Jay F. Hein

Jay Hein is president of Sagamore Institute, an Indianapolis-based think tank that he helped found in 2004. He was Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives from August 2006 to August 2008. Hein serves as Distinguished Senior Fellow at Baylor University's Institute for the Study of Religion and directs the Foundation for American Renewal, founded by US Senator Dan Coats.  Hein was appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels in 2010 to serve as a member of the Indiana Commission on Community Service and Volunteerism.  Earlier in his career, Hein was a welfare reform policy advisor to Governor Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin from 1994 to 1997 and director of civil society programs at the Hudson Institute from 1997 to 2004. Hein received a Bachelors of Arts degree from Eureka College and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Read articles by Jay F. Hein.

Donald Cassell

Donald Cassell directs Sagamore's Africa portfolio. He recently published a case study on the newly established Philanthropy Secretariat in Liberia. The case study is being published in the Liberian Studies Journal, a journal of scholarship and research on Liberia. Mr. Cassell also oversaw the development of the Indiana-Africa Connections Project, a database of over 250 Hoosier organizations with ties to Africa. Additionally, he serves as the host of Sagamore’s Fellows Program.

Previous to his role at Sagamore, Mr. Cassell spent 20 years working as an architect in Indianapolis. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Construction Specification Institute (CSI).

A native of Liberia, Mr. Cassell graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts.  Mr. Cassell also studied at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he received his Master of Divinity.

Wesley Cate

Wesley Cate grew up on the Northeast side of Indianapolis. After attending Anderson University and graduating with a degree in music, he decided to pursue a Masters degree in International Relations at the University of Indianapolis. While there, he learned about and began working with Sagamore Institute as an intern and then as a research assistant. For the last couple of years, Wesley has worked closely with Sagamore's Africa portfolio including the Indiana Africa Connections Project. He currently works as a research fellow and managing editor of American Outlook. He is also a research assistant for ISOKO Institute-a Kigali-based think tank.

Larry Ingraham

Senior Fellow Larry Ingraham has been a leader in Indiana’s trade outreach in Asia since the early 1980s.  As a top aide to Governor Robert Orr, he played a crucial part in Indiana’s successful efforts to build a bridge for Japanese investment, which has resulted in over 250 Japanese firms now operating in our state employing over 45,000 Hoosiers at a total investment of over $10 billion. 

In addition, he has served in a number of capacities in the business field, including as founder and president of Ingraham & Associates, Inc., an international firm that provides consulting services to US and Asian corporations, economic development firms, and government agencies in a range of vital areas, such as site evaluations, joint ventures, marketing, procurement, public relations and global trade.  He has served as a visiting lecturer at the Indiana University School of Business, advisor of East Asian Business Affairs for the Indiana Department of Commerce and vice president of the Pacific Rim Sector of the INB Business Development Corporation.  He has also been president of the Midwest US-Japan Association in 2000 and 2001, and director of the sister-city office of Miyoshi, Japan in Columbus, Indiana from 1997-2002.  He is a key member of the Japan America Society of Indiana, which produced an Indiana guidebook for Japanese firms.  Finally, Larry is on the advisory committee for the Purdue CIBER (Center for International Business and Research), and has strong connections with the Purdue Chinese professors heading up the Purdue Chinese language studies program, the Purdue China Center, and the Purdue Confucius Institute.

Michael Lindell

Michael joins Sagamore as Senior Fellow and Director of Scholarships for Education Choice. After earning his undergraduate in International Management from Indiana University School of Business, he devoted 15 years to overseeing sales and marketing in the student loan industry. Most recently, he served as the director of Chase Bank's Health Education Loan Program.

Mike is the father of two sons. His own father--a high school teacher and principal--instilled in him the value of earning a quality education and using his talents to serve others. This background fuels his desire to build Sagamore's program to provide educational opportunities for low-income families.

Beverly Saddler

Beverly was born and raised in Indiana, most recently residing in Marion. She is a recent graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Photography.  While working as a freelance photographer, she was introduced to the Sagamore Institute.  In November of 2010, Beverly joined our staff as Assistant to the President.

John E. Waters

John E. Waters joined Sagamore in March of 2011 as senior fellow of the New Energy portfolio. Also president of Waters & Associates Consulting, Waters has over 25 years experience in sustainable enterprise development, product development, and successful implementation of complex solutions. Most recently, Waters conceived and co-developed a $2 billion business plan for the energy supply and transportation sectors. Leveraging a consortium he founded between Alcoa, Johnson Controls, and Google, he launched Bright Automotive, Inc, in January 2008, of which he now serves as Vice Chairman.

