Meet the 2025 Executive Council!

By: Hannah Bukowski

Each year 23 IUDM members are selected to serve on the IUDM Executive Council. These students are the foundation of all of IUDM’s activities and each play a unique role in the common goal of raising an incredible amount of money for Riley Hospital for Children. The Executive Council is made up of 18 Directors, 4 Vice Presidents, and 1 President. Each of these individuals were chosen for their position because of outstanding contributions to IUDM and their ability to showcase phenomenal leadership qualities. 

Leadership is a pivotal aspect of each member of the Executive Council. A fantastic example of this is the 2025 President of Indiana University Dance Marathon, Matt McCormick! Matt’s experience in IUDM as a Logistics committee member then Director of Stewardship has given him a comprehensive view of the organization. As President Matt oversees high level initiatives and guides the Executive Council while working with the Board of Managers, IUDM LLC Board, and Riley Children’s Foundation. Under Matt’s leadership, IUDM 2025 is bound for success! 

The Board of Managers consists of four vice presidents; Olivia Stone, Elizabeth Rexing, Shane Newton, and Gabi Schuetz! Olivia Stone is the Vice President of Communications, overseeing Hospital Relations, Marketing, Public Relations, and Special Events. Olivia’s role includes overseeing major event coordination, communication and planning, as well as brand management for all of IUDM’s external-facing platforms. Elizabeth Rexing, the Vice President of Membership, leads the directors of Alumni Relations, Dancer Relations, Marathon Relations, Recruitment, and Stewardship. Elizabeth’s primary function includes IUDM recruitment in the fall and spring semester, committee member and dancer experience, as well as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Initiatives. The Vice President of Finance, Shane Newton, engages with Accounting, Corporate Relations, Fundraising, and Merchandise & Apparel. Shane oversees all of IUDM’s finances, including corporate matching, invoices, budgeting, and more. Gabi Schuetz, Vice President of Internal Operations generally works with Entertainment, Hospitality, Logistics, Morale, and Riley Development. Gabi is commonly referred to as “Mother of the Marathon”, as her role encompasses any and all things related to the 2025 Marathon! 

Each vice president oversees and guides the directors within their respective focus: Communications, Membership, Finance, and Internal. Each focus has 4-5 committees led by directors. Directors are generally responsible for representing their committees on the Executive Council, and guide their committee members in their committee-related functions and fundraising efforts. 

The directors within the Communications Focus include Maddie Jeffers, Peyton Meier, Ella Self, and Georgia Trisler! Maddie Jeffers, Director of Hospital Relations, communicates with Riley Hospital for Children to coordinate volunteering efforts and staff speakers at IUDM events. Maddie also works to bridge the gap between all of IUDM and the hospital, a term we call cause-connection. Peyton Meier serves as the Director of Marketing, responsible for graphic design, photo and video content, and IUDM marketing campaigns. The Director of Public Relations, Ella Self, oversees all of IUDM’s external communications through social media, media relations, campus relations, the website, blog, and newsletter. Ella and Peyton work closely to create branding campaigns for every major IUDM event and initiative throughout the year. To wrap up the Communications Focus, Georgia Trisler, the Director of the Special Events committee, plans and executes events outside of the Marathon throughout the year such as Gala, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. 

The directors in the Membership Focus include Tessa Hoffman, Joe Sawyer, Morgan Davis, Markie Lance, and Claire Wisler. Tessa Hoffman, Director of Alumni Relations, works to build relationships with the thousands of IUDM alumni, ensuring they remain engaged in organizational efforts.  The Director of Dancer Relations, Joe Sawyer, aims to recruit and retain campus organizations who want to participate in IUDM, commonly referred to as dancer teams. Morgan Davis, Director of Marathon Relations, engages with our 23 High School Dance Marathons by providing support to students and their advisors to ensure a successful marathon. The Director of Recruitment, Markie Lance, leads recruitment efforts during the fall and spring semester- including IUDM’s First Year Dance Experience program, aimed to get freshmen on campus excited about IUDM. To finalize the Membership Focus, we have Claire Wisler, the Director of Stewardship. Claire engages with all members of IUDM and donors in an effort to promote inclusion and appreciation, as well as leading Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility initiatives and education. 

The directors in the Finance Focus are Oscar Choi, Maddie Retherford, Sabina Alcock, and Kenzie Wilson. Oscar Choi, Director of Accounting, keeps track of the funds IUDM receives throughout the year by creating participant fundraising goals and revealing the total amount raised at the end of the marathon. The Director of Corporate Relations, Maddie Retherford, works with our amazing corporate sponsors for the major IUDM events with benefits packages or in-kind donations and instructs committee members on how they could get a corporate sponsor as well! Sabina Alcock, Director of Fundraising, works to educate IUDM members on how to fundraise by holding workshops, creating donation incentives, canning activities, and by creating fundraising templates for members to use. Finally from the Finance focus, Kenzie Wilson, Director of Merchandise and Apparel, designs apparel and accessories for IUDM events and incentive opportunities.

The directors of the Internal Focus are Alyssa Brachetti, Jake Keller, Erika England, Mena Morcos, and Connor Whaley. Alyssa Brachetti, Director of Entertainment, utilizes music, games, the rave, and more to bring exciting energy to IUDM events. The Director of Hospitality, Jake Keller, leads his committee by reaching out to local businesses, organizing the dine-to-donates throughout the year, accepting food and beverage donations, and working with food banks. Erika England, Director of Logistics, will turn the tennis center into the home of IUDM 2025 by preparing and executing how the marathon works and runs. Mena Morcos, Director of Morale, creates the awesome line dance that you see at the marathon and gets everyone excited about IUDM. Lastly from the internal focus, we have Connor Whaley, Director of Riley Development. Connor works directly with IUDM’s Riley buddies and builds relationships with the families by communicating with them throughout the year, hosting events, and hanging out with them at the Marathon! 

We are looking forward to IUDM 2025 and are so lucky to have this outstanding executive council!

To learn more about the people behind these 23 positions, see iudm.org/executive-council!