From Mark Roger:
Mark Roger
I recently announced my resignation as Executive Director of SOURCE RW with my final day being October 5th. The decision to leave has been one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make both personally and professionally. My work at SOURCE RW has been incredibly rewarding and the success that we have shared here at SOURCE RW goes well beyond my expectations. The residents of Indianapolis’ Near West are fine people and welcomed my efforts and our Center with open arms. From providing an initial business ownership series to our fully-operational service and training destination, we now annually meet the interests of hundreds of entrepreneurs and business owners. The icing on the cake for me was the winning of LISC’s Opportunity Award as part of the Love Thy Neighborhood Awards for 2018.
While my leaving is bitter sweet, I do want to take this opportunity to thank those who have contributed in making SOURCE RW’s first two years a success. First, a round of applause to Denise Praul of Business Networking International, Ruth Morales of the Indpls Mayor’s Office, Mel McMahon Stone of Indiana Originals, and Ronda Crouch and Sharon Harvey of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) who seldom told me “no.” It’s rare to find a group of professionals who are so committed to volunteering whenever called upon. Second, thank you to the SOURCE RW Board and specifically Tom O’Neil, the SOURCE RW Board Chair, and Dr. Toya Crain, board member and Haughville STRONG convenor.
My thank you list would not be complete without a special thank you to Sarah McInnis of Indy Chamber Business Ownership Inititiative (BOI), Teresa Francis of IUPUI Office of Community Engagement (OCE), and especially to Elizabeth Davis who is SOURCE RW’s current Operations Manager and one of the best “go to” people I have ever had the good fortune to work with. All three of these professionals have treated their roles and the Center with the utmost professionalism and more often than not going above and beyond without ever being asked. Finally, I also sincerely would like to thank the IUPUI Office of Community Engagement for taking a chance on me and the handful of business education ideas I arrived with.
I wish I could thank everyone but there are so many who have demonstrated their commitment to making the Near West and SOURCE RW thrive. While leaving is a difficult decision, having had the experience of working with such quality people on such a worthwhile endeavor has made coming to SOURCE RW one of my very best decisions.
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