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Commissioners

About the Commission

The IAC's Commissioners are appointed by the Governor and are selected to represent various areas of the state and a variety of arts, economic development, business and community interests. Commissioners are responsible for establishing the agency's policies and goals, planning its direction for the future, and approving the agency's budget and grant awards and programs.  Commissioners also hire an executive director to manage the agency and guide its strategic direction.

2025 Commission Quarterly Business Meeting Information

View previous meeting minutes.

Commission Members

Dave Haist, Commission Chair, Wabash

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: July 2025 - June 2029

A Wabash, Indiana native, Dave lived in South Bend for 10 years as a partner of Barnes & Thornburg and then moved in 1986 to Fort Wayne to help open the firm’s Fort Wayne office. He later became the office Managing Partner of the Barnes & Thornburg’s Fort Wayne office. After representing Do it Best Corp. as a partner of the firm, he was asked to join Do it Best Corp.’s management team in 1997 and retired as its COO in 2012. He and his wife recently returned to his hometown of Wabash, and they share time between Wabash, Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver and Venice, Florida. He has served a number of business and nonprofit boards throughout Indiana and beyond.

Dave began serving for arts organizations in South Bend as he served the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. After moving to Fort Wayne, he served on the boards of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic (including board president for two years) Arts United and the Fort Wayne Ballet. In Wabash, Dave served as the Chair of the Board of The Honeywell Foundation and now serves as Chair of the Board of the Honeywell Arts Academy. Dave currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Arts United.

Réna Bradley, Vice Chair, Fort Wayne

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: July 2025 - June 2029

Réna Bradley Is a neighborhood planner in the City of Fort Wayne's Department of Neighborhoods and one of Fort Wayne's foremost experts in placemaking, asset-based development, and neighborhood revitalization. She believes that beauty is a call to justice and that a community's residents are its greatest assets.

Réna lives and works in Fort Wayne where she has held various Community Development positions and has raised over $10.5 million to help improve city neighborhoods by supporting the renovation of over 20 houses, activation and maintenance of over 20 vacant lots, installation of 3 pocket parks, and mobilization of hundreds of volunteers and neighborhood residents. Her contributions were among those that resulted in the Mount Vernon Park neighborhood experiencing an over 60% reduction and a sharp increase in rates of homeownership.

Réna is secretary of the Indiana Arts Commission and a board member of the Fort Wayne Allen County Airport Authority, the Fort Wayne Urban League, and Creative Women of the World. She is a proud alumna of Howard University's College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Science; the Detroit Revitalization Fellows; and Virginia Society AIA's emerging leaders in architecture.

Scott Wylie, Secretary, Evansville

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: June 2024 - June 2028

Scott Wylie is the Executive Director of Pro Bono Indiana, a statewide civil legal aid organization headquartered in Evansville.  He serves on a number of national and regional nonprofit boards including Indiana Legal Services, the Indiana Bar Foundation, and is the Immediate Past President of the National Association of Pro Bono Professionals. He has been a national lecturer and peer consultant with the American Bar Association Center for Pro Bono for over twenty-five years.  In the Evansville area, he serves on the boards of Willard Library, Lampion Center, and a number of arts organizations.  In addition to his legal and charitable work, he also teaches law and social work courses at both the University of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana.

Azizi Arrington-Slocum, Terre Haute

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: November 2023 -  December 2027

Azizi Arrington-Slocum is the Chair of the Department of Built Environment and a Professor of Interior Architecture Design at Indiana State University. Prior to her work at ISU she served as a project manager at Johnson Peterson Architects in Tallahassee, Fla., and as an adjunct professor at Florida A&M University and Tallahassee Community College for five years. She is a licensed architect and registered interior designer. Her research interest focuses on relationships between architecture/design and the arts. She has volunteered as a Girl Scout Brownie Troop leader and received the Community-Based Learning and Scholarship Award from Indiana State University in 2011.

Chad Bolser, Richmond

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service:  June 2022 - June 2026

Chad Bolser, PhD, has a thirty-year career in education, leading different organizations in K-12 and higher education. Bolser spent the first twenty-two years of his career in athletics as a basketball coach/athletic administrator at Lindenwood University, Millikin University, St. Teresa High School, and Richmond High School. Bolser joined Ivy Tech Community College in 2014 and has served in the capacities of Campus President (2014-2017), Chancellor (2017-2019 and 2022-present), and Vice President of Operations for Ivy Tech’s southern campuses (2019-2022).

