Officers & Directors

Retired Managing Partner of the Indianapolis Office of Deloitte & Touche (Deloitte) having had responsibilities for marketplace activities and growth. Audit partner for over 25 years serving public and private companies in industries such as financial services, retail, manufacturing, and tax-exempt organizations, including experience with Sarbanes-Oxley and its implementation. Held global, national and regional leadership positions at Deloitte while serving local audit clients and overseeing significant growth as an Indianapolis marketplace leader. Experience in corporate governance as both a board member and as a service provider.

Susan W. Brooks is an accomplished former Congresswoman and former US Attorney who has driven key legislation to reform emergency response, healthcare, manufacturing, technology innovation, higher education and public safety. From 2013-2020, she served as the U.S. Representative for the 5th District of Indiana, which spans eight diverse counties throughout the central part of the Hoosier State.

As a former member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Susan held subcommittee roles in Health; Communications and Technology; Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade; and Oversight and Investigations. She helped shape legislation to improve the health security of Americans through reforms to mental health programs addressing the national heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic. Susan also co-founded the 5G Caucus which propelled the United States as a 5G thought leader, driving economic growth and digital innovation. As a former Chair of the Homeland Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, Susan co-authored the reauthorization of the Pandemic All Hazard Preparedness Act (PAHPA) which strengthened our country’s biodefense response to natural or terrorist related attacks.

Prior to Congress, Susan served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. In 2001, Susan was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve for six years as US Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, acting as the chief federal law enforcement officer for most of the state. Prior to her appointment as US Attorney, Susan practiced law at Ice Miller in the Government Services Practice Group. Susan also served as Deputy Mayor for the City of Indianapolis under Mayor Stephen Goldsmith overseeing public safety operations and helped manage law enforcement and emergency response efforts. Previously, she practiced criminal defense law in state and federal courts throughout Indiana.

Mung Chiang is president of Purdue University and the Roscoe H. George Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

From July 2017 to June 2022, he was the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering. From April 2021 to December 2022, he was the university’s executive vice president for strategic initiatives. He led Purdue Engineering to its first back-to-back top 4 graduate rankings in the U.S. while growing it to be the largest top 10 undergraduate engineering college in the country.

Previously, he was the Arthur LeGrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering at Princeton University. For his research in wireless networking, Chiang received the National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award in 2013, the highest honor presented to an American researcher under the age of 40, and he was elected to the National Academy of Inventors and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. He received the Distinguished Teaching Award in Engineering at Princeton for developing one of the university’s first massive open online courses, which has been taught to over 400,000 people.

Most of Chiang’s 25 U.S. patents have been licensed and deployed by the communications and networking industry, and he co-founded three startup companies in mobile networks, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Chiang also served as the science and technology advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State and initiated the U.S. government’s tech diplomacy programs.

Patrick J. Fehring, retired President and Chief Executive Officer of Level One Bank and Level One Bancorp, Inc., served in this position since the founding of the bank in 2007 until their merger with First Merchants in 2022.  Before the founding of Level One in 2007, Fehring spent 27 years with Fifth Third Bancorp and its affiliates, most recently as President of Fifth Third Bank, Eastern Michigan.

Mr. Fehring is an active leader in the local community, where he is engaged with the Entrepreneurs Organization and serves as a Board Member of Ascension Health Michigan and as Board Chair of Catholic Foundation of Michigan.  Fehring received his Bachelor of Science in Business from Miami University in Ohio. 

President and Chief Operating Officer of Ball Brothers Foundation located in Muncie, Indiana. Mr. Fisher joined Ball Brothers Foundation in 2003 after working in administration for Old National Bancorp. In addition to his duties as president and Chief Operating Officer of Ball Brothers Foundation, he serves on the boards of several regional and statewide organizations including the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, the Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation, and Delaware Advancement Corporation. A Michigan native, Mr. Fisher has an undergraduate degree from DePauw University and a graduate degree from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

President of Halderman Farm Management Service, Halderman Real Estate Services and Halderman Real Asset Management located in Wabash, Indiana. Mr. Halderman is an Accredited Farm Manager with the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and holds real estate broker’s licenses in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Honeywell Foundation in Wabash, IN and the Wabash County Hospital Board of Trustees. He currently resides in Wabash, Indiana, one of FMC’s long standing rural marketplaces and has served on the FMC Eastern Region Advisory Board since 2010.

