Open Letter to Governor Holcomb, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, and House Speaker Todd Huston
Dear Public Policy Leaders,
We write today highly concerned about your plans during the upcoming special session to, as Governor Holcomb publicly described it, “make progress in protecting the sanctity of life in Indiana” in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24, 2022, decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Actions to further restrict the reproductive rights of Hoosier women would create inequity in their access to healthcare, position Indiana as an unwelcome place to live and work, and make it harder for us to compete for talent already in short supply.
As representatives of some of the most impactful companies currently operating in Indiana, we fuel the state’s economy. We strongly urge you to consider all that is at stake should you take this action.
Without fair, equitable, and timely access to safe healthcare for all Hoosiers, our ability to maintain operations—let alone grow here will be severely compromised. We cannot attract and retain top talent without an inclusive environment where all Hoosiers feel safe and protected. Further restrictions on reproductive health will make Indiana an impossible choice for companies committed to building inclusive workforces.
Fearing your legislative plans, women business owners, executives, and rising leaders are already preparing to move out of state. In an era of remote work, talented individuals have myriad options for where they choose to live. Indiana cannot afford discriminatory public policy that could deter those individuals from choosing our state.
For decades, Indiana has successfully attracted new businesses and helped others expand here because of its nationally-competitive business environment. Diminishing women’s reproductive rights will do irreparable and immediate harm. We urge you to refrain from any action regarding further restrictions on Hoosier women’s reproductive rights.
Respectfully,
Jenny Vance, SalesJen, Founder & CEO
Roger Deetz, IN Tech for Progress, CEO and Founder
Lindsay Tjepkema, Casted, CEO & Co-Founder
Robin Fleming, Evolv Tech, CEO - (& Co-Founder, Anvl)
Jenn Lisak Golding, Sapphire Strategy, CEO
Sarah Lacey, Linking Indy Women, Founder
Christine Novak, Emarsys, an SAP Company, SVP Revenue, Country Manager
Joanna Milliken, Emarsys, CEO
Melanie Allen, Green Loop Marketing, CEO & Co-Founder
Aimee Kandrac, WhatFriendsDo, CEO
Robert Kobek, CustomerCount and Mobius VP, LLC, President
Amy Brown, Authenticx, CEO and Founder
Sarah Lacey, Linking Indy Women, Founder
Chris Byers, Formstack, CEO
Jonathan Gandolf, The Juice, Founder & CEO
Christopher Lucas, Shaker, CEO
Michael Burton, Stitch, CEO
Jeff Ton, Ton Enterprises LLC, President
Ben Pippenger, Zylo, Chief Business Development & Strategy Officer
Matt Tyner Jr, Wunderkind, Vice President, People Operations & General Manager, Indianapolis
Douglas Rowe, Profyletracker, Owner
Max Yoder, N/A, Entrepreneur
Luke Jacobs, Encamp, CEO
Megan Glover, 120Water, Co-Founder & CEO
Mark Lilien, Textline, Inc, CTO & Co-Founder
Mary Kay Huse, Mandolin, CEO & Co-Founder
Meghann York, SAP, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing
Jon Gilman, Clear Software, Founder and Former CEO
Brian Powers, Ironclad, GM
Tina Hafer, Innovatemap, Executive Partner
Wendy Noe, Dove Recovery House for Women, CEO
Murph Krajewski, Textel, CMO
Nicholas Taylor, netlogx, Partner
Angie Stocklin, One Click, Co-Founder
Audrey Taylor, netlogx, CEO
Amy Oviedo, Recruiting Experiences, CEO and Founder
John Ellis, IN Tech for Progress, CTO
Leslie Bailey, Maven Space, CEO
Rupal Thanawala, Individual, Individual
Katie Abernathy, Alpha Gamma Delta International Women's Fraternity, Executive Director
Heather Brogden, Porch Marketing, Owner & Creative Director
Derrin Slack, ProAct Indy, CEO
Karen Maginn, GL Marketing, President
Matt Hunckler, Powderkeg, CEO
Mendy Werne, BLASTmedia, CEO
Joshua Driver, Selflessly, CEO
Denise Herd, Herd Strategies, President
Conner Burt, Lessonly, Co-founder and President
Rae Hostetler, Hostetler Public Relations, Owner and President
Dave Duke, MetaCX, Co-Founder
Shawna Lake, Deep End Talent Strategies, Founder
Crystal Grave, CAG Strategies, Founder and CEO
Cheryl Reed, ReedRight Communications, President/Owner
Laura Musall, CoolRevolution, Founder
Santina Sullivsn, Sullivan Consulting, President
Al Carroll, IndyHub, President & CEO
David Hochoy, Dance Kaleidoscope, Artistic Director
Alison Martin, Engage Mentoring, Founder
Meredith Gradle, Iris Works, CEO
Alex Perry, Practically Speaking, LLC, CEO
Karen Jung, Nextech, President
Kyle Lacy, Seismic, SVP of Marketing
Eric Tobias, High Alpha, Partner
Kelly Frank, Social Legends LLC, President
Steve Pruden, Studio Science, CEO
Meghann York, SAP, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing
Sunny Lu Williams, TechServ Corporation, CEO
Matthew Gonzales, Matinee Creative, Owner
Kristen Cooper, The Startup Ladies, CEO & Founder
Raquel Richardson, Individual, Individual
John McDonald, NEXT Studios, Managing Entrepreneur
David Kerr, Allos Ventures, Managing Director
Lee Eisenbarth, MomentPath, Chief Experience Officer
Ashley Walsh, Shaker, Co-Founder/CRO
Rachel Johnson, Threefold, CMO
Caitlin Coffman, MomentPath, Founder and CEO
Scott Jones, Dedicated My Life to Massive Progress for Hoosiers, Doer
TJ Wright, Indiana Pride of Color, Inc., Board President
Jessica Fentz, The StartUp Accelerator, Inc. dba The Speak Easy, Chief Community Officer
Amber Fields, TrueU, Chief Culture Officer
Testimony re: SB1
Thank you. Hello, my name is Roger Deetz. I am the founder and CEO of IN Tech for Progress, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that increases civic engagement among Indiana's technology community.
Recently we worked with a group of 80 Indiana CEOs and other high-level executives to publish an open letter to the Governor and the leaders of this Assembly with a clear message: this bill will limit talent in Indiana and will hurt Hoosier businesses.
The economy of the future will be driven by highly-skilled people with entrepreneurial spirit, who are willing to take risks to innovate, to start companies, and to create jobs. Folks with these skills have a lot of options, and in an era of remote work, people have even more freedom to choose where they live and work.
To compete for this talent--and as any business leader will confirm, it is a competition--we cannot afford any self-inflicted wounds that make Indiana a less desirable place to live and work. This legislation would be a self-inflicted wound. This is an issue that everyone, regardless of gender, should care about. Decisions on where to build a life, where to get an education, where to build a business and career are made by considering many factors, including access to healthcare, personal freedoms, diversity, and more. If women don't feel like their rights are protected here, it becomes an impossible choice to stay or return here, not only for women themselves but for the people in their lives who love them and for the businesses that want to work with them.
This bill would roll back women's ability to make decisions about their own bodies and their own future to something like the 1950s. Such public policy will discourage talented people from choosing Indiana, and thus we risk a workforce and economy that also looks like the 1950s. But it is not the 1950s anymore. And if that comes to pass, Indiana will be bested by other states that are making it safe to build a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Reject this bill. Preserve reproductive rights for all Hoosiers. Our future prosperity is riding on it.
Roger Deetz
Founder and CEO
IN Tech for Progress