Bolser earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Lindenwood University (MO) in 1992, a Master of Education from Earlham College (IN) in 2007, and a PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Grand Canyon University (AZ) in 2024.  Along with Bolser’s education, he is a certified coach, trainer, and facilitator of Simplex Creative Problem Solving, as well as a certified Prosci Change Management facilitator.

Bolser resides in Richmond, Indiana, with his wife, Leslie. The Bolser family has two daughters: Mallory, who attends the University of Cincinnati and is in CCM's acting program, and Maren, who will enter Wittenberg University in the fall of 2025.

Dawn Conwell, Marion

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service:  November 2025 - December 2027

Dawn Conwell is a multidisciplinary artist, creative entrepreneur, and arts advocate whose work and leadership have significantly shaped the cultural landscape of Marion and surrounding Indiana communities. As the founder of Dawn Conwell Art, she is widely recognized for her expressive oil and acrylic paintings that blend vivid color, nature-inspired themes, and emotionally rich storytelling. Her work has been featured in regional galleries, juried exhibitions, and major arts festivals across the state, contributing to a growing body of contemporary Indiana art that reflects beauty, imagination, and a deep connection to place. Dawn’s artistic practice is complemented by her passion for nurturing creative community spaces, including the development of public art initiatives, and accessible opportunities for emerging local artists.

Beyond the studio, Dawn is a committed community leader and business owner whose ventures integrate arts, hospitality, and cultural revitalization. She serves actively in local arts organizations, supporting downtown development and initiatives that enrich public engagement with the arts. Her entrepreneurial projects—spanning boutique retail, hospitality, vintage curation, and community-centered creative spaces—provide platforms for cultural storytelling and economic development throughout Grant County. With a heart for collaboration and a dedication to elevating Indiana’s creative economy, Dawn brings a thoughtful, energetic, and forward-looking perspective to Indiana championing the belief that strong, artistic, ecosystems strengthen communities, inspire innovation, and foster statewide pride.

Greg Hull, Indianapolis

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: June 2024 - June 2028

Originally from Richmond, Greg serves as the Dean and the Valerie Eickmeier Professor in Sculpture at Herron School of Art and Design, IU Indianapolis. Prior to joining the school in 1999, Greg taught in the Sculpture Department at Kansas City Art Institute. His work and interests include interactive, kinetic, and time-based media including light, sound, and video. Greg has created both temporary and permanent installations for institutions such as the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the John Michael Kohler Art Center, the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, Indianapolis’s Conrad Hotel, and the Indianapolis International Airport. He is an Efroymson Contemporary Arts Fellow, a Creative Renewal Grant recipient and one of two inaugural recipients of the Indianapolis Arts Council’s Transformational Impact Fellowship.

Rick James, Auburn

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: September 2025 - June 2028

Rick L. James, Chairman of the Board of Directors of The James Foundation, is an Honors graduate of Tri-State (now Trine) University, where he received a B.S. in Business Administration and currently serves as Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.

He began his lifelong career in the metal castings industry working as a laborer while going to college and eventually rising through the ranks at Auburn Foundry, Inc. to become its Chief Executive Officer.  In 1997, Rick founded Metal Technologies, Inc., which has become North America’s largest privately held metal casting company with facilities in Indiana, Michigan and Mexico.

Rick also serves as Chair of the Board of the National Parks Foundation, promoting America’s natural resources and historical treasures.  In addition, he serves on the Board of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Inc. (Past President), as well as the Board of Directors of Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne.

Trine University, James’ alma mater, has honored him with its Distinguished Service Award, Pillar of Success and Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration degree in recognition of his substantial commitment to the school of his time and resources.  He has also been honored by receiving induction into the Fort Wayne Business Hall of Fame, the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash honor from Governor Michael Pence, Auburn Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Hall of Fame honoree of Junior Achievement of Northeast Indiana and of DeKalb County, and the Red Coat award from the Mad Anthony’s Children’s Foundation.

Walter Knabe, Indianapolis

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: July 2025 - June 2029

Walter Knabe is a multi-disciplinary artist. Knabe obtained his Master's of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbia College where he worked with Thomas Benton on the implementation of one of his last mural in Joplin, MO.

Walter Knabe opened his first studio in 1982 as a painter in New York City. Knabe has continually evolved his artworks through different mediums and techniques. An artwork commission for a prominent New York residence influenced Knabe to expand his business early on to include hand printed wall coverings. Over the years, Knabe expanded further to include fabric, home decor, lifestyle products and licensing of his artwork and design. At the core, Walter Knabe is an artist. All applications of Knabe's work stem from his fine art practice.

