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Judith Thomas has been hired as the new president and CEO of Indy Arts Council, according to a press announcement released today.

Thomas, who serves as deputy mayor of Neighborhood Engagement for the city of Indianapolis, will start her new role in mid-April. She also served as president of the Madam Walker Legacy Center from 2018 to 2020.

She was hired after a national search. The search committee, led by Brenda Horn, Indy Arts Council board chair, conducted the search in partnership with DSG | Koya, an international consulting firm specializing in training, and global business strategy for nonprofits. Koya also led the search to hire Le Monte Booker as the new CEO of Newfields.

Thomas replaces Julie Goodman, who was CEO and president from 2019 to 2024. Goodman now serves as chief advancement officer with the Cabaret.

Interim CEO Molly Wilkinson Chavers led the Indy Arts Council after Goodman’s departure.

Mirror Indy reporter Mesgana Waiss covers arts and culture. Contact her at 317-667-2643 or mesgana.waiss@mirrorindy.org.

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Judith Thomas announced as new Indy Arts Council CEO

by Mesgana Waiss, Mirror Indy
March 14, 2025

<h1>Judith Thomas announced as new Indy Arts Council CEO</h1> <p class="byline">by Mesgana Waiss, Mirror Indy <br />March 14, 2025</p> <p>Judith Thomas has been hired as the new president and CEO of <a href="https://indyarts.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Indy Arts Council</a>, according to a press announcement released today.</p> <p>Thomas, who serves as deputy mayor of Neighborhood Engagement for the city of Indianapolis, will start her new role in mid-April. She also served as president of the <a href="https://madamwalkerlegacycenter.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Madam Walker Legacy Center</a> from 2018 to 2020.</p> <p>She was hired after a national search. The search committee, led by Brenda Horn, Indy Arts Council board chair, conducted the search in partnership with <a href="https://www.dsgco.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DSG | Koya</a>, an international consulting firm specializing in training, and global business strategy for nonprofits. Koya also led the search to hire <a href="https://mirrorindy.org/newfields-ceo-announcement-2024-le-monte-g-booker-sr/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Le Monte Booker</a> as the new CEO of Newfields.</p> <p>Thomas replaces Julie Goodman, who was <a href="https://indyarts.org/2024/09/24/indy-arts-council-president-ceo-steps-down/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CEO and president from 2019 to 2024</a>. Goodman now serves as chief advancement officer with the Cabaret.</p> <p>Interim CEO Molly Wilkinson Chavers led the Indy Arts Council after Goodman’s departure.</p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/judith-thomas-new-indy-arts-council-ceo/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org&quot;&gt;Mirror Indy&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-Mirror-Indy-square-logo-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=47629&amp;amp;ga4=G-X0R0QW371R&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://mirrorindy.org/judith-thomas-new-indy-arts-council-ceo/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mirrorindy.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</p> Copy to Clipboard

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