MERRILLVILLE | For Munster native Todd Rokita, one of his duties as Indiana secretary of state is acting as an ambassador for Northwest Indiana.
It's humbling honor to be recognized as a leader in the region, Rokita said during his keynote speech Monday at The Times InBusiness magazine's 20 Under 40 awards.
Hosted by Times Publisher Bill Masterson Jr., the gala event at Gamba Ristorante in Merrillville spotlighted 20 people from business, government, social service and education who have helped improve Northwest Indiana and Chicago's south suburbs.
"It's very important that you do what you do," Rokita told fellow members of the 20 Under 40 class of 2008 and guests. "You show what kind of region this is."
Rokita also praised the efforts of those from Northwest Indiana who have responded to the recent flooding.
"I've never been prouder to be from Northwest Indiana as I have been these past two weeks," he said. "When it was all over, there was nothing left to do but to help each other. This lets us show the rest of the state, the rest of the country, the rest of the world what this region can be."
Others who were named young leaders this year include:
- Sam Barakat, 35, of Orland Park, owner of Gaucho's Brazilian Steakhouse, Valparaiso
- Susan K. Biggs, 36, of Portage, an eighth-grade English teacher at West Side Junior High School in East Chicago and head swim coach at East Chicago Central High School
- Michael Charbonneau, 28, of South Bend, manager of communications and public affairs for NIPSCO in Merrillville
- Nicola Goelzhauser, 36, of Lemont, Ill., vice president of film library and program sales for MPI Media Group in Orland Park
- Jeannine Hornback, 39, of Valparaiso, owner/executive director of Little U Academy in Valparaiso
- Thomas Kirsch II, 34, of Schererville, lawyer with Winston & Strawn LLP of Chicago
- Matthew Kis, 36, of Michigan City, owner, Great Lakes Catering & Special Events in Michigan City
- Karen Lauerman, 38, of Hammond, director of marketing for the Northwest Indiana Forum in Portage
- Jon Leetz, 35, of Valparaiso, executive vice president of North Coast Distributing Co. in Valparaiso
- Gavin Mariano, 34, of Merrillville, coordinator for Youth as Resources, Crisis Center Inc. of Northwest Indiana in Gary
- Jonathan Nalli, 33, of Valparaiso, president and CEO of Porter hospital in Valparaiso
- Pete Novak, 30, of Hammond, president of Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors in Merrillville
- Wendy Orthman, 32, of Valparaiso, Midwest public relations manager for Chrysler LLC and secretary of Midwest Automotive Media Association
- Joel A. Palaschak, 27, of Crown Point, coordinator of communications for U.S. Steel in Gary
- Leslie Robinson, 39, of Valparaiso, owner of Mane Image of Merrillville
- Brian Schafer, 26, of Crown Point, managing director of Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso
- Anton Thompkins, M.D., 39, of Valparaiso, spinal surgeon for Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute in Chesterton
- Theresa Valade, 37, of Porter, CEO of Success Trek dba The Growth Coach in Valparaiso
- Angie Williams, 26, of East Chicago, executive director of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana in Gary
