Get to know our Foundation Volunteer Leaders! Each month, the Foundation will be featuring its esteemed Board and Alumni Council members for you to get to know a little bit better. Below are some fun facts as well as a peek into what each of these board members do in their professional careers.

Dr. Laura Cain – Alumni Council (2012-Present)

Dr. Laura Cain has faithfully served on the Alumni Council for over ten years and currently serves as the Chair of the Council. She has loved getting to know and forming friendships with her fellow council members, both past and present, as well as the staff at the Foundation. She enjoys coming back to campus and having the opportunity to encourage alumni to get involved and reconnect with Ball State University.

Laura was a high school English teacher at the start of her career but spent most of her time in K-12 administration. After finishing her doctoral degree, Laura moved over to Pearson and worked in their school assessment division. Laura’s dream place to live is wherever she can be surrounded by friends and family, however, she loves spending time in Florida throughout the winter. In her free time, Laura is learning to play golf and enjoys trying new restaurants with her husband.

Dwight Smith – Alumni Council (2018-Present); Foundation Board (2022-Present)

Dwight Smith has found volunteering with the Alumni Council and Foundation Board to be a very rewarding experience. He has loved getting to expand his network and engage with the incredible alumni and staff. Currently, Dwight serves as the Vice Chair of the Alumni Council and Alumni Council Representative on the Foundation Board of Directors.  He finds it gratifying that he gets to help Ball State grow into an even better institution each and every year.

Dwight currently lives in Los Angeles where he co-owns a television production company. He serves as the Co-President and one of the executive producers on the show. His company specializes in game competitions and reality shows, as well as docuseries. Dwight stated his dream place to live would be Italy or Mexico, but as he explores the world his answer is constantly changing. In his free time, Dwight loves working out, walking his dog, working on his magic, and sharing great food and drinks with friends and his wife.

Tony Schneider – Alumni Council (1995-2001); Foundation Board (2001-2009)

Tony Schneider was a loyal and proud member of the Alumni Council and Foundation Board for 14 years. He stated that his time on the board was tremendous, and he loved getting to work for such a powerful cause as Ball State. Tony shared that he loves Ball State because he knows what it produces. As a first-generation college student, his time as an undergraduate at BSU put his life on a wonderful course. He was humbled to serve as the Investment Committee Chair and ultimately the Board Chair. He found it a joy to know, that despite coming from many different paths in life, the board members had one powerful bond that worked for the advancement of the current and future students of Ball State.

Tony graduated from Ball State with a degree in finance which is an industry he has spent all of his career in. Currently, he is a Managing Director at FORVIS Capital Advisors, the Investment Banking subsidiary of FORVIS, the 8th largest accounting firm in the U.S. Proudly, he reports that my two largest client executions in my career involved Ball State founder-led businesses.

Tony loves living at his current residence in Fishers, Indiana. He built a porch that overlooks the woods behind their home where he hosts many cookouts and watches his favorite sports teams.

In his free time, Tony spent a large part of his life watching two of his sons play Division III football and baseball at DePauw. Now, he enjoys trying new breakfast places each Sunday with his youngest son. Their count is 85 different restaurants! Tony enjoys spending time with his two Irish Wolfhounds and taking trips to see his two granddaughters who live in Philadelphia.

Victor Powell – Alumni Council (2023-Present)

Victor Powell currently serves on the Alumni Council as the Teachers College Representative and is devoted to giving back and helping out the next generation. He believes that people cannot get far on their own and that people are meant to be in community and partnership with one another. He has made it a personal mission to pass on any information that has been helpful throughout his life. He loves that through the Alumni Council, he can give his time to the people who gave him time and support while he was a student.

Currently, Victor is a middle school principal and has been in school administration for 14 years. He loves getting to work with students and bringing their voices and ideas into the light. If he could live anywhere in the world, Victor would choose to live in Egypt near the pyramids and the Nile. He also would love the opportunity to live in Africa or anywhere with a deep history. Victor’s favorite meal includes his own or his aunt’s recipe for macaroni and cheese served with a good steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and a great glass of wine. He would love to share this meal and good music with his wife and finish the meal with chocolate cake and a to-go box to enjoy later.