Walter Knabe has been a trusted resource for high profile clients, corporations and design firms around the globe who covet his work. Today his Indianapolis studio houses a gallery for his artwork and a show room for his wall covering and fabrics as well as Knabe's personal painting studio. Walter Knabe's broad and varied experiences ranges from being the official artist of the Indianapolis 500 to custom design work at Harrods department store in London. Walter Knabe's complete CV can be found at walterknabe.com.

Daniel Luis Martinez, Columbus

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: July 2024 - June 2028

Daniel Luis Martinez is a registered architect, educator, and co-founder of the multi-disciplinary design studio LAA Office, which explores the intersection of landscape, art, and architecture. His research and creative work investigate the potential of public art to generate alternative forms of Placemaking. Daniel is an Assistant Professor and Director of Indiana University’s J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program and a faculty advisor to the Center for Rural Engagement. He was a participant in the 2023 Chicago Architecture Biennial and Art Omi’s 2022 Architecture Residency in upstate New York. In 2019, he was named an Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellow and received an AIA Henry Adams Medal from the University of Florida in 2012. Daniel has worked at leading architectural firms, including Allied Works and Weiss/Manfredi, and his writing has been published in notable architectural journals, including Mas Context, San Rocco, Clog, and Drawing Matter.

Jake Oakman, Indianapolis

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: November 2023 - December 2027

Jake Oakman is Senior Vice President of External Relations at the Indianapolis Zoo. In this capacity, he leads the fundraising, brand strategy, membership, public relations, sponsorship, government relations, and Indianapolis Prize teams.

Prior to joining the Zoo, Jake was executive director of White River State Park. Welcoming more than 4 million visitors a year, White River State Park is one of the most visited attractions in Indiana. Under Jake’s leadership, the park underwent a $4.5 million repair and maintenance program. Jake began the $65 million park extension along the west bank of the White River and helped secure a $30 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. in support of the project. When completed, this will be the largest addition to the park since its founding in the early 1980s.

He previously served as director of communications for Visit Indiana. In this role he helped launch a new brand campaign and was part of the team that developed the Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay. His first full-time job was in White River State Park with the Indianapolis Indians at Victory Field. During Eric Holcomb's gubernatorial administration, Jake served as the governor's primary speechwriter and liaison for international engagement. In the latter role, he helped plan and staff 10 international economic development trips to 16 countries. During the 2020 campaign, Jake was director of strategic communications on the governor’s senior campaign team. Reelected in a landslide, in 2020 Holcomb earned the most votes for a gubernatorial candidate in Indiana history. Additional experience includes serving as Lt. Governor Holcomb’s director of communications, deputy press secretary to Governor Mitch Daniels and director of the IUPUI Student Foundation. He is a member of the Indiana Arts Commission and the Downtown Indy, Inc. board of directors.

Jake earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Indiana University where he served as student body president his senior year. He earned his MBA from the University of Southern Indiana. Jake was born in South Bend, Indiana and grew up in Springfield, Ohio. He was awarded the Governor's Distinguished Service Medal by Governor Mitch Daniels and named a Sagamore of the Wabash, the state's highest honor, by Governor Eric Holcomb.

Kelsey Peaper, Indianapolis

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: June 2024 - June 2028

Kelsey has worked in education the past 16 years and is currently working at the Department of Education. Kelsey graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a degree in Theatre and minors in Vocal Music and Communication. After graduation she joined Teach for America and taught as a Special Educator at a high school in Los Angeles, California. She obtained her Masters in Special Education from Loyola Marymount University. Kelsey then taught middle school as a Special Educator in Brooklyn, New York. She moved to Indianapolis in 2013 with her husband and served as Assistant School Leader and the Director of Special Education at a public charter elementary school in Indianapolis. Her passion for both the arts and education is something that is very important to her, especially making art accessible to all as well as art integration in education.

Renee Thomas, Lafayette

Governor Appointed | Current Term of Service: June 2024 - June 2028

Renee A. Thomas serves as Associate Vice Provost for Student Access and Community Engagement at Purdue University in Indianapolis. Thomas has three decades of experience in higher education administration with expertise in program development, student services, community engagement and fundraising. Thomas has championed and advanced student success by utilizing data driven and objective approaches. She has an established track record of building intra-university and external partnerships to advance student access and success.

Thomas held leadership positions on numerous civic, cultural, professional and volunteer organizations including TechPoint Youth, Hanna Community Center and the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. Recognized for her compassionate leadership style, Thomas has received professional accolades including the 2024 Special Boilermaker Award, Indiana Civil Rights Commission Achievement in Education Award, YWCA Salute to Women Award and others.