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About Us
Promoting health and well being in our community
Focusing on youth and senior programming, Hanna Center strives to create a safe and healthy space for all in our community! Our mission is to provide quality services, programs, and community interactions for the surrounding neighborhood and beyond. We seek to celebrate traditions throughout the Greater Lafayette area while preserving the culture, heritage and history of African Americans and minority groups within Tippecanoe County.
Our Story
The Hanna Community Center traces its beginnings to the old Lincoln Center, an institution built to serve the welfare and social needs of the black community and other minority groups, where resources are limited. Occupying the Lincoln School in 1923, the Center began as a recreational center for Lafayette's black youth. Our goal is to continue Hanna's commitment and to continue its tradition of ensuring that services are provided for all who make up the diverse population of the greater Lafayette Community.
The Hanna Community Center, Inc. is a non-profit, multi-service agency which provides programs and services for the surrounding community and minority residents of Tippecanoe County. The mission of Hanna Center is to provide and facilitate the development of surrounding neighborhoods, programs, and services which will enhance personal and community resources.
We thrive with the support and sponsorship from many local business, persons and grants and the continued commitment of our staff and volunteers.
Meet The Team
Staff
Directors
Hon. Ben Nellis
Board President
Ben has been a resident of the Greater Lafayette Community for the past 25 years. He is happily married to my wonderful wife and have five kids that keep him on his toes. Throughout his life here, he has met many wonderful people and networked with many companies in the community. Ben is passionate about mental health and focus much of my work on providing services and resources to those in need. He is very honored to be part of the Hanna Community Center Board of Directors and is eager to help contribute to this wonderful organization.
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Ryan Gerkey
Vice President
During his more than 20 years in Greater Lafayette, Ryan has been active in the community. As a recent Leadership Lafayette graduate (Class 50), Ryan is honored to be part of the Hanna Community Center and looks forward to helping advance the Center’s goals.
Ryan is the Director of Human Resources for SDI Innovations in Lafayette and an active member of the Tippecanoe Area Human Resource Association. He has served on the Board of Directors for Lafayette Youth Baseball and coached youth baseball at various levels for more than 10 years.
Ryan is married (Christina) with 3 children (Noah, Lucas, Jonah). He is excited to contribute in any way he can to strengthen the organization’s mission.
Rev. Kevin Bowers
Treasurer
Rev. Kevin A. Bowers was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in November of 2001 and has served as the pastor of Bethany Presbyterian Church in Lafayette’s North End since July of 2004. Kevin and his wife Jennie have found Lafayette to be a wonderful and vibrant community in which to make their home and raise their three children.
Kevin is honored to have a part in fulfilling the Hanna mission of promoting health and wellbeing in our community.
Spencer Buchanan
Secretary
Spencer works at ARCONIC. He is the President of the United Steelworkers Local 115 and is a member of Indiana Work Force Development Board. Spencer attached Purdue University and currently lives in Lafayette.
Shelanda McGill-Hall
Director
Shelanda was born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana. She graduated from Lafayette Jefferson High School. After graduating Shelanda pursued her degree through Florida A & M University, a Historical Black College in Tallahassee, Florida. After graduating from Florida A&M with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Shelanda went on to work for several companies in the area of Accounting and Finance. Shelanda currently works for Simon Property Group where she has held several positions. She currently works in the Financial Reporting - Development Accounting Department as a Fixed Asset Accountant.
Shelanda lives in Indianapolis and is married to her college sweetheart, Derrick Hall, who is an Information Technology manager. Shelanda and Derrick have two sons Derrick and Daylen.
Shelanda remembers playing, hanging out and being involved in Hanna Community Center as a youth. Today she is a proud member of the Board of Directors at Hanna Community Center, "I am honored to serve. It is my opportunity to help serve and support the very community center that helped to support me during my youth and shaped who I am today."
Scotty Teal
Director
Scotty is an associate attorney at Stuart & Branigin where she began in the fall of 2019. Scotty’s practice areas include real estate, creditor’s rights, and personal injury. She is active in the Tippecanoe County Bar Association and the Indiana State Bar Association. She spends her free time reading and enjoying time with friends and family.
