Ascend Indiana, the talent and workforce development initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), announced today three new members to its Board of Directors.
The new board members include Tony Denhart, executive vice president of Workforce & Talent at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Gina Ashley, chief operating officer at United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI), and Andrea Morgan, director of Nursing Pipeline at Ascension St. Vincent.
Ashley and Morgan are replacing long-time board member Fred Payne (UWCI) and Allison Taylor (Ascension St. Vincent), respectively, on the Ascend Board of Directors.
“We are fortunate to have Tony, Gina and Andrea join the Ascend board, which continues to expand in both geographic reach and thought leadership,” said Brad Rhorer, president and CEO of Ascend Indiana. “These three new members bring expertise in the areas of workforce development, nonprofit excellence and healthcare pipeline development, all of which are key ingredients to delivering our mission to ensure all Hoosiers and all employers are equipped to thrive in Indiana’s evolving economy.”
Tony Denhart serves as the executive vice president of Workforce & Talent for the IEDC. In his role, Tony leads and aligns the IEDC’s workforce and talent strategy and vision to Indiana’s economy of the future. Since joining the IEDC in 2022, Denhart and his team have pioneered new connections and strengthened existing relationships with workforce partners across the state, including universities, PK-12, staffing agencies, government agencies, community-based organizations, foundations, construction stakeholders and others.
Prior to joining the IEDC, Tony worked at General Electric (GE) for 32 years, spanning from his first role as a field engineer to leading GE Corporate’s university relations function in the U.S., where he was charged with contemporizing and evolving GE’s go-to campus strategy, branding and diversity strategy, relationship management and collaborative research partnerships.
Tony is a member of the Purdue University Student Life Provost’s Advisory Council and Honors College Dean’s Advisory Council and is an advisor to the Don Wood Foundation, Questa Education Foundation Coalition for Advancing Postsecondary Education and Training Advisory Council and the GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program Advisory Board.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology from Purdue University.
Gina Ashley began her role as chief operating officer of UWCI in September 2022. Gina leads United Way’s Administration division, including strategy, technology/operations, finance and people and culture. She comes to the nonprofit from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), where she held numerous roles, including chief of staff, chief unemployment insurance and workforce solutions officer and chief strategy officer.
Prior to DWD, Gina worked for the Indiana Department of Child Services for eight years, first as Deputy General Counsel and then as Deputy Director of Placement Support and Compliance, where she was responsible for ensuring the safety of over 10,000 children placed in out-of-home care. Prior to joining state government, Gina served as a Commissioner for the Marion County Superior Court, Juvenile Division and worked as a civil litigation associate for law firms in Indianapolis, Chicago and St. Louis.
Gina received her undergraduate degree from Indiana University and her law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Indiana.
Andrea Morgan is the director of Nursing Pipeline for Ascension St. Vincent. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her expertise in operations, career coaching and program development. Her skills include program development, talent development, career development programs, project management, collaborative problem solving and recruiting.
Andrea has a strong background in nursing leadership and management, holding various director and manager roles at Ascension St. Vincent Indiana and Ascension Health, focusing on nursing pipeline development, practice transformation and clinical professional development. She also has extensive experience in emergency and pediatric nursing at St. Vincent Hospital/Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, Riley Hospital for Children, St. Joseph Medical Center and Shands Hospital at the University of Florida.
She holds a Master of Science in Nursing, Nursing Leadership and Management from Western Governors University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Valparaiso University.
