Indianapolis, IN
Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute helps Black women improve leadership skills, achieve pay equity – Indianapolis Recorder
In this one-on-one with the Indianapolis Recorder, Joy E. Mason, CEO of Optimist Business Solutions, shares the inspiration for creating the Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute, “an innovative leadership program designed to upskill Black Women and Black Latinas to be complex problem solvers.” Participants in the institute will work toward earning their green belt while being trained by instructors, coaches, mentors and Six Sigma Black Belts and Master Black Belts.
Recorder: What inspired you to create the Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute (SSREI)?
Mason: A number of factors divinely came together in 2021. My love of continuous improvement, my enthusiasm for supporting women, my commitment to the Black community, an obsession for equity and my anger over George Floyd’s murder culminated into an urgent desire to step up. I believe God wanted me in this current role to address equity in this way – an institute that empowers and teaches women how to leverage Six Sigma for our communities and our workplaces.
Recorder: What successes have you observed since the first cohort?
Mason: Of the previous participants surveyed, 67% stated that they received a pay raise since completing the Green Belt program, and 33% noted that they had received a promotion.
After completing the program, 33% of participants noted they received a salary increase of more than $10,000, while an additional 44% received a salary increase of $1,000-$9,999 since completing the Green Belt program.
In a post-program survey of SSREI’s most recent Green Belt cohort, 100% of participants responded they gained new or increased problem-solving skills. 92% of the cohort participants said the program met or exceeded their expectations regarding improved leadership confidence.
These findings (see below) are important to SSREI’s work and equity in central Indiana. Ensuring pay equity for Black women is a critical imperative in the pursuit of justice and equality. Closing the wage gap is not only a matter of fairness but a key step towards dismantling systemic discrimination.
Recorder: Who are your community partners?
Mason: Our Institute would not be a success without the incredible partnership with Indiana University. IU Columbus provides instructional expertise and IU Indy, specifically the Herron School of Art, routinely provides us with the space that we need for meetings, workshops and events. The values of our institute and Indiana University are clearly aligned toward professional development, equity and community empowerment
Recorder: What have previous participants said about the program?
Mason: More than 87% of women surveyed believed they would have a greater impact, influence, and contribution within their organizations and community after completing the Green Belt Program.
Recorder: What do you hope participants gain from SSREI?
Mason: By creating the Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute, I hope people see that there are innovative and mutually beneficial ways to advance diversity and equity. Our approach is like a rising tide that lifts all ships creating a triple win. Our participants win by gaining additional leadership skills, employers win from the additional capacity that we provide to address equity gaps and communities win because we equip employers to work and serve more equitably.
Most of all, I want our Black women to experience professional and personal transformation. The bump in salary from applying their news skills is an added bonus!
Indianapolis, IN
ALERT DAY: Tornado threat north this evening; severe threat sinks south overnight
Headlines
- TORNADO & HAIL THREAT NORTH THIS EVENING
- STORMS SINK SOUTH OVERNIGHT
- STORMY FOR THE WEDNESDAY MORNING COMMUTE
Severe weather will be possible for some this evening in northern locations. Most of central Indiana will remain storm-free until after midnight. The rare (for Indiana) Moderate Risk has been issued for far northwestern parts of the state this evening. Super-cell storms are expected to develop and move northeast along a cold front. Strong tornadoes will be possible, as well as very large hail, up to baseball size, in the most intense storms. The Moderate Risk is a threat level 4 out of 5.
WRTV
The best chance for the most severe storms this evening will be north of a line from Lafayette to Hartford City. If you live in this area, be very weather aware this evening and have a plan in place with your family. South of that line, we likely won’t see much storm activity until after midnight. This is when the line will start to sink south. It will weaken as it does so, but severe weather will still be possible, as well as flooding from very heavy rain.
wrtv
Plan ahead for your Wednesday morning commute. Whether or not the storms are still severe, heavy rain is expected, and localized flooding will also be possible. The ground is very saturated from all the recent rain. Strong wind, hail, and even an isolated tornado will still be possible. The severe threat is just lower given the timing and how this will unfold in the weather setup.
WRTV
Once the rain ends and we start to clear out, temperatures will tumble.
WRTV
Indianapolis Weather Forecast:
This Evening: Severe storms north. Mostly cloudy elsewhere.
Overnight: Storms sink south. Low: 64°
Tomorrow: Stormy morning. Then drying out. Temps fall. High: 69°
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High: 49°
Indianapolis 7-Day Weather Forecast
WRTV
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis isn’t known for skyscrapers, but these are the 10 tallest buildings
See inside construction of Signia Hotel in Downtown Indianapolis
IndyStar got an inside look at the work in progress on the newest hotel that is rising above the Indy skyline.
While Indianapolis isn’t exactly known for it’s tall buildings, we do have quite a few that tower above the city. The tallest, is visible nearly 10.5 miles outside the city.
