Innovate East Central Indiana - Muncie

Caitlin Hancock serves as the President and CEO of Forge ECI, bringing more than a decade of experience in economic development and regional collaboration. Since joining the organization in 2015, Caitlin has been instrumental in driving initiatives to strengthen the region’s economic vitality, foster community partnerships, and attract talent and investment to East Central Indiana. She has played a key role helping to secure and deploy more than $50 million through Indiana’s READI initiative—transformative funding that is advancing major projects across the region to spur business growth, housing development, talent attraction, and quality-of-place enhancements. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute, Caitlin combines her strategic expertise with a strong foundation in communications, holding a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Indiana Wesleyan University. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a commitment to building sustainable initiatives that deliver measurable results, while championing collaboration among counties, local leaders, and business partners. Caitlin proudly resides in Hartford City. 

Marcy leads the Foundation's operations. By establishing relationships across the community, she links the Foundation's work to the community's priorities. Marcy brings professional experience in nonprofits and for-profits, including years of grantmaking experience at the Foundation. She is a fourth-generation resident of Delaware County and a graduate of Cowan High School, Indiana University, and Ball State University.

President Geoffrey S. Mearns serves as the 17th president of Ball State University.

After joining the University in May 2017, President Mearns led the process to develop a new strategic plan. Destination 2040: Our Flight Path establishes a long-range vision for the University that sets priorities across five key areas: undergraduate excellence, graduate education and lifetime learning, community engagement and impact, scholarship and societal impact, and inclusiveness and institutional excellence.An updated version of the plan, which sustains the commitment to these five long-term goals, was approved by members of the Board of Trustees in 2025.

During his tenure, President Mearns has pursued initiatives that have sustained and expanded student enrollment, despite the adverse impact of the pandemic. Under his leadership, the University surpassed the $350 million goal of its current fundraising campaign—the institution’s must successfulcomprehensive fundraising campaign in its history. 

President Mearns has also strengthened the University’s relationship with the community, most notably through its ambitious plan to revitalize The Village, the commercial district that is adjacent to Ball State’s campus. This plan includes construction of a new Performing Arts Center, a new boutique hotel, The Cantio, and a Center for Innovation and Collaboration, as well as a new owner-occupied housing district and the Village Green.

President Mearns has also successfully implemented an innovative partnership between Ball State and Muncie Community Schools. Since the partnership began in 2018, the district has substantially increased compensation for teachers and staff and invested approximately $80 million in new and renovated facilities. These investments have producedsignificant improvements in student attendance, literacy rates, and high school graduation rates.

 President Mearns earned his undergraduate degree in English from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. After a legal career that included serving as a federal prosecutor, President Mearns held academic and administrative roles at Cleveland State University, and then he served as president of Northern Kentucky University. He and his wife, Jennifer, have five children and seven grandchildren.