LISC names local community development leader to ramp up investments in Indy neighborhoods
INDIANAPOLIS, August 22, 2018 –A community investment group that has driven more than $260 million into Indianapolis neighborhoods has named a new executive director to lead its expanding economic development agenda and drive new capital into housing, businesses and jobs across the city.
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) announced today that Tedd Grain will serve as executive director of LISC Indianapolis—one of 32 LISC urban program offices and a national leader in place-based strategies to create economic opportunity. Grain has spent almost a decade at LISC, first as a program officer and then as deputy director, working on such critical efforts as the build out of LISC’s Centers for Working Families, which help people find and keep good jobs, and new programs to address the social determinants of health.
“Tedd is a proven innovator who understands how to connect community groups, business leaders, policymakers and residents to create a more inclusive economy,” said Maurice Jones, LISC president and CEO. “He has deep connections in the neighborhoods where LISC works and strong relationships with funders that are committed to safe and healthy communities. He is the right person to lead our growing work in Indianapolis.”
Grain says a great deal of his work today flows from a worldview formed while growing up in Recife, Brazil, and seeing the dramatic levels of poverty and inequality that divided people. He became a community organizer in Indianapolis, working with the Justice for Immigrants Coalition of Indiana. Grain subsequently worked on policy issues for the Indy Chamber and served as a professor at Indiana University’s School for Public and Environmental Affairs, teaching about sustainable community development. He joined LISC in 2009.
“I look forward to building on LISC’s long history of collaboration with residents and partners to catalyze resilient communities in Indianapolis,” said Grain. “In the months to come, we will be deepening our work in inclusive economic development, focusing intensely on neighborhood health, and building the capacity of local organizations to lead long-term growth.”
As executive director, Grain will oversee a staff of 11 and provide strategic direction and guidance for all aspects of LISC’s local work. He has served as interim executive director since March, when William Taft was promoted to LISC senior vice president for economic development, working on national efforts.
Grain has master’s degrees in both philanthropic studies (Indiana University (IU)) and nonprofit management (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)) as well as a certificate in social entrepreneurship from IU’s Kelley School of Business. He earned his BA in Spanish Literature at Earlham College and is fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish.
Grain also volunteers his time in Indianapolis. He serves on the boards of the Eskenazi Health Center, Renew Indianapolis and EmployIndy, and was a founding member of the Latino Youth Collective. His accolades in recent years include the Indianapolis Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list, the Phillip J. Rutledge Award for Commitment to Education in the Spirit of Social Change from the IUPUI School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and “Best of the Best” by the Central Indiana Realtist Association.
About LISC
With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families. Since 1979, LISC has invested $18.6 billion to build or rehab 376,000 affordable homes and apartments and develop 63 million square feet of retail, community and educational space. In Indianapolis, that includes more than $260 million in support for affordable housing, small businesses, community facilities, charter schools, commercial corridor revitalization, and green spaces. For 26 years, LISC has been a leader in the fight to improve quality of life for Indianapolis residents and in transforming Indianapolis places into healthy ones. For more, visit www.liscindianapolis.org
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