These are the 10 tallest buildings in Indianapolis, according to Skyscraper Center.
1. Salesforce Tower
Salesforce Tower is the tallest building in Indianapolis. It’s located at 111 Monument Circle.
Construction on this building was completed in 1990. The office building boasts 49 floors and towers over the city at 701 feet tall.
It has also been known as the Chase Tower, the Bank One Tower and the American Fletcher Bank Tower.
2. One America Tower
The second tallest building in Indianapolis is the One America Tower. It is located at 200 N Illinois St., has 38 floors and is 533 feet tall.
The building was completed in 1982 and was previously known as the American United Life Insurance Tower.
3. One Indiana Square
The One Indiana Square building is the third tallest building in Indianapolis at 504 feet tall.
The building was completed in 1969 and has 37 floors. It has also been previously known as Union Planters Bank, Indiana National Bank Tower, INB Tower and NBD Bank Tower.
4. Signia by Hilton Indianapolis
Signia by Hilton, previously known as the Indianapolis Convention Center Hotel, is currently under construction, but is the fourth largest building in Indy.
The building is set to have 37 floors and be 441 feet tall once construction is complete, which is expected to happen in 2026.
5. Market Tower
Market Tower, located at 10 West Market Street, is the fifth tallest building in Indianapolis at 421 feet.
The building was completed in 1988 and has 32 floors. It has also been known as the Mansur Center.
6. 300 North Meridian
300 North Meridian, which shares a name with its address, is 408 feet tall and has 28 floors.
The building was completed in 1989 and is the sixth tallest building in Indianapolis.
7. BMO Plaza
BMO Plaza, located at 135 North Pennsylvania St. is 401 feet tall.
The building has 31 floors and was completed in 1988. It has also been known as M&I Plaza, First Indiana Plaza and Marshall & Isley Plaza.
8. JW Marriott Indianapolis Downtown
Perhaps one of the most visually recognizable on this list, the JW Mariott Indianapolis, located at 10 South West St. is the eighth tallest building in Indy.
The large blue hotel was completed in 2011, stands at 376 feet and has 34 floors. Over the years, the hotel has put giant images on the side of the building to celebrate current events in both sports and pop culture.
9. City-County Building
The City-County Building, located at 200 East Washington St. is the the ninth tallest building in Indianapolis.
The building was completed in 1962 and is 372 feet tall with 28 floors.
10. 101 West Ohio
The tenth and final building on this list is 101 West Ohio. The building, which shares a name with its address, is 360 feet tall and has 22 floors.
The office building was completed in 1987 and was previously known as Old National Financial Center.
Katie Wiseman is a trending news reporter for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Contact her at klwiseman@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Bluesky @katiewiseman and X, formerly Twitter, at @itskatiewiseman.
Indianapolis, IN
IMPD reinforces downtown safety as crowds grow with warmer weather
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Metropolitan Police Department is reinforcing downtown safety as crowds grow with warmer weather.
This comes after a violent weekend that included an early Monday morning shooting, and in a separate incident, an officer and a security guard were hit by an impaired driver.
Police say the shooting that happened Monday near Maryland and Meridian Streets was caused by a fight that broke out at bar in the area and escalated into a shooting at a nearby parking lot. IMPD says a woman has been arrested in connection with the shooting.
IMPD Downtown District Commander Shane Foley says officers were able to take control of the situation quickly.
“Officers were there when the shooting occured, and then because of their presence, they were able to make a very quick arrest, and arrest another individual for possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon,” Foley said. He says the response from the officers is exactly what he expects to see as the temperatures continue to get warmer.
People who like to spend their time downtown on the weekends say they enjoy that there are things to do, but think the violence is getting out of hand.
“It just gets crazy at night for real, and then, everybody just drinking and stuff and they can’t control their liquor,” Indianapolis resident Schuyler Landrum said.
“Chill out man, you gotta know your limits when you’re drinking because stuff like that can happen. People who don’t go to clubs and stuff, we’re trying to have fun downtown but you guys are getting wild and drunk and stuff, so lets just help each other man,” resident Peyton Bush said.
Officers say they hear the public’s concerns and are doing what they can to prevent incidents before they escalate. Last week, IMPD announced the installation of new public cameras downtown to help assist with monitoring and crime prevention.
“If you come downtown and you engage in illegal activity, because we have people all over the place, the likelihood of you being arrested is increased. We’re being very proactive with our policing, and if we need to be reactive in making arrests, we’re doing that as well,” Foley said.
People who are frequently downtown say that they hope things get better, but one man says he believes he’s noticed an increase in crime downtown, especially among the youth. “Start thinking before you act, you know? It’s just the way it is,” he said.
“Our officers are working diligently to keep everybody safe. As we have more events, we’re going to have more officers downtown. We want people to not only be safe, but feel safe, visiting, living, working in Downtown Indianapolis,” Foley said.
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