The Northwest Indiana Forum adds three to its team

The Northwest Indiana Forum has recently added Operations Director Ashley Jones; Marketing Coordinator Spencer Summers; and Grants Manager Jennifer Gadzala to the team.

Jones is tasked with sustaining and expanding upon organizational relationships, accounting efforts, and membership expansion.

Jones began her work in office administration at an early age at her father’s locally-based electrical contractor business which led her into account management and other core administrative duties. She also served Porter County as a juvenile probation case manager. Now, with over 10 years of professional office administration experience, Jones brings to the Forum assured operations leadership and a solid business acumen.


Summers will work to promote the Forum and Northwest Indiana in new and improved ways as well as take the lead on events happening inside and out of the region.

Summers is a Purdue University Northwest graduate with over eight years of experience in customer service and event management. Previously he was the league director at a local sports complex where he managed all of the marketing, events, product improvement efforts, and customer relations.


Gadzala will serve in a newly-created position that will administer all grants including the recently awarded $50 million READI grant to Northwest Indiana. The $50 million dollars will be spread over 35 projects that were identified by a project selection team and will incite over $500 million in regional investment.

Gadzala has more than 20 years of experience administering grants with the Town of Chesterton, Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy and the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. While at the Town of Chesterton, she led the town’s comprehensive plan, secured $1.4 million in grants and coordinated several quality of place projects including the Centennial Park restroom and caboose restoration project downtown.