Ivy Tech Community College Speaker Series to Feature Chamber CEO Tara Barney

President and CEO of the Southwest Indiana Chamber Tara Barney, will be the culminating speaker in the 2019 School of Business Speaker Series at Ivy Tech Community College on Wednesday, April 10. This presentation in the annual series sponsored by Banterra Bank, will be at 6 p.m. in Vectren Auditorium.  It is free and open to the public.

Barney will present the keynote address, “Intentional Collisions.”  She said the topic will address how to apply the science of “thinking outside the box” by seeking out spontaneous opportunities to build a stronger community in the workplace. “As you put yourself out there with diverse thinkers, you will find your superpower, your unique leadership skill,” Barney said. She will address how to pick up some ideas on how to identify it, harness it, and hone it to build your personal career brand.

A public reception is planned prior to this presentation at 5:30 p.m. in the foyer of the auditorium.

Barney serves as the President & CEO of the Southwest Indiana Chamber and works with 18 other staff members to serve over 1,500 chamber members. Prior to joining the Southwest Indiana Chamber in March 2018, she served in a similar position with the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce for seven years. The Quad Cities Chamber is a business and economic development organization serving a bi-state metropolitan area of 400,000 west of Chicago along the Illinois and Iowa border and worked effectively with more than 30,000 businesses, including several Fortune 500 companies.

Prior to her role at the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, she was the President and CEO of the Iowa Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce (formerly known as DavenportOne). The latter organization merged with the Illinois Quad City Chamber in 2010, thus achieving a long-standing interest of the business and civic community to have a single, regional business organization overseeing economic and community advancement.

Through Quad Cities Chamber predecessor organizations, she has nearly 20 years of extensive chamber experience and in working on economic and community development initiatives.  When residing in Ohio, Barney held various roles in economic development with the Cities of Columbus and Toledo in both the public and private sector.  Prior to her tenure in the Quad Cities, Barney resided in Southwest Florida and served on the business attraction staff of the Lee County/Fort Myers Florida Economic Development Office.

Barney holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from Miami University and a M.P.A. from the John Glenn College of Public Policy at The Ohio State University where she was the recipient of the Pacesetter Award.

For additional information, contact Jamie Purcell, instructor of Business Administration, at  jpurcell26@ivytech.edu.