Board of Advisors
The Bowen Center for Public Affairs Board of Advisors is responsible for the ongoing evaluation of the Center. The board meets annually the day before the Bowen Institute on Political Participation session.
Rick Bowen
Rick joined the board in the spring of 2012 as the Bowen family representative. He was the men's basketball team head coach for more than twenty years at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. And before coaching the Falcons, Mr. Bowen assisted the Wisconsin Badgers and the Ball State Cardinals. He served as UW-RF Athletic Director from 2004-2010.
Gilde Breidenbach-Morrisson
Gilde Breidenbach-Morrisson is an Administrative Appeals Judge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Ball State University and received her law degree from the University of Virginia. She is married and lives in Arlington, VA.
Ronald Fields
Ronald Fields, a resident of Jeffersonville, Indiana, is state action chair for the Indiana NAACP. In this capacity, he works with local chapter presidents and political action chairs. He also serves as the second vice president and regional director for the southern district of the NAACP.
Robert Holt
Robert Holt is a retired former executive with Ontario Corporation and Ontario Development Corporation in Muncie, Indiana. He served as Delaware County Indiana Republican chair from 1967 to 1970. On appointment by Governor Otis Bowen, he served as chairman of the Indiana Stream Pollution Control Board and as vice chairman of the Environmental Management Board.
Andrew Jacobs, Jr.
Andrew Jacobs, Jr., represented Indiana in Congress for nearly 30 years, first elected in 1966 and retiring in 1996. Representing the city of Indianapolis, he was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and was a strong proponent of a balanced budget. He turned down all pay raises when he served as a U.S. Representative. He currently practices law in Indianapolis.
Billy Linville
Billy Linville majored in political science at Ball State University and is currently the Vice President of Public Affairs for AT&T. A resident of Atlanta, he previously was a managing director in McKenna Long & Aldridge's Government Affairs Practice and before that he had his own consulting firm, Linville & Associates.
Marissa Manlove
Marissa Manlove is President and CEO of Indiana Grantmakers Alliance. She earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from St. Louis University and a master’s in education from Indiana University. She has been awarded several honors including Distinguished Award Recipient by the Center for Leadership Development in 1990 and 1992.
Robert T. “Tad” Perry
Robert T. "Tad" Perry was the Executive Director of the South Dakota Board of Regents. From 1971 to 1994, he was a professor of political science at Ball State University, where he also served as the university's liaison with state government. He has served as the chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers as well as the treasurer of the National Association of System Heads. While at Ball State he was the co-creator, along with Raymond H. Scheele, of the Bowen Institute on Political Participation. Dr. Perry served as state representative in the South Dakota Legislature.
Bart Peterson
Bart Peterson is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Eli Lilly Company. He is the former two-term mayor of Indianapolis and Chief of Staff to then Governor Evan Bayh. He also chaired the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Arts, Culture, and Recreation from 2002-2005. In addition, he served as president if the National League of Cities from 2006-2007. Prior to joining Lilly, he served as a Distinguished Fellow at the Bowen Center for Public Afairs.
Janet Powell
Janet Powell is a Senior Public Policy Advisor with the law offices of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz in Washington, DC. She is a graduate of Ball State University and served as the press secretary for Governor Robert D. Orr.
Mark Shublak
Mark Shublak is a partner with the law firm of Ice Miller in Indianapolis. A graduate of the political science department at Ball State University, he represents clients before government agencies and his legislative practice spans all industry sectors with a focus on heavily regulated companies.