Landmark Columbus Foundation
Mission
— to care for, celebrate, and advance the cultural heritage of Columbus, Indiana.
Landmark Columbus Foundation is a public resource and thought leader for Progressive Preservation in Bartholomew County; an advocate and educator for and about cultural heritage; and a source of inspiration to advance good design for public benefit.
Program Arms
To fulfill its mission Landmark Columbus Foundation accomplishes Progressive Preservation efforts that assist in caring for buildings, landscapes, and art in Bartholomew County. It serves to educate and advocate for these cultural resources through research, conservation, fundraising, and documentation. It also runs two programmatic arms:
Exhibit Columbus: an exploration of community, architecture, art, and design that activates the design legacy of Columbus, Indiana. It creates a cycle of programming that uses the context of this place to convene conversations around innovative ideas and then commissions site-responsive installations to create a free, public exhibition.
Columbus Design Institute: a technical service initiative that promotes the Value of Good Design that built Columbus and was defined by Heritage Fund in the 2000s. Collaborative projects and events are completed with partners through a design process to encourage meaningful investments in the sustainable and equitable development of communities.
Board of Directors
Mark Elwood
Chair
Chairman, Elwood Staffing
Tracy Haddad
Vice Chair
Owner, Golden Endeavors, LLC.
Surekha DiOrio
Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer, Indiana Youth Services Association and Director of Financial Services, Mission Management Services
Tobi Herron
Secretary
President, Inspire Motives LLC
Rick Johnson
Founding Board Chair
President and CEO, Johnson Ventures, Inc.
Mary Ferdon
The Honorable Mayor of the City of Columbus
Betsy Laskey
Columbus Community Supporter and Volunteer
James Lienhoop
Former Mayor of the City of Columbus
Richard McCoy
Founding Executive Director, Landmark Columbus Foundation
Laura Miller
Director of Experiences and Technology, IBM iX
Hutch Schumaker
President, Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Columbus, IN, Inc.
Tracy Souza
President and CEO, Heritage Fund
Nicholas Sprague
Director of Business Development, General Counsel at Sprague Company Hotel Developers
Misty Weisensteiner
Executive Director, Columbus Area Visitors Center
Annual Report
Since the organization’s founding in 2019, Landmark Columbus Foundation has released three annual reports: 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Click here to read and download our Annual Report(s).
A Legacy of Peace, Justice, and Equity
Landmark Columbus Foundation seeks to involve and engage all demographics of society as it fulfills its mission to care for, celebrate, and advance the cultural heritage in Bartholomew County. We are actively creating projects and events that are inclusive and accessible, and shaping platforms for diverse voices to be heard and involved in everything we do. We constantly strive to better understand the inequalities in our community, both past and present, and are committed to creating systemic change that benefits all.
Read our full statement about creating A Legacy of Peace, Justice, and Equity.
Organization History
Columbus has long demonstrated how the process of working together with shared values and thoughtful designers is an excellent way to build a great community—referred to locally as the Value of Good Design. Investing in this value created Columbus’ remarkable collection of architecture, art, and design, which has become a defining characteristic of our community and the city’s identity.
In 2015, Heritage Fund—The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County launched Landmark Columbus Foundation to ensure the Columbus values and investments in design excellence are well cared for and can remain a source of inspiration for future generations. With the support of many in the community and those around the state and country, this program quickly became a community asset that makes a big difference.
In late 2019 Landmark Columbus Foundation became a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization with the mission to care for, celebrate, and advance the cultural heritage of Columbus, Indiana. With a dedicated board of directors and staff, this organization was created to continue supporting the larger efforts of Heritage Fund through its three programs areas, and their corresponding projects and events. It frequently partners with local and international schools, organizations, and individuals to fulfill its mission.
Columbus, Indiana
Civic Identity
We are Columbus, Indiana: Designed for Living—a town of 50,000 that nurtures the virtues of small in the most ambitious of ways—to be the best city of its size in America.
Learn more about our civic identity.