INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 31, 2023) —The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has promoted David Coates as the new director of the economic development division. He was previously the agribusiness engagement director for the department.

Coates is a graduate of Wheeling University in Wheeling, West Virginia with a degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology. He has an extensive background in healthcare, workforce development and entrepreneurship through experience in sales, management and marketing. 

“We are excited to promote David to this elevated role within the department,” said Jordan Seger, ISDA deputy director. “The expertise he brings in workforce development and training and in sales will greatly enhance our economic development division and we are excited to see how he supports our existing programs and what new initiatives he builds under this division.”

As the director of economic development for the department, Coates will be responsible for managing staff and overseeing economic focus areas, such as, agritourism, biofuels, hardwoods, the Indiana Grown program, international trade and livestock. He will manage a variety of projects and will encourage agribusiness expansion, attraction and retention for the state.

This role will also lead ISDA in mirroring Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) strategies and support initiatives in key areas of agribusiness, agbiosciences and agriculture workforce development.

“I was honored to be selected as economic development director for ISDA,” said Coates. “I am eager to hit the ground running and support those on my team to make Indiana agriculture the best it can be. I am looking forward to the continued success of our agriculture industry for years to come.” 

David grew up with many fond memories from his grandparent’s small farm in West Virginia. He has a passion for agriculture and has raised cattle, horses, swine, hay and cover crops. During his free time, you can find him and his wife, Lisa, working on their small farm in Scott County, Indiana. Together they operate a seasonal flower, sunflower and wildflower u-pick operation during summer weekends. They enjoy sharing their love of flowers while educating gardeners, beekeepers and the public on regenerative farming, seed saving and agritourism. David and Lisa have six children.

Attorney General Todd Rokita today announced a $66,496,758 settlement on behalf of the State of Indiana to resolve allegations against Centene Corp., a major healthcare-services company.

The allegations include claims that Centene, in the course of providing pharmacy services, overcharged Indiana’s Medicaid program for pharmaceutical costs. Centene made no admission of liability and maintains that its business practices were lawful.

“Companies must be held accountable for their actions,” Attorney General Rokita said. “On Hoosiers’ behalf, my team and I are committed to making sure that happens.”

Attorney General Rokita thanked the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration for its significant contributions to investigating Centene’s practices. He also thanked his staff and the Liston & Deas law firm for their critical expertise.

While functioning as a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), Centene allegedly failed to disclose true pharmacy benefits and services costs. Among other functions, PBMs contract with pharmacies and reimburse them for filling prescriptions on behalf of insurance plans — in this case, on behalf of the State of Indiana.

As a result of Centene’s failure to disclose true costs, Centene allegedly inflated dispensing fees causing an added cost to the Medicaid program.

Indiana is one of at least 18 states to investigate Centene’s alleged overcharges. The agreement requires Centene to pay the State of Indiana the total amount of the settlement in two installments over 12 months.

The settlement agreement is attached.

• Indiana Settlement Agreement_Fully Executed.pdf

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

FOOTNOTE:  EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT  information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (01/31/2023) – The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (E-REP) is pleased to announce the promotion of Audrie Burkett to Chief Operations Officer, Executive Vice President, and Jenna Richardt to Chief Regional Economic Development Officer, Senior Vice President.

“I have been thrilled with the energy and success of our team since E-REP formed through a strategic partnership in 2021, said Tara Barney, CEO of E-REP. Both Audrie and Jenna have been instrumental in not only the complex details of bringing together multiple organizations but also in leading the future strategic vision. I am confident in both Audrie and Jenna’s abilities to move the Evansville Region forward and excited to see the continued evolution through their leadership.”

Burkett and Richardt have been key leaders driving the $50 million Regional Economic Development + Acceleration Initiative (READI) on behalf of the Southwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) and E-REP. In addition to elevating their roles, E-REP’s organizational updates include further aligning the team to meet its mission of cultivating a dynamic and strong Evansville Region for all.

In her expanded role, Burkett will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of E-REP while strategically aligning priorities to the organization’s mission. Burkett is a Purdue graduate and joined E-REP and its predecessor in 2015. In addition to overseeing the internal successful alignment of the organizations that now comprise E-REP, she has provided administrative oversight and led two significant initiatives: Southwest Indiana’s Regional Cities Initiative dispersing $42 million for quality-of-place initiatives and public policy work championing increased internet access for those living in rural areas.

In her expanded role, Richardt will serve as the go-to resource in regional economic development and building quality of place. Before joining E-REP in 2021, Richard was the executive director of the Posey County Economic Development Partnership. While leading the county’s economic development efforts, she helped Posey become a broadband-ready community, completed a Duke Energy site readiness grant for site development, and secured private property land options for more development. Richardt graduated from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare Management and then attained a Masters of Health Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Indiana Supportive Housing Institute celebrates 15th year milestone

NDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 31, 2023) – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), and Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) have announced the five teams selected to participate in the 2023 Indiana Supportive Housing Institute. Each team is comprised of housing developers, service providers, and community-based organizations who will develop concept projects for affordable housing with access to supportive services for Hoosiers experiencing homelessness. The teams were selected through a competitive process.

“The Institute continues to be an intentional opportunity for organizations to develop detailed, individualized supportive housing plans,” Lt. Gov. Crouch said. “This year we are focusing on providing supportive housing that will serve individuals experiencing homelessness as identified through the state’s Coordinated Entry System.”

2023 marks the 15th year of the Indiana Supportive Housing Institute and the ongoing partnership between IHCDA and CSH to bring more affordable supportive housing across the state for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The selected teams represent locations in five counties from north to south-central, and urban to rural areas, demonstrating that homelessness impacts all communities.

“The Indiana Supportive Housing Institute is an opportunity for IHCDA to promote housing stability for those experiencing homelessness,” said Jacob Sipe, executive director of IHCDA. “It’s important that IHCDA and our partners align affordable housing developments to the current needs in communities. We congratulate the teams selected for the Institute, and look forward to collaborating with them to advance supportive housing in the state.”

Below is a list of organizations participating in this year’s Institute:

Warsaw/Kosciusko County: Neighborhood Development Associates, LLC; Bowen Center; Valenti Real Estate Services, Inc.; Housing for Hope, Inc.; SRKM Architecture; Housing Authority of Warsaw

Plymouth/Marshall County: Bradley Company; Garden Court; Bowen Center; McKinley Development, LLC

Indianapolis: Wheeler Mission; Englewood Community Development Corporation; Gratus Development, LLC; Adult & Child Health

Lawrence County: Hoosier Uplands Economic Development Corporation; Milestone Ventures, LLC

South Bend: South Bend Heritage Foundation; Oaklawn Psychiatric Center; City of South Bend, Our Lady of the Road; St. Joseph County Health Department

“CSH is delighted to mark 15 years of collaboration and impact that has connected thousands of individuals and families to quality homes and, finally, stability for those who have cycled through various institutional systems and experienced the trauma of homelessness,” said Lori Phillips-Steele, Director, CSH Indiana. “Only homes end homelessness. Supportive housing pairs quality homes people can afford with the services people need to remain in their homes and achieve their highest quality of life.”

Over the next few months, these teams will work closely with IHCDA and CSH through targeted training and group exercises incorporating CSH’s Quality Supportive Housing Standards. Teams will also receive technical assistance and be presented with pre-development financing opportunities. The Institute will culminate with teams presenting their final plans to CSH, IHCDA, and Institute sponsors. Following graduation from the Institute, each lead organization can apply for funding through IHCDA’s Rental Housing Tax Credit program.