Scotty earned her B.A. in Law & Society Honors from Purdue University with minors in Forensics, Political Science, and Spanish. She went on to earn her J.D. at Indiana University Maurer School of Law. While at Maurer, Scotty served as a Managing Editor for the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, was champion of the 2018 Maurer Transactional Drafting and Negotiation Competition, and published her student note.
Scotty pursued a position on the Hanna Board of Directors because Hanna is cause she is passionate about. She thought this would be the perfect way to give back to her community, while providing Hanna with a resource it could use.
Scott Galloway
Director
Scott Galloway came to the community in 1994 as a Purdue Undergrad. Scott was hired by the Lafayette Police Department in 1998. Scott currently serves as the Captain of Patrol. Scott has been a member of the Hanna board since 2016 and has provided several outreach events and services to the Hanna seniors and youth programs.
Scott values building relationships and connecting to the needs of the Hanna community.
Eric Grossman
Director
Eric Grossman lives in West Lafayette and has a passion for property valuation. He began real estate investing at 21, and really came to know the community. Eric first got into commercial property development in 2010 with the purchase of the old Sportsman’s Bar on Main Street in downtown Lafayette. As a contractor, he has been honored to help build and restore properties throughout Greater Lafayette, from medical offices and classroom space to retail and restaurant. Eric began working at the Assessors office in 2008 and found that his business and academic experience enabled him to utilize his technical skills and knowledge of real estate to excel in an administrative capacity.
Kelly Hampton
Director
Kelly Hampton is a lifelong resident of Tippecanoe County and is engaged to her partner Karlee. Together, they have an 11-year-old son and two dogs. Kelly currently serves as the Director of Empowerment Services at YWCA Greater Lafayette including Dress for Success Greater Lafayette and STRIVE, a workforce development program delivered through the lens of racial, social, and economic justice. Kelly has provided educational outreach and workforce development training to more than 17,000 individuals during her time with YWCA Greater Lafayette. She has utilized her degrees in Criminal Justice. Law & Society, Special Education, and Applied Behavior Analysis to support clients from underrepresented communities as they work to break cycles of poverty and violence and to advocate for systemic change at the individual, relational, community, and societal levels.
Philip Brandt
Director
Philip grew up outside of Chicago and attended Purdue University. Over the last 10 years he has lived in Chicago, Seattle and Salem, MA. Before moving to Salem in 2019, Philip and his wife traveled and visited family in Croatia for 4 months. They moved to West Lafayette last year to settle down and start a family. Philip has worked in both public and industry accounting roles. He is currently the Director of Accounting Operations at Inari Agriculture based in West Lafayette. His hobbies include playing tennis, making cocktails and cooking!
Philip joined Hanna because it connected strongly with his values. He believes organizations like Hanna Center that provides programming to underserved populations are vital to communities.
Winston Lovelace
Director
Winston Lovelace is a native of Lynchburg, Virginia. He graduated from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and received a Master of Arts degree from North Carolina School of Theology. Winston has lived in Lafayette since 2022. He has two daughters - DeAnna and Christina, both graduates of Purdue University. He retired from Subaru of Indiana Automotive in April 2017.
In his search for a place to exercise Winston discovered the Hanna Center and decided to join in February 2021. The Hanna Center has an array of exercise equipment and offers health and wellness activities designed specifically for their senior members. Daily, Winston workouts at Hanna and participates in the senior activities. More importantly, he very much enjoys the friendships that he has made with both the fellow seniors and staff.
Winston is humbled by the opportunity to serve on the Board and looks forward to helping to strengthen the senior program.
Sheila Klinker
Director
Sheila Ann Klinker is a Democratic politician who is currently a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing the 27th District since 1982. Born in
Indianapolis, Indiana, Klinker graduated from Purdue University with her Bachelor of Education in elementary education in 1961. Klinker later received her Master of Science from Purdue in 1970. Klinker worked her entire teaching career for the Lafayette School Corporation. She began her teaching career in 1961 at Klondike Elementary School in West Lafayette, Indiana while also teaching at Edgelea Elementary School. In 1963, Klinker began teaching at Miami Elementary School in Lafayette, Indiana, until 1985. Klinker was also the outreach liaison at the Purdue University College of Education. Klinker currently serves on the House Committees for Agriculture and Rural Development, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety, and Ways and Means.
