Retired Faegre partner among 10 community volunteers honored with Be Better Awards

A retired Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP partner who now helps guide the Rethink Coalition is among 10 winners of the Be Better Awards, a program created by IBJ Media in partnership with the NCAA and the Indiana Sports Corp. to honor the legacy of the late civic leader Jim Morris.

Other honors include the CEO of a local construction firm, a real estate agent,  leaders for local nonprofits, organization founders, a consultant, and an executive at Indy Chamber. Most importantly, they’re all community volunteers who are helping to make central Indiana a better place to live and work.

Morris, who died in 2024, frequently challenged himself and those around him to “be better,” and the awards seek to recognize those in Indianapolis who embrace his dedication to faith, family, friends, community and vocation.

Among many contributions to the city, Morris was an architect of efforts to bring the NCAA’s headquarters to Indianapolis in 1999, attracting the organization from its longtime home in Kansas City, Missouri. He helped usher in Unigov during his tenure as chief of staff for then-Mayor Richard Lugar and was also instrumental in the creation of the former IUPUI, the development of Market Square Arena and establishing the Indiana Sports Corp.

IBJ Media president and CEO Nate Feltman — who also co-chairs the 2026 Men’s Final Four Local Organizing Committee — will recognize the Be Better honorees on Tuesday during the Jim Morris Day of Service, a volunteer day hosted by Indiana Sports Corp., which seeks to honor Morris’ legacy through civic engagement.

On Tuesday, more than 650 volunteers representing 30 companies will participate in 21 volunteer projects that seek to beautify, restore and strengthen the city, including mulching along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, tree planting with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, park clean-ups with Indy Parks, trash can wraps downtown to encourage clean streets, and flower planting with Downtown Indy Alliance.

The date is not a coincidence – March 24 is the anniversary of the city’s first NCAA Men’s Final Four, held in 1980.

The Be Better honorees, who were selected by a panel of editors and leaders at IBJ Media, are:

• Mamon Powers III, president and CEO, Powers & Sons Construction. In addition to his company’s philanthropy work, Powers is a founding board member of Business Equity for Indy and serves on the boards and executive committees of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, Indy Chamber and Indiana Chamber. He also serves on the boards of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, the Community Health Network Foundation and the Ivy Tech Foundation.
• Akilah Darden, founder and president, The Darden Group. She’s been instrumental in helping to increase both female and minority participation in the industry by developing an award-winning, industry-accredited Construction Management Masterclass that provides extensive training in construction project-management skills. In 2025, she launched Empowering Diverse Contractors for Growth & Success, an initiative that provides training, mentorship and her own training program to help female and minority business owners win larger construction contracts.
• Samantha Douglas, president, Far Eastside Community Council. Douglas founded Power to the Polls, a Black voter engagement initiative focused on increasing turnout. She’s also co-founder of Christ Up Inc.; founder of Love Her League, a woman’s leadership development group; communications and programs director for the Indiana African American Democratic Caucus; and board development committee member of Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.
• Erin Drake, director of marketing, Browning Real Estate Partners. In addition to guiding her company’s philanthropic investments, she’s president-elect of The Society for Marketing Professional Services Indiana; development task force chair and executive board member at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana; treasurer for the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation; and Woman’s Build Member and company liaison for Habitat for Humanity. She previously served on the Riverside Civic League board and the Community Heights Neighborhood board and volunteered with the Riverside Parade.
• Seth Catron, real estate agent, F.C. Tucker Co. The four organizations he’s currently involved with are Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Arts for Learning, Medical Mutts and Habitat for Humanity. Catron’s property group also partners with local businesses to host a hot-dog eating contest called Hot Dignity Dog, with proceeds going to a local food bank. Catron has also helped assemble and distribute take-home art kits for Arts for Learning Indiana
• Tom Hanley, founder and CEO, Nine 13 Inc. In addition to leading the nonprofit he founded, Hanley serves on the Indiana University Indianapolis School of Liberal Arts board of advisers, Leadership Indianapolis board of directors (he was board chair from 2023 to 2024) and the Denver Hutt Legacy Foundation. He is also a team leader at Rev and the executive director of Indiana Shape.
• Charles T. Richardson, retired partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Richardson calls himself a “civic leadership spark plug.” Now retired, His portfolio includes co-chairing the Rethink Coalition. He’s also director of the Indianapolis-Marion County Building Authority, which is responsible for all city-owned facilities, including the City-County Building and the Community Justice Campus. He also worked with other civic leaders on the new Richard Lugar Monument downtown.
• Miriam Acevedo Davis, president and CEO, La Plaza Inc. Over the years, Davis has served with myriad local and national organizations, including the Teach for America Advisory Board, The Mind Trust and the Indiana Sports Corp. She’s currently serves on the Indiana Latino Scholarship Fund and is a board member at Monarca Academy and a member of the Indiana University Health Equity Advocacy and Leadership Coalition.
• Marla Taylor, founder and president, Taylor Advising. Her very lengthy roster of extracurricular activities includes serving as vice chair of the Horizon House Community Advisory Board for Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana, advisory council member for the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series and advancement committee member for Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis. She was also recently named a 2026 Woman of Impact by the American Heart Association for its Go Red for Women campaign.
• Blake Roebuck, vice president of corporate relations, Indy Chamber. As a board member of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, he served on the Old Glory, New Vision capital campaign task force; chaired signature fundraising efforts, including the annual Wicket World of Croquet; and played an active role in shaping the organization’s 2026-2030 strategy. He also mentors youth through the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis’ Dollars & $ense Financial Literacy program, and serves on the Stanley K. Lacy Advisory Committee.

Full profiles of each Be Better honoree will be published March 27 at ibj.com and in IBJ’s The Tip-Off publication, a special supplement to that day’s paper that will also be distributed throughout the city during Final Four weekend.