Join us for closing remarks from Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and an eye opening conversation between Aim’s Matt Greller and IU’s Drew Klacik.
Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch, State of Indiana
Proud to have been born and raised in Evansville, Indiana, Suzanne previously served as Indiana’s State Auditor from January 2014 through December 2016.
Before becoming auditor, she served as the state representative for House District 78, which encompasses parts of Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties. She was elected to the seat in 2005, and served as the Vice Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and on the Public Health Committee. Throughout her years of public service, Suzanne has been focused and committed to programs and services for people with disabilities. She was honored to receive the 2012 Public Policy Award from the Arc of Indiana for her work with people with disabilities and was named Legislator of the Year in 2011 by the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities.
Prior to serving in the House of Representatives, Suzanne spent eight years as auditor of Vanderburgh County. During that time, her office received its first clean bill of health in decades from the State Board of Accounts. She then went on to serve as a Vanderburgh County Commissioner until joining the House. She presided as president of that body during her third year in office.
As Lt. Governor, Suzanne oversees a portfolio that includes the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Office of Community and Rural Affairs and Office of Tourism Development. In addition, she also serves as President of the Indiana Senate, chair of the Indiana Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, chair of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Task Force, chair of the Indiana 2020 Census Committee and oversees the Next Level Veterans initiative and the Next Level Connections initiative.
Suzanne graduated from Mater Dei High School in Evansville. She then went on to receive her Bachelor’s De-gree from Purdue University, majoring in Political Science, and four years later met her husband Larry Downs. Together they have a grown daughter, Courtney.
Drew Klacik, Senior Policy Analyst, Indiana University Public Policy Institute
Since joining the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, now a part of the IU Public Policy Institute, as a policy analyst in October 1992, Drew Klacik’s prin-cipal areas of work have included economic development, state and local taxation, and affordable housing and neighborhood development policy. Much of his work is focused on Indiana and trying to understand how these issues interact and affect the quality of life and economic vitality of metropolitan areas.
Prior to joining PPI, Klacik was a principal planner for the city of Indianapolis Division of Economic Development. His work projects included the development of Circle Centre Mall, the attraction of the United Airlines maintenance facility to Indianapolis, the designation of the Indianapolis Enterprise Zone, the Eli Lilly Corporate Center and Harding Street expansions, and retention of the Fort Harrison Finance Center. He earned his bachelor’s from Purdue University and holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Ball State University.
Matt Greller, Chief Executive Officer, Aim
Matt Greller was appointed Executive Director of Aim in 2002, then known as the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns Foundation, a non-profit affiliate of the Association. In 2018, the Aim Board of Directors acted to formally change Greller’s title to CEO.
Before coming to Aim, Matt worked as a consultant for the Navy in Washington, D.C. where he designed and implemented management systems on naval ships and submarines.
Since becoming CEO, Matt has focused on improving member service and more effective government affairs advocacy, and modernizing the organization to better meet the needs of its members. Under his leadership, he has expanded services by creating the Municipal Management Institute, the first-ever Mayors School and Clerk-Treasurers School, the Indiana Mayors’ Institute, a collaboration with Ball State University. Greller also spearheaded the launch of the Aim Medical Trust, a statewide health insurance pool for municipal government.
Matt has improved the Association’s advocacy efforts by seeing the Indiana General Assembly pass important laws for cities and towns, such as the sweeping road funding reform package passed in 2017. He has helped build the credibility of Aim and bring Aim to the table on important issues that will impact Hoosiers for decades to come.
Matt Greller is a native of Nashville, Indiana, and received a B.S. in 1994 in Public Administration from Indiana University, Bloomington. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute, Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, and Aim Medical Trust. Matt is a former board member of the Indiana Society of Association Executives and Purdue University’s Local Technical Assistance Program. Matt is a Certified Association Executive.
Greller and his wife Nikki have two sons, Ben and Zach. Matt is an active participant in their youth sports pro-grams. He coaches school and basketball teams. Matt’s family hosts a golf fundraiser in memory of his grandfather each year that provides college scholarships to Brown County High School seniors.