Kylie Shurr was just born Jan. 2 but already has a $100 head start toward her college expenses, thanks to the new Seeds of Promise program administered by the Porter County Community Foundation.
First Things First Porter County Executive Director Graduates from Mutz Philanthropic Leadership Institute
Dr. Mary Jane Eisenhauer, Executive Director of the newly established First Things First Porter County, graduated as an inaugural member of the Mutz Philanthropic Leadership Institute in October of this year.
In 2021, the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance launched the Mutz Philanthropic Leadership Institute which provides leadership training experience to skill-up professionals serving in board and executive roles at foundations, corporations and social impact organizations across Indiana.
“The Mutz Institute will serve as a pipeline for the transformational philanthropic leaders Indiana needs now and in coming times,” said Jamie Merisotis, CEO of Lumina Foundation, one of the program supporters.
Through a competitive application process, Mary Jane was selected as one of only 24 members to participate in the institute program the first year. The Mutz Institute is named for former Indiana Lieutenant Governor, past Lilly Endowment Inc. president, IPA founder, corporate CEO and Indiana visionary, John M. Mutz.
“Participating in the inaugural class of the Mutz Institute was professionally and personally rewarding and changed the course of my career,” said Dr. Mary Jane Eisenhauer. “Working with passionate leaders and learning from great thinkers helped me to understand the critical role of philanthropy in our communities. The lessons from Mutz have been instrumental in shaping First Things First Porter County.”
Dr. Mary Jane Eisenhauer has served young children & families for over 25 years as a kindergarten teacher, researcher, policy consultant and teacher educator. Eisenhauer was Interim Associate Director for the School of Education and Counseling at Purdue University Northwest and continues to work with national, state and local leaders to promote high-quality early childhood development.
In June, she began as Founding Executive Director of First Things First Porter County - a collective impact initiative committed to an expanded deployment and coordination of the unique resources in the areas of healthy beginnings, family support and building capacity for early care.
“We are fortunate to have Mary Jane heading up this exceedingly important endeavor,” said Bill Higbie, President & CEO of the Porter County Community Foundation. “With her expertise and drive, First Things First will become an integral part of how our community prioritizes caring for our infants and toddlers.”
Inspired by compelling evidence that supports the broad value of significant investment in early childhood development and learning, the Porter County Community Foundation has leveraged funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. to catalyze community partners and to create a healthy ecosystem of care, support and services to ensure that every baby born in Porter County is prepared for a strong start to life, resulting in the establishment of First Things First Porter County.