J.T. Ferguson, Jr. – Executive Director
J.T. Ferguson, Jr. has spent the last twenty-years in the non-profit arena highlighted by progressive advancement and consistent achievement within the non-profit and criminal justice arenas.  He has a history of working to improve the condition of persons with multiple barriers that include but are not limited to employment and education.  J.T. has demonstrated the ability to utilize his expertise to identify and resolve problems; to manage, improve, and reinvent organizational processes, and to revitalize organizations.  His areas of specialization include organizational development, program design and evaluation.  He has a wealth of experience building and managing public/private partnerships and joint ventures.  This passion and experience culminated in the production of a video series for JIST Publishing: Countdown to Freedom and Putting the Bars Behind You, in which J.T. served as co-producer and moderator. J.T. is a 1983 graduate of Fisk University (Nashville, TN) where he majored in English and Education and minored in psychology.  JT also received a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Capella University (Minneapolis, MN). 

Eugene D. Barnett – Program Director
Eugene D. (Derrick) Barnett began his career in the non-profit arena in 1992.  Derrick, a 1992 graduate of Indiana University Bloomington, double majored in Psychology and African-American Studies and minored in Spanish.  He later earned a Master in Business Administration (May 1999) from Indiana Wesleyan University.  Prior to joining the College Summit team, Derrick held the positions of Senior Projects Coordinator, Director of Employer Relations and Youth Programs Manager with the Indianapolis Private Industry Council, Inc., the mayor’s office of workforce development.  More recently, Derrick served as the Director of the Educational Success Program (ESP), an Indiana University college readiness and access program designed to improve the educational outcomes of more than 975 Indianapolis foster youth.   Derrick is a member of the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) and the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). 

Nicole Amonette - School Partnership Manager
Nicole Amonette officially joined the team in March 2009. She comes to College Summit from a career in higher education advising as an Enrollment Counselor for Indiana Wesleyan University. During that time, she assisted hundreds of students across Indiana in realizing their goals of earning college degrees. At this organization, she also served in a Retention role by creating a tracking method for students who had withdrawn from college and analyzing best procedures to encourage re-admission. Nicole became involved with College Summit as a result of her final dissertation for her Master of Business Administration degree, which was completed in February 2008 through Indiana Wesleyan University. She studied college access for low-income students, and organizations that exist in central Indiana to combat low postsecondary enrollment rates. She initially joined College Summit as a Workshop Director in 2008 for the Franklin, UIndy, Regis, and University of Denver Workshops. As a first-generation college student herself, she is passionate about college access and very excited to assist in creating a college-going culture in central Indiana.

Shondelle Edmonds - Operations Associate
The newest member of College Summit-Indiana, Shondelle Edmonds, joined the College Summit team in September 2009, after assisting the Indiana regional office with program coordination on a temporary basis.  Prior to joining College Summit, Shon served as an Administrative assistant with the Riverside Correctional Facility whose mission is to re-integrate and support ex-offenders back into their respective communities.  Shon also held the position of Consultant Support Specialist at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis.  In this position, she supervised 8 to 10 employees and provided technical support to all campus computer labs.  A native of Indianapolis, Shon is a 2003 graduate of Indiana University’s School of Informatics where she majored in New Media.

Advisory Council:

• David Harris, President/CEO – The Mind Trust
• Robert Mendelsohn, Retired Professor – Indiana University/Purdue University of Indianapolis (IUPUI)  
• Wayne Patrick, President / CEO – Professional Data Dimensions
• Valerie Porter, President – Summit View Financial
• Lyman Rhodes, Director of District Community Relations - Indianapolis Public Schools
• Joe Slash, President – Indianapolis Urban League
• Steve Tegarden, Independent Consultant
• Mark Weigand, Vice President – University of Indianapolis
• Harry McFarland, Retired Vice President – The Indianapolis Foundation