David Terrell
Executive Director of Indiana Communities Institute and Executive Director of RUPRI
David Terrell is the Executive Director of the Indiana Communities Institute (ICI) at Ball State University and of the RUPRI Center for Local and State Policy (CLASP). The ICI was formed with the mission to help communities transition from development strategies based on physical capital investment and attraction to strategies based more heavily on human capital. It does this by performing research that informs state and local policy, and by engaging communities and organizations through training. The RUPRI Center for Local and State Policy provides research and policy guidance on impacts on the rural dimension of states policies and initiatives.
Mr. Terrell previously served two Indiana Lt. Governors in various positions, including Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff, where he oversaw five state agencies. He also started the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, a state agency dedicated to rural community economic development. Under Mr. Terrell’s leadership, OCRA gained national recognition for state-level community economic development policy.
Before joining OCRA, Mr. Terrell consulted with communities on economic and workforce development issues. He has experience in strategic planning, leadership development, and expanding economic and community development capacity.
Mr. Terrell spent nine years in manufacturing, spending most of that time as the plant manager for a steel wire manufacturer in Southern Indiana. He began his career in the Indiana Department of Commerce, in the Business Expansion Division.
Mr. Terrell has served on several boards and commissions throughout his career. He has received several high recognitions for his service, from communities and states, including the Governor’s Distinguished Service Award and Sagamore of the Wabash.
A graduate of Indiana State University who earned his MBA from the University of South Florida, Mr.Terrell lives in historic Madison, Indiana, on the Ohio River.