Ebony Barrett-Kennedy
Subcommittee Member- Diversity and Inclusion/Programming
Ebony Barrett-Kennedy is the Diversity and Inclusion Consultant for the West Central Region of IU Health Arnett. She graduated from Purdue University with a degree in communication. Prior to accepting this position, she served as Director of Marketing and Engagement at Greater Lafayette United Way. She is a member of the steering committee for the Diversity Round Table of Greater Lafayette and the United Way of Greater Lafayette Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She’s also a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) business owner mentor through the Spark Program at Matchbox Coworking Studio and was selected as a 2020 Top 10 Under 40 by Tippy Connect Young Professionals.
Ebony is an avid supporter of live local music and is the front person for the band Ebony & Ruckus which is a soul, funk, reggae, rock and blues band. She’s also a Boilermaker fan of all sports and a lover of the arts. She’s on the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette board of directors and coaches seventh and eighth grade cheer at Tecumseh Junior High School in Lafayette.
She is a soccer mom of three boys ranging in age from 12 to 20. In her spare time, she enjoys completing mud runs, 5Ks and traveling with her partner, Tyler Crum, who is a counselor at Jefferson High School in Lafayette
Tracy Fuller
Executive Director
IMHC Director of Tippecanoe County
Tracy Fuller is a graduate of Indiana State University where she earned her Master of Science in Recreation and Sports Management and her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Media Arts and Animation from the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg. This is just the start of her never-ending continuation of education through various certificate programs.
The only thing that was truly missing was the true focus of community involvement and making tomorrow a better place. When she is not trying to impress upon her resume, she focuses her time on being active through community involvement through pageantry. Advocacy, fundraising, donation collection is just among a few things that she has currently done. You can also catch her reading a thriller series when time allows. Tracy is a Chicago native, and now resides with her son, Hunter in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Bryanna Alvarez
Youth Program Coordinator
Bryanna Alvarez is the Youth Program Coordinator at Hanna Community Center. During the spring of 2020, Bryanna graduated from McCutcheon High School with academic honors and plans to go back to college and major in business administration. Her plans for the future are to travel, graduate college, and receive her real estate license. She enjoys helping her community as much as she can and started to volunteer at Hanna at the age of fourteen. Bryanna has also been involved in McCutcheon High School’s Mentors Club, Student Council, Good Decision Makers Club, and National Honor Society. Bryanna is excited to be part of Hanna Center to help others and herself grow.
Taylor Schmidt
Marketing Coordinator
Taylor is a soon to be graduate of SNHU where she studied English/Creative Writing. Taylor independently studies child psychology in her free time and has amassed over 400 hours of training on the subject. She currently works as the marketing coordinator focusing on how to expand both youth and senior program funding through sponsorships and donations.
Originally from California, Taylor now lives in Delphi with her husband, her son and her 4 soon to be adopted children. Taylor has been a foster parent in Carroll County for 5 years now and hopes to continue that journey once her children are all adopted.
Joseph Stringfellow
Youth Counsellor
Joseph is a youth counsellor who works in the after school program at Hanna. Joseph is an avid communicator with parents and a positive male role-model in our programming.
Joseph has implemented many programs for the magic room including reading time, homework assistance, and writing/math programs to help the kids improve during school. In addition, Joseph goes out of his way to build a positive rapport with the youth at Hanna. Constantly joking, you will never see him without a smile on his face!
Currently studying and working on his degree in Addiction Studies, Joseph balances a lot on top of his career within Hanna.
Megan Ocker
Program Support Specialist
Megan is a Program Support Specialist who works with the After School Program here at Hanna. She started her career in banking and business but wasn't happy; a few years ago she discovered her passion for helping and working with others. She is currently working on becoming fluent in American sign language (ASL) and becoming an RBT/therapist for children diagnosed with Autism. She enjoys watching kids grow, learn, & develop new life skills.
Outside of work, Megan is a mother to one and they live together in the Lafayette area. Megan has seen her career grow, working with some elementary schools on Junior Achievement.
SPONSORS + DONORS
Dr. Sandy San Miguel
Frank with the LPD
CONTACT
Inquiries
For any inquiries, questions or needs, please
call: 765-742-0191 or fill out the following form
Contact Us
Hanna Community Center
Volunteer
At Hanna Center we are blessed to have many volunteers who allow us to offer quality programming for our youth and seniors! If you would like to get involved please fill out the form below!
Questions?: 765-742-0191
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