Mark K. Hardwick currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of First Merchants Corporation and First Merchants Bank.

Mark joined First Merchants in November of 1997 as corporate controller and was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in April of 2002. In June of 2007, Hardwick also assumed all leadership responsibilities related to operations, technology, and risk management for the corporation. In 2016, Mark’s title expanded to include Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the leadership responsibilities for finance, operations, technology, risk, legal, and facilities for the corporation. In 2021, Mark was promoted to Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining First Merchants Corporation, Mark served as a senior accountant with BKD, LLP in Indianapolis.

Mark is a graduate of Ball State University with a master’s in business administration and bachelor’s degree in accounting. He is also a certified public accountant and a graduate of the Stonier School of Banking.

Mark is a trustee for Ball State University, serving as the chair for the Audit Committee. Mark is also a member of Next Muncie. Mark was inducted into the Ball State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. He was also the recipient of the Indianapolis Business Journal’s “CFO of the Year” in 2012.

Mark and his wife, Cathy, live in Yorktown and have two children, Halie and Bryce.

Kevin D. Johnson is the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), the city’s leading inclusive economic development driver. He has served as president and CEO since June 2018.

Under Johnson’s leadership, the organization focuses on job creation, capital investment and small business growth for the City of Detroit. Access, inclusion and financial growth for all Detroiters form the foundation of all DEGC work.

As president and CEO, Johnson spearheads DEGC’s economic development initiatives, including business attraction and retention, neighborhood small-business growth and international investment. In this role, Johnson builds upon 40-plus years of positive impact the DEGC has had on Detroit. Most recently, Johnson was integral in bringing Fiat Chrysler’s/ Stellantis $4.5 billion investment to Detroit, and with it thousands of Stellantis and supplier jobs.

A veteran of the industry, Johnson has served in both public and private economic-development positions throughout the U.S., including roles in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. In his most previous role at Invest Atlanta, Johnson led the economic development program for the city, helping to create jobs and generating billions of dollars in new capital investment.

Johnson began his career nearly 30 years ago as the assistant county manager and Director of Economic Development for Caswell County (NC) Municipal Government. Throughout his career he has held a variety of leadership positions including president of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, vice president of business development for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and vice president of business development for Research Triangle Foundation in North Carolina.

Johnson received his Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Pre-Law from South Carolina State University. He received his Certified Economic Developer designation from the International Economic Development Council and has received numerous professional and community awards. Johnson was named one of the Top 50 Economic Developers of 2019 by Consultant Connect, a consulting agency designed to bridge the gap between economic developers and site consultants. He also serves as a member of the International Economic Development Council. He is also on the board of directors with the Downtown Detroit Partnership, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Tech Town, and the Economic Development Leaders of Michigan.

Mr. Kellogg brings to the Board of First Merchants Corporation extensive leadership skills and experience from his time on and off of the court as a professional basketball player for the Indianapolis Pacers and a College Basketball Analyst. Mr. Kellogg resides in the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan area. He has served on First Merchants Columbus Advisory Board since 2001 and The Ohio State University Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2019. His involvement with many Columbus-area organizations makes him a recognized Columbus civic leader.

Mr. Lehman is a Managing Director of The Cannelton Group (“Cannelton). He co-founded Cannelton in 2002. From 2012 to 2014, he was the President of Oerlikon USA Holdings, Inc. which is part of the Oerlikon Group (“Oerlikon”), a leading global technology company based in Switzerland. From 2010 to 2012, Mr. Lehman was the CEO of Oerlikon’s Drive Systems segment. This segment includes Fairfield Manufacturing Company Inc. (“Fairfield”), Lafayette, Indiana, the largest independent gear manufacturer in the United States, which Oerlikon acquired in 2007. When Oerlikon acquired Fairfield, Mr. Lehman was Fairfield’s President and CEO, and he continued in this position until 2012 and as Fairfield’s Chair until 2014. Prior to co-founding Cannelton in 2002, Mr. Lehman was President and CEO of Philips Lighting Electronics NA and Advance Transformer, a wholly owned subsidiary of Philips Electronics NV; and Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations and General Manager of the Body Systems Division of ITT Automotive. Mr. Lehman is currently a member of the Boards of SCP Limited, Inc. and Ash Access Technology, and Chairman of the Board of Greater Lafayette Commerce. Mr. Lehman is a member of the Purdue University Board of Trustees and has served on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education from 2008-2010.

