Prize. Past winners of the Prize are recognized on our website. Beginning in 2016, MDLF created the Fellows program, which is now the central engine of the Foundation.

People

Today, MDLF includes our board, staff, Fellows, alumni, mentors, and network. More information on each one of these sections can be found on their respective sections on this website.

  • Our Board is composed of members who can serve up to two consecutive three-year terms. Members are selected from across the State of Indiana:

    • Our Board Committees enable Board members to provide targeted oversight and support to help advance the MDLF mission. There are three Committees: Executive,  Fellowship, and Membership.

    Our staff is composed of Lauren James, Executive Director, Kelsey Cook, Membership Director, Erin Lucas, Development Director, and Brian McGrath, Outreach Advisor.

  • Our Fellows are members of our two-year Fellowship program. There are two overlapping classes, offset by one year, with a new class of Fellows selected each spring. As of May 2024, there are 141 individuals representing 27 Hoosier counties who have participated in the program. While the general timeline will remain the same, the exact dates are subject to change.

  • Our alumni are “graduated” Fellows. Fellows graduate the program at the conclusion of the second year of the Fellowship.

  • Our network includes over 3,000 people who subscribe to our mailing list, follow us on social media or interact with us in some way, including speakers, donors, and past mentors. In 2022, we launched the MDLF Network which currently includes over 150 individuals who are volunteering to mentor and connect Fellows with the resources and people they need to advance their Capstones.

  • Our partners include The Liberty Fund, whose leadership facilitates three Fellows class conferences during Year 1. The Pierre F. & Enid Goodrich Foundation provides grant funding to support that partnership. Other sponsors and donors in our work are noted on our website here.

Note that we sometimes use the word “member” as shorthand for the combined list of our speakers, fellows, Board, alumni, and donors.

What We Do

Objectives

  • Operate a high-quality, statewide Fellowship program that equips Fellows to understand the key economic and social drivers of our state and how Fellows can engage in making positive change in their communities. The four drivers on which the Fellowship focuses are: The Economy; Education; Health; Civic Engagement.

  • Help current and former Fellows connect with the resources and people necessary to put their ideas for change into action through the MDLF Smart Network.

  • Create a space where the philosophies and principles embodied by Mitch Daniels during his career in the public, private and non-profit sectors will live on through the activities and influence of the MDLF organization.

Value Proposition

MDLF identifies and develops emerging leaders in Indiana to improve the state’s collective economic promise and prosperity. We do so through the following primary means: 

  • Educating Fellows on the principles of individual liberty, personal responsibility and the important role of private enterprise.

  • Developing, and expecting, Fellows to take focused action to achieve meaningful change with demonstrable results.

  • Supporting Fellows with a broad, committed and diverse (in race/ethnicity, gender, geography and industry) network of established leaders and change agents.