Execs With Indiana Ties Among ‘Next Wave’

Pictured left to right: Lumina Foundation's Zakiya Smith and Odyssey's Evan Burns.

Two executives from organizations based in Indianapolis are included on a national list recognizing top professionals under the age of 35. The 2016 LinkedIn Next Wave looks at data from LinkedIn profiles and how often honorees appear in news stories.

The Next Wave recipients are broken down into 12 categories of 10 winners. They were chosen from the more than 450 million LinkedIn members.

Odyssey co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Evan Burns, who was profiled last month on Inside INdiana Business Television, is part of the media category. He splits time between Indiana and New York City and helped launch the company while attending Indiana University. LinkedIn says Burns’ online publication currently pumps out more than 50,000 pieces of content per month from its pool of 14,000 creators.

Lumina Foundation Strategy Director Zakiya Smith previously served as a senior advisor for the Obama Administration’s higher education agenda. The Vanderbilt graduate also has a a master’s in education policy and management from Harvard. The foundation is privately-run and is focused on driving the nation’s post-secondary credential rate up to 60 percent by 2025.

You can connect to the full Next Wave list and methodology by clicking here.