Mike Rechin currently serves as a director and consultant for First Merchants Bank. Mr. Rechin joined the company in 2005 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer in 2007, retiring from the company on December 31, 2020. His prior experience includes serving as Executive Vice President of Corporate Banking for National City Bank, managing its Indiana operations. He began his career with BancOhio National Bank in Columbus, Ohio, in 1983 as a corporate banking trainee and joined National City upon the acquisition of BancOhio in 1984.

Mike is a graduate of Miami University with a MBA in Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in English. He has completed numerous banking schools during his career.

As an active leader in the central Indiana community, Mike has been or is a director of the Lynx Capital Corporation, OneZone, The Center for the Performing Arts, Connor Prairie Museum, and the Sheehan Family Foundation.

He also previously served as a director of the United Way of Central Indiana, The Arts Council of Indianapolis, Junior Achievement of Indianapolis, Indiana State Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trustees at Minnetrista and the Indy Partnership.

On June 1, 2007, Mr. Schalliol left his job as Indiana's Chief Financial Officer to return to the private sector joining a large Indiana law firm, Baker & Daniels, of Counsel. He is also pursuing private equity and venture capital opportunities.

Mr. Schalliol was named Director of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget and Chief Financial Officer for the State of Indiana, as Governor Mitch Daniels’ first appointment, immediately following the November 2004 election. In this role, he had direct responsibility for the Administration’s budgets and financial organizations, including the State's two pension funds, as well as agencies with 2,000 state employees. He was also responsible for the State's efficiency efforts for all state institutions. He was active for the administration in all financially based legislative efforts. He led the financing of the billion dollar Indiana stadium and convention center project and was responsible for both the planning and implementation of the four billon dollar leasing transaction of the Indiana Toll Road. He led the Administration's effort to license the Indiana Lottery. Under his leadership, the State achieved it’s first balanced budget in eight years, passed four years of balanced budgets, and received credit upgrades from major rating agencies.

Prior to assuming his responsibilities with the State of Indiana, Mr. Schalliol served as the first President and CEO of BioCrossroads, the Indiana-based life sciences initiative. In that role, he led the effort to create a comprehensive strategy for Indiana’s life science sector and the formation of several new businesses and two venture funds: the Indiana Future Fund 1 and Indiana Seed Fund 1.

Preceding BioCrossroads, he held a variety of executive positions at Eli Lilly and Company, principally in strategic planning, investment banking, and business development. Most recently, he was Founder and Managing Director of Lilly’s three venture funds and Executive Director of Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. Mr. Schalliol led the purchase and sale of companies for Lilly including the formation of Guidant Corporation. He has held senior operating positions in a San Diego medical device company, IVAC Corporation, in operations, quality assurance, product testing, engineering, and regulatory. He previously worked in both public accounting and law firms.

Mr. Schalliol holds a business degree with high distinction from Indiana University and a law degree from Yale University. He is active on several boards of directors of both for profit and not-for-profit corporations.

Jason R. Sondhi is the founder and CEO of Sondhi Solutions, a leading IT consulting and staffing firm located in the heart of Indianapolis. An expert in the business, Jason has grown Sondhi Solutions to multiple markets and has topped the IBJ Fastest Growing Companies list in 2015-2016 and landing on the Inc. 5000 from 2014-2016. With a focus on supporting his employees, Sondhi Solutions was honored with the Top Places to Work award in 2018, 2019, and 2021.

As a leader in the community, giving back has been a top priority for Jason over his career. He sits on the board of Weaver Popcorn Fundraising, an organization that empowers individuals and organizations in need by fulfilling a goal through technology and products. He created IT Equipment Round UP which provides gently used IT equipment to non-profits and he started Jingle Books, a yearly Holiday fundraiser providing Indianapolis children books to inspire and educate. To date, 8,000+ books have been collected. Jason has been an active donor and volunteer with the Christel DeHaan Foundation and sits on the Park Tudor Alumni Board.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Cambridge Capital Management Corp., a manager of non-traditional sources of financing, since 1983. Ms. Wojtowicz is also a director of Vectren Corporation and a trustee of Windrose Medical Properties Trust, which are both listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Director of First Merchants Corporation since 2004.