Our Founders
LES ZWIRN, FOUNDER & CEO
Les Zwirn is a retired hospital and community health executive and consultant. He was Vice President for Strategic Planning at Methodist Hospital for 15 years, founder and CEO of Better Health for Indiana for six years, and has led more than one hundred hospital, health center, public health, and local health coalition projects to reduce the burden of illness on Indiana communities. Les is a founder and CEO of Indiana Town Halls, Inc.
ED DELANEY
Ed DeLaney has represented the 86th District in the Indiana House of Representatives since 2009. He is the founding lawyer for Investigative Reporters & Editors, Inc., has been an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington, was Chair of the Indiana Development Finance Authority, and is a retired partner in the law firm of DeLaney & DeLaney with his wife Ann and his daughter Kathleen
CAREY HAMILTON
State Representative Carey Hamilton was elected in 2016 to represent Indiana House District 87. Carey is has worked in the environmental field for 25 years. During that time she has worked in the public, nonprofit and private sectors, managing several policy development initiatives and public outreach programs. Currently, Carey works in government affairs for a company that provides a municipal climate planning tool.
In 2021, Hamilton received Indiana Wildlife Federation's Conservation Champion Award, as well as the Indiana Greenways Foundation Outstanding Public Official Award. She earned the 2020 Civility in Government Award from the Association of Retired Members of the Indiana General Assembly and in 2019 was named Legislator of the Year by the Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation for supporting key proposals regarding health, the environment and restorative justice during the 2019 General Assembly session.
John Ruckelshaus
John Ruckelshaus has represented the 30th district in the Indiana Senate since 2016 and previously represented the 49th district in the Indiana House of Representatives. He has served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development for Government Affairs and as a Member of the Washington Township Marion County Advisory Board. He is currently Director of Business Development, Van Ausdall & Farrar/American Health & Wellness. John, along with Representative Carey Hamilton, regularly convenes the only bi-partisan, bi-cameral Town Hall in the State. He currently serves as Assistant Majority Caucus Chair.
jim shella
Jim Shella is a Hall of Fame journalist who spent over forty years working in television news. He was WISH-TV’s political reporter for thirty-four years. Additionally, he served as host and producer of Indiana Week in Review on public broadcasting for twenty-five years. He has been awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash by 3 Indiana governors and in 2017 was selected to be in the Associated Press Indiana Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Our Moderators
david barras
David Barras retired in December 2017 from WISH-TV after 37 years as an Anchor and Reporter for 24-Hour News 8. Barras was born and raised in the Chicago area, attending Miami University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree and then heading to Ball State University where he earned a Master of Arts Degree. Barras is an Emmy award winning Anchor and has won numerous awards for his nearly four decades of reporting at WISH-TV. Barras has been married for 45 years has 3 children and 2 grandchildren.
jim shella
Jim Shella is a Hall of Fame journalist who spent over forty years working in television news. He was WISH-TV’s political reporter for thirty-four years. Additionally, he served as host and producer of Indiana Week in Review on public broadcasting for twenty-five years. He has been awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash by 3 Indiana governors and in 2017 was selected to be in the Associated Press Indiana Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Our Advisors
jennifer dzwonar
Jennifer has been with Borshoff, an award-winning creative and PR agency, for 26 years and became an owner in 2007. Jennifer oversees the crisis and community relations practice at Borshoff, including providing timely strategic communications counsel, media/speakers training and crisis communications guidance that is recognized and valued by CEOs, corporate leaders and other prominent individuals and organizations. In 2019, Jennifer was inducted into the College of Fellows, an honorary organization within the Public Relations Society of America. Jennifer was named to Indianapolis Business Journal’s Women of Influence
and is a member of Stanley K. Lacy Leadership Series class XXXI.
Jonathan greenberg
Jonathan Greenberg is the founder, board chair and seed capital donor of Informing to Empower, and the creator of the Candidates Video Debate system. Greenberg was a Web 1.0 pioneer, founding Gist Communications in 1996, an Internet company that competed successfully with TV Guide Online.
During the two years following the world Trade Center attacks of September 11, Greenberg served as Policy Director for the New York City Council’s Select Committee on Lower Manhattan Redevelopment, where he directed media and public policy campaigns and was the city council’s lead analyst for federal relief programs.
Jonathan received his B.A. in rhetoric and literature from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a Master’s Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School.
hyacinth rucker
Hyacinth Rucker is currently the Regional Communications Manager for the American Red Cross of Indiana. Hyacinth not only serves as a spokesperson for the Indiana region, but she manages media relations and writes press releases as well as the monthly internal e-newsletter. She recruits and manages a robust list of volunteers and oversees all of the region's social media platforms including the region's blog, and so much more. She previously worked for the Eiteljorg Museum as their Digital Marketing Manager. Prior to working in the non-profit field, Hyacinth worked in the TV industry for 12 years. She graduated with a Broadcast Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has been an active member of the Public Relations Society of America’s Hoosier Chapter since 2015. She currently serves as the Director of Research and Development and as a committee member for the Diversity Committee.
ellen szarleta
Ellen Szarleta, Ph.D., J.D., is the Director of the Indiana University Northwest Center for Urban and Regional Excellence and Professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University Northwest. She works closely with communities to identify issues of concern and develop collaborative approaches to advancing the quality of life of our communities. Her interests include civic engagement, community-university partnerships, and capacity building for effective public sector decision making. For more than 10 years, her work has focused on expanding opportunities for citizens to enhance their understanding of civic engagement and most recently served as co-author of the 2020 Indiana Civic
Health Index. She is a former prosecutor and magistrate.
Our Partner
WFYI Public media
WFYI Public Media collaborates with Indiana Town Halls as the media partner and a promotional support. In support of the Town Hall broadcast and on-demand viewing, WFYI provides production technology that enables high-quality remote broadcasts using meeting technology, live streaming over YouTube, and recorded Town Halls for sharing with public broadcasting stations across the state. WFYI also provides community outreach and helps to expand Indiana Town Hall's civic engagement network with promotional partners for the events. To support audience activation, WFYI’s team helps with social media marketing, including graphics and event promotions using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Finally, WFYI leverages the Indiana Public Broadcasting System to enable Indiana Town Halls to reach all nine of Indiana's Congressional District citizens.