Institute for Leadership and Service at Valpo Offers Lecture on Community Engagement Outside the Nonprofit Sector

WHAT: Valparaiso University’s Institute for Leadership and Service presents the Pathways to Purpose Speaker Series, which invites students to hear from alumni and other exemplary practitioners of leadership and service to help expand student imagination about pursuing purposeful work and a meaningful life in response to the deepest challenges of our time.

This lecture will focus on bridging work in the corporate sector with strong community involvement, a topic of great importance to students who care deeply about service, but don’t feel called to the nonprofit world.

The event is free and open to the public.

WHO: Eddie Melton will present “Leadership Isn’t a 9-5 Job: How to Make an Impact When Service Isn’t Salaried.” An entrepreneur, motivational speaker and mentor, Eddie Melton strives to lead by example. He is the manager of Governmental and Community Relations for Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO). In this position, he serves in a public affairs capacity for the corporation while managing its corporate citizenship strategies, charitable giving, and federal government relations. Prior to joining NIPSCO, Melton worked as a program officer for the Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s community foundation in northwest Indiana.

In 2012, Melton was appointed to the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males by Governor Mike Pence and was recently appointed to the Indiana State Board of Education. He serves as an advisor to the mayor of Gary, Karen Freeman-Wilson, on the national My Brother’s Keeper Initiative that was established by President Barack Obama.

Melton travels across the country promoting the power of mentoring today’s youth and training organizations on effective leadership skills. His message continues to inspire others to tap into their true spirit of servant leadership. He has been recognized with multiple awards and accolades, including the top “20 under 40” young professionals in northwest Indiana by The NWI Times Media Company (2010), and a South Shore Leadership Award winner (2012). He served as the national spokesperson for Brother 2 Brother Magazine and is a frequent columnist for the Gary Crusader newspaper.

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 25, 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Helge Center (adjacent to the Chapel of the Resurrection), Valparaiso University