The LIFT portal is designed by Labs for Industry Futures and Transformation. Powered by a transformational Lilly Endowment grant, LIFT brings together business, community, and educational partners in new and innovative ways centered on creating a diversified regional economy with global presence, based on technology and advanced manufacturing.
By connecting cutting-edge expertise, technologies, workforce development programs, and innovation-based facilities for collaboration across education, community, and Industry partners, the LIFT Network supports the region through the transformation to an increasingly digital and automated future. By enhancing the current manufacturing base with new business models, technologies, and tailored workforce training programs, we are accelerating new high-tech sector growth in the region. In addition to the implementation team, an executive steering committee as well as several regional advisory councils have been created to help inform strategic investments throughout the LIFT Network.
Leighton Johnson
Director of Education & Workforce Initiatives
Jill Scicchitano
Director of Industry Growth
Regina Emberton
President & CEO
Scott Ford
Managing Director, Industry Labs, Associate VP – Economic Development
John DeSalle
Executive Engineer in Residence
Â
Michael Shoemaker
Program Director of Industry Innovation
Â
Tom Fuja
Faculty Director, iNDustry Labs, Interim Dean College of Engineering
Â
The Executive Steering Committee oversees the implementation and stewardship of the catalyzing grant from the Lilly Endowment during the five-year grant implementation period.
Dr. Thomas Burish
Chair, Provost , University of Notre Dame
Dr. David Balkin
Chancellor , Ivy Tech Community College
Ann-Marie Conrado
Committee Member, University of Notre Dame
Shannon Cullinan
Executive Vice President, University of Notre Dame
Tom Fuja
Faculty Director, iNDustry Labs, University of Notre Dame
Dr. Pete McCown
President, Community Foundation of Elkhart County
Rose Meissner
President, Community Foundation of St. Joseph County
Bryan Ritchie
VP & Associate Provost for Innovation, University of Notre Dame
Linda Yoder
Director of Education & Workforce Initiatives
Regina Emberton
President & CEO, South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
Scott Ford
Vice President – Economic Development, University of Notre Dame
Jim Morrison
Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives , University of Notre Dame
The Industry Advisory Council is a coalition of regional leaders formed to provide advice and expertise for the LIFT Network and iNDustry Labs.
Tom Fuja
iNDustry Labs Director, University of Notre Dame
John Axelberg
President, General Stamping & Metalworks
Jacqueline Barton
Founder & CEO, Specialized Staffing, Inc.
Regina Emberton
President & CEO, South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
Tracy Graham
Founder & Managing Partner, Graham Allen Partners
Kreg Gruber
CEO, Beacon Health Systems
Ken Julian
Senior VP of Administration & Human Resources, THOR Industries, Inc.
Jason Lippert
President and CEO, Lippert Components, Inc.
Gary Neidig
President, ITAMCO
Ashley Martin
Ashley Martin, NIBCO, Inc.
Amish Shah
CEO, Kem Krest
A key advisory body to the LIFT Executive steering Committee is the South Bend Elkhart Regional Partnership Board, as well as its constituent advisory committees.
The following higher education institutions are part of the South Bend Elkhart Regional Partnership’s Higher Education Advisory Council and are key LIFT Network partners.
