Biography
Bart Peterson is the president and CEO of Christel House International, an international network of primary and secondary schools serving children from predominantly disadvantaged backgrounds. He was senior vice president of corporate affairs and communications for Eli Lilly and Company, and a member of its Executive Committee from 2009 to 2017. He served two terms as mayor of Indianapolis from 2000 to 2007, and in 2007 was president of the National League of Cities. His accomplishments as mayor include working with Indiana University, Purdue University, Lilly, and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership to create BioCrossroads, the Indiana life-sciences initiative.
Prior to running for office, Peterson was a member of Indiana Governor Evan Bayh’s leadership team, first as his advisor for environmental affairs and later as his chief of staff. He also served as managing director of Strategic Capital Partners, as a fellow with the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and as a distinguished visiting professor of public policy at Ball State University.
Presently, Peterson serves on the boards of the Regenstreif Foundation, 16 Tech Community Corporation, and Kite Realty Group. Previously, was an appointee of the U.S. Department of State’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council.
Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan.