Robert Evans III is a resident of Marion County and currently works as a manager for the Indiana Office of Technology. Prior to his career in technology, he spent a decade working for various non-profits with experience in arts administration, community development and homeless case management. He holds a Master’s in Public Adminstration and is currently pursuing a Masters in Law. He is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan.

For its first class, MDLF Cohort VI traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana to meet with both local leaders and statewide experts in public policy and economic growth. The session, The State of the Economy, was hosted at Electric Works, the recently renovated General Electric campus that bills itself as the city’s center for “innovation, energy and culture.” With it’s intentional mix of the past and future, Electric Works served as the perfect setting for a day that asked fellows to consider the history of our state’s economic success, enduring challenges, but most importantly, how we can contribute to a new vision for Indiana’s future.

IU Public Policy Institute director, Tom Guevara, set the stage for the day by painting a picture of Indiana in a national context, showing where we stand in relation to our regional competition. While these facts were known to most of us, Fellows clearly leaned into his suggestion that we view states outside of the region as our top competitors and places from which we can learn.

With this in mind, Brenda Gerber Vincent, Chief Impact Officer of Greater Fort Wayne Inc., and Eric Doden, former president of the Indiana Economic Development Commission, who is largely credited for initiating the city’s redevelopment, walked us through how the city became one of the fastest growing, and most desirable cities in the Great Lakes Region. What resonated with me is the need to view statistics and results in context and ensure the data is measuring what matters most. 

This rang true to the class during the session with Economist, Dr. Michael Hicks. Dr. Hicks outlined employment changes in the years since World War II and questioned many of the policy choices that have led to Indiana’s reduced higher education attainment rate. With a cohort composed of multiple education and policy professionals, Dr. Hicks’ interpretation forced some to reevaluate their priors, which I believe is one of the most important opportunities the MDLF offers.

On another note, a personal interest of mine is understanding the trade-offs required to create and maintain successful institutions, and while Fort Wayne leaders obviously have a plan for growth, I believe that more thought should be put into understanding the cultural and political tensions that are natural consequences of economic growth, urbanism, and “diversity.” 

It’s clear that Fort Wayne has lessons to teach Indiana on how to approach the future. Simply put, successful economic development requires a clear vision, intentionality, and leadership. Yet, while these may seem obvious, the unspoken secret is that success takes love; love of place, of learning, and of hard work. Love is what drives this cohort. You hear it in the questions and see it in the hungry curiosity we engage each speaker with. So this is what I hope for each of us, that this program will guide us to a new way to show love to the state we call home.