Laura Macknick

Laura Macknick serves as the inaugural Executive Director for the Don Wood Foundation.

​Outside of the foundation, she serves as a member of the United Way of Steuben County Board of Directors and is active with her church, St. Anthony of Padua in Angola, Indiana. Laura brings almost 20 years’ experience in the nonprofit sector, she has worked in nonprofit management, fundraising, grant-writing, marketing and communications.

She is an alumna of Purdue University for her undergraduate degree and completed her Masters of Nonprofit Administration and Philanthropy from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy from Indiana University.

​Additionally, Laura is a graduate of Leadership Lafayette and has taught as adjunct faculty for North Central College in Naperville, IL in their Masters for Nonprofit Leadership curriculum. Laura feels very passionate about connecting the mission of the foundation which will further education and access to vocational skills and training along with fostering innovation through entrepreneurship as a way to aid in the effort of regional development in Northeast Indiana. In her spare time, Laura enjoys spending time with her husband, Patrick, and their family, volunteering at her church and in the community, reading and following sports.

Administration Team

Steve George

As the Director of Finance & Administration​ for the Don Wood Foundation, Steve is the point of contact for Foundation operations including financial, human resources, office and systems management.

Steve brings over 10 years of experience in higher education financial and operational management with expertise in the areas of accounting and finance, operations and facilities.

​He is an alum of Purdue Fort Wayne and is driven to create opportunities for effective and efficient management through education and collaboration and is eager to be an integral part of an organization that will be providing opportunities to develop the future leaders of our workforce.

Steve enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling and living an active lifestyle.

Julie Brown

Julie  serves as the Executive Assistant for the Don Wood Foundation. She brings over 27 years of Executive Assistant and Operations Supervisory experience to the foundation.

Julie is an alumna of Purdue Fort Wayne with an Associate Degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision with a concentration in Office Supervision and a Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies with a minor in Psychology. She has supervised and managed offices for many years and brings a wealth of office operation knowledge along with organizational skills.

​In her spare time, Julie likes to spend time with her family, friends, and pups. She also enjoys reading, cross-stitching and scrapbooking.

Program & Communications Team

Danielle Rich

Serving as a Program Officer of the Don Wood Foundation, Danielle plays a primary role in screening, processing, and tracking letters of inquiry (LOIs) and grant applications so they meet the Foundation’s eligibility guidelines and standards.

​Danielle brings over 15 years’ experience in philanthropy through the corporate and nonprofit sector, she has worked in grant management, program development and implementation, relationship management, and system implementation. She is an alumna of Grace College, and is passionate about bringing together positive change through collaboration and innovation, and is excited to have the opportunity to work with an organization that is poised for great impact in the region.
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Danielle enjoys traveling, enjoying the outdoors, volunteering, and spending time with friends and family.

Patrick Buesching

Patrick serves as a Program Officer for the Don Wood Foundation.  In this role, he determines if grant applications match the funding guidelines of the foundation and then in later stages of the granting process, leads site visits, interviews grant stakeholders, and conducts outside analysis and research.

He is very active in the community serving on several boards including Humane Fort Wayne.  Patrick brings over 20+ years of strategic servant leadership to the foundation including working in higher education where he focused on workforce development and apprenticeships, in the corporate arena as both CEO and board member of 80/20 and has an extensive background in training and sales.

He is an alumnus of Indiana University Bloomington earning his bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs and he completed his graduate work at Taylor University by earning an MBA.

Additionally, Patrick was a member of the Leadership Fort Wayne class of 2011, Leadership Whitley County in 2013, and collaborated on an article discussing the success of training teachers in STEM education for the journal Advanced Materials and Processes.  He is an adjunct faculty member at Taylor University where he teaches macroeconomics and serves on the Business Advisory Council.  In his spare time, he enjoys time with family, reading, and being outdoors.

Carmen Jagger

Acting as the Program and Communications Associate for the Don Wood Foundation, Carmen assists the team with program duties and provides communications support with events and announcements.

Spending most of her career in manufacturing, Carmen is excited to help reinforce the industry that supports the region she calls home. Carmen brings six years of project management experience to the foundation, as well as three years of 80/20 product experience.

 She is a graduate from Leadership Whitley County and serves on the Peabody Public Library Board of Trustees. Currently, she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Purdue Fort Wayne in organizational communications.
 
Carmen appreciates all things outdoors including hiking at Dygert nature preserve or helping maintain the family farm. When she’s not at her desk, you can find her lost in a good book, or out horseback riding.

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