Previously the vice president of Transportation at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Waters established the practice and provided energy strategy for Fortune 500 companies (e.g., Alcoa, Ford, Wal-Mart, etc.).

Prior to RMI, Mr. Waters was the Vice President of Business Development for EnerDel, Inc.—a lithium battery joint venture with Delphi Corporation. He led the joint venture and was responsible for developing new markets, commercial sales, and strategic partnerships. As manager of product engineering at Delphi Corporation (2001–2004), Waters initiated strategic customer partnerships and launched a new lithium battery business for Delphi. He was responsible for the design, testing, and production of multiple lithium battery products, including the Segway^®.

Prior to Delphi, Mr. Waters worked for GM where he led numerous projects, including the development and production of battery pack systems for GM’s first electric vehicles (i.e., GM EV1, and the Electric S-10). Mr. Waters has been awarded five U.S. patents, two international patents, holds two defensive papers in battery pack designs, and has received numerous industry awards.

Dr. Amy Sherman

Dr. Sherman is the author of several books (including "Restorers of Hope"), numerous “how-to” ministry manuals, and scores of published articles. She  frequently speaks to gatherings of Christian community ministry practitioners and at public policy leaders. She has served as an advisor to the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, provided expert testimony at Congressional hearings, and briefs local, state, and federal public officials on policies regarding faith-based social services.

Sherman is also the founder and former executive director of Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries, a holistic, Christian community development ministry serving an urban community of approximately 370 lower-income families. Currently, Sherman also volunteers as a Senior Fellow for the International Justice Mission and is an active member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, VA. Sherman received her undergraduate degree from Messiah College in 1987 and her Ph.D. in foreign affairs/economic development from the University of Virginia in 1994.

Kelly Givens

Kelly Givens holds a bachelor's degree from James Madison University in Media Arts and Design, with a focus in Corporate Communications as well as a Minor in Writing and Rhetoric. Before moving to the Shenandoah Valley, Kelly was part of the Capital Fellows Program in Washington D.C., where she interned at Reformed Theological Seminary. Kelly is recently married, and she and her husband enjoy hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains, only minutes away from their home.

Todd Goble

Senior Fellow Todd Goble heads the Infusionomics team at Sagamore, a group that focuses on educational reform and economic literacy. Todd also serves as the interim executive director for the Association for High School Innovation (AHSI) and the vice president of education with StreetSchool Network™. His efforts with StreetSchool resulted in accreditation in 2005 and reaccreditation (five years later) as a sponsoring corporation for CITA. In addition, since 2004, Todd has led a collaborative grant for adapting and teaching economic literacy, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship to underserved students.

Todd holds both a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Education from Allegheny College. He also received his principal and superintendant certifications from Cleveland State University.  Over his teaching career, Todd has served in a variety of roles in both public and private education—including secondary teacher, principal, and executive director. In addition, Todd has worked as a minister of Christian education at Bay Village Presbyterian Church, as a senior account executive with New England Life and CIGNA, all in Cleveland, Ohio. He currently resides in Monument, Colorado.

Dwayne Hawkins

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Dwayne served for 12 years in various positions—including chaplain, principal, and superintendant—at the Omaha Street School. He has also served the StreetSchool Network™ for the past three years in the areas of college/career preparation, economic literacy and spiritual development.  Dwayne brings his broad range of experiences to Sagamore as a research fellow.

Dwayne earned both his Bachelor of Science in Management and Organizational Leadership and Biblical Studies and his Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies from Grace University in Omaha. Dwayne credits his father, a Baptist minister, with instilling in him the value of education as well as serving and investing in the lives of others. 

Laurel Christensen

Laurel joins Sagamore as a Research Fellow working on an economic literacy program called Infusionomics and assisting StreetSchool Network™ schools on their improvement processes and accreditation.  After graduating from Trinity Western University with a degree in History, Laurel went to work in the corporate world in human resources and then started a family.  She went on to complete her teacher certification at Calvin College and taught high school for 10 years in a school devoted to serving the needs of diverse students.  While teaching she went on to earn her master’s in education from Grand Valley State University.  She continued her work in education by serving as the Director of School Development for the StreetSchool Network™ and worked on the team that developed and coached schools using the Infusionomics program.

Laurel’s parents both grew up in the Netherlands during the German occupation.  Her father left school and home at the age of 13 to join the merchant marines. He later immigrated to Canada, where he met her recently immigrated mother. Her parents moved to Michigan when her father bought an existing store and developed it into a major retailer and importer of Dutch products supplying markets around the country. It was her work with Potters House Christian School and her parent’s commitment to hard work, education, and her father’s entrepreneurial nature that inspired her passion for helping disadvantaged students succeed.