Community Impact Summit

Summit Snapshot

Purdue faculty, staff, and invited community partners: connect, learn, and celebrate at the Community Impact Summit — and join us in toasting the Purdue University Office of Engagement’s 25th year. Doors open at 9:15 a.m. for check-in and coffee. A dessert social follows the program until 3:30 p.m.

Return to your day energized by what’s possible when universities + community partners pool passion and expertise for the greater good. We can’t wait to see you there.

Agenda Highlights

• Fireside chat with Cynthia Cardona, President of the Lilly Foundation and Vice President of Social Impact for Eli Lilly & Company
• Celebration of the Office of Engagement’s 25th anniversary + engagement awards
• The Engagement Exchange: interact with featured Purdue-community collaborations + Purdue engagement resources
• Lightning talks, panels, and what’s next for Purdue + community impact in Indiana and beyond

What to Expect

• Connecting community changemakers + catalyzing new collaborations
• Recognizing exemplary community impact partnerships in Indiana and beyond
• Showcasing inspiring Purdue & community partnerships that leverage university innovation, talent development, and other resources to make the world a better place – together

Awards Lunch Celebration

The Purdue Community Impact Summit Awards Lunch celebrates and rewards promising and best-in-class Purdue + community impact partnerships. Learn more about the different engagement awards below.

• Engaging Rising Star Award
• JoAnn Miller Exemplary Community Partner Award

Featured Speakers

• 

  Cynthia Cardona

  President of the Lilly Foundation and Vice President of Social Impact for Eli Lilly & Company

  Cynthia Cardona is the head of social impact for Eli Lilly and Company, a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world. She also serves as the president of the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, Inc. (the Lilly Foundation), a separate, tax-exempt, private foundation supported by donations from Eli Lilly and Company. In her capacity with the Lilly Foundation, Cynthia leads strategic initiatives and support in critical areas such as global health, STEM education, and economic mobility. Additionally, she leads Lilly’s social impact team, which envisions a world where everyone has an opportunity to live their healthiest life possible.

• 

  Jasmine Gonzalvo

  Chris and Theresa Dimos Director of the Center for Health Excellence, Quality, and Innovation

  Jasmine D. Gonzalvo, PharmD, MPH is the Chris and Theresa Dimos Director of the Center for Health Excellence, Quality, and Innovation and a Clinical Professor in the College of Pharmacy at Purdue University. She provides cardiovascular risk reduction medication management services for Eskenazi Health Pecar Health Center for a largely Spanish-speaking population in a Federally Qualified Health Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Diabetes Leadership Council and is the President of the Indiana Community Health Workers Association.

• 

  Sascha Harrell

  Director of Education and Workforce at Purdue University’s Indiana Manufacturing Competitiveness Center

  Sascha Harrell is the Director of Education and Workforce at Purdue University’s Indiana Manufacturing Competitiveness Center, where she oversees statewide efforts to grow Indiana’s talent pipeline and improve access to high-demand industry career paths. Her work focuses on strengthening partnerships between education and industry, developing scalable K-16 and incumbent worker training programs, and securing strategic investments that support long-term workforce and economic growth. She believes Indiana’s future depends on empowering learners to see themselves as innovators well before they enter the workforce and on recognizing that teachers are often the industry’s first recruiters. Her academic work focuses on strengthening the workforce pipeline by enhancing early STEM education and supporting educators who guide students through these experiences.

Community Partner Panelists

• 

  Lindsay Payne Haugen

  Associate Professor of Practice in Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering

  Dr. Payne’s research sits at the intersection of sustainability, teaching and learning, and engagement focusing on transdisciplinary decision-making in community-engaged design. Payne teaches courses in sustainability, climate change, service-learning applications in stormwater management, and professional development. Payne has also worked professionally in the non-profit and secondary education sectors, and currently serves on multiple community-based environmental boards.

• 

  Monica Ramsey

  Vice President of Experience Development and Family Learning for The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

  Monica leads the creation of innovative and immersive exhibitions and programs for intergenerational audiences. Ramsey has dedicated more than 20 years to the Museum, serving in roles across the institution, starting as a production assistant for the museum’s on-site children’s theater and eventually becoming Director of Exhibits and Interactive Media before taking on her current role as Vice President. Monica is driven to create experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that respond to the needs of communities and visitors, provoke exploration, and build bridges across divides.

• 

  Kier Crites Muller

  President and CEO of Food Finders Food Bank

  Kier is President and CEO of Food Finders Food Bank, the leading hunger-relief organization in north central Indiana. She first joined Food Finders in 2010 as its inaugural program coordinator and has since held several leadership roles, guiding the organization through significant growth and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Food Finders’ dedicated team of 36 staff, 9 programs, and network of 100 partner agencies serve nearly 90,000 individuals across 16 counties.

• 

  Jason McManus

  President and CEO – Wabash Center

  Jason is President and CEO Wabash Center, a large, local non-profit organization based in Lafayette, Indiana, that serves people with disabilities across a broad spectrum of ages and abilities. He serves as Chair of the Indiana Conference of Executives of the Arc of Indiana, Vice Chair of the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities Board of Directors, Board President of the Indiana Providers of Effective Autism Treatment, and was appointed to Governor Braun’s ABA Taskforce in 2025. Prior to his time at Wabash Center, Jason served as the Chief Operating Officer for Damar Services, Assistant Deputy Director of Field Operations for the Indiana Department of Child Services, and Director of Juvenile Programming for the Hamilton County Department of Juvenile Probation.