MDLF Fellow Feature: How the Midwest Got Its Defense Groove Back
By: Heath Murray
Heath Murray spent nearly a decade as a police officer before transitioning into cybersecurity, earning a degree in Information Systems Security and joining the DoD as a contractor in 2015. He later moved into management at Artisan Electronics, Inc., overseeing IT/Cyber and serving as a Program Manager under General Dynamics at NSWC Crane. Heath holds a Master’s of Management in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Penn State, with research focused on “Building the Midwest Defense Ecosystem.” Currently, he works as a small business advisor for the Indiana Small Business Development Center while also serving on multiple advisory committees and leading D!NG as the Executive Director. Outside of work, Heath is a passionate metalhead and fantasy enthusiast, actively playing and DM’ing Dungeons & Dragons, writing his first fantasy novel, and spending time with his family (all while trying to better his golf game).
On April 18, 2020, my phone buzzed with a call from Mike Young, then-director of Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation (MDLF). “Congratulations,” he said, “you’re in.” I know this because I still have the voicemail saved, a little trophy of disbelief.
To say I was surprised is an understatement. Programs like MDLF weren’t my scene.
They still aren’t.
In the national security world—especially here in the Midwest—we don’t exactly scream for attention. Defense is quiet and understated, like a stealth fighter cruising under the radar in a sky crowded with flashy commercial jets.
And honestly? That’s fine. That’s how national security should work.
But my friend and fellow Department of Defense (DoD) colleague, Aaron Pierce, had a different perspective. “Apply,” he said. At first, I brushed it off. Then I looked at the past MDLF fellows. Few of them were defense-focused—Aaron, also an MDLF alumni, was the only one at the time of my application. Most came from fields like healthcare, education, and law.
All of those fields were great, but their world wasn’t mine. Trust me, I have been in plenty of conversations with people outside the DoD industry and when they ask what I do (and did), I get a very polite “That’s cool,” a head nod and then they go back to their conversations.
But, two conflicting thoughts hit me when I thought about applying:
How the hell does a ‘defense guy’ fit into this crowd (MDLF) and would I actually add value with all of these other fantastic people?
What better opportunity to educate Indiana’s movers and shakers about defense as an economic development enabler and powerhouse?
That same year, a few stars aligned. Governor Holcomb’s State of the State address set a bold goal: triple Indiana’s federal defense investment by 2025. My colleagues and I at the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum (DEF) were revving up plans for a Midwest Defense Roadshow and our chapter was elected to host the DEF annual conference here in Indiana.
On top of that, I was knee-deep in DoD work, as a Senior PM on a $80MM IT contract at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane), located in southern Indiana.
Channeling my inner Anthony Bourdain, I told myself: “Go for it. Worst they can do is say ‘no.’” So I applied—bluntly, of course.
My pitch? If Indiana wanted to triple its defense footprint, it needed to move faster, collaborate smarter, and transform itself into a defense workhorse.
My wife even laughed, and said “Well, they will love this …or they won’t.”
Apparently, MDLF liked my brashness. They accepted me. Even though a majority of our sessions were virtual (thanks, COVID), the experience was awesome.
While wrapping up my master’s research at Penn State on “Building the Midwest Defense Ecosystem,” I found myself diving headfirst into my MDLF capstone—same theme, same mission, just another layer of the story. I took what I’d already built, sharpened the edges, and ran with it.
However, the pandemic had thrown a wrench into defense innovation events. Virtual gatherings just weren’t cutting it. Then, in late 2022, a few high-ranking DoD and industry folks approached us: “We loved your defense non-profit work. Ever thought about bringing it back?”
Over beers, my colleagues (now D!NG’s board members) and I hashed it out. The consensus? “What the hell—why not?”
At Buy Indiana 2023 (an annual business networking event hosted by NSWC Crane and regional partners at the French Lick Resort), the Defense Innovation Networking Group (D!NG) was born. What started as a scrappy, shoestring non-profit—small events funded by individual sponsor money—quickly gained momentum later that year.
In October 2023, we pitched the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) with a bold idea: “The Defense Innovation Rural Roadshow” where we partnered with Entrepreneur Service Organizations (ESO) in the Indiana Uplands to bring defense innovation to the rural parts of southern Indiana. It worked and we were awarded a Community Collaboration Fund (CCF) grant.
By 2024, we kicked off the roadshow and shortly thereafter I left my consulting gig to run D!NG full-time. Since then, we’ve fully executed the rural tour, and secured another CCF grant for a statewide expansion, the “Defense Innovation Statewide Roadshow.”
We’ve also created some waves by proving the model works.
Here are some of our key data points from 2024:
$61.8M allocated DoD funds in Indiana
8 innovation events held
378 meaningful connections made
Most importantly, we’re helping cement Indiana—and the Midwest—as a defense innovation powerhouse.
Without MDLF taking a chance on a blunt-talking ‘defense guy’ with a crazy idea, D!NG might not exist. But here we are, proving that defense isn’t just about what’s on the battlefield—it’s an economic driver, a unifier, and one of many good reasons to believe in the Midwest.