Ben Tapper

About Ben

Ben grew up in Hobart, Indiana after being adopted at the age of eleven. He attended Manchester University and earned a degree in political science. At Manchester Ben developed deep relationships with people from across the globe and began studying the effects of globalization which led him to pursue a career in public service.

After his undergrad degree, Ben moved to Indianapolis and accepted a position as an AmeriCorps VISTA Fellow with the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation. Ben then spent several years working in the field of community outreach while earning his Master of Public Affairs from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. After working for both Christel House Academy and Southeast Community Services, Ben entered seminary at Christian Theological Seminary and began serving as the Faith Formation Coordinator for First Mennonite Church and a chaplain with Indiana University Health.

During his graduate career, Ben travelled to the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Colombia to learn about conflict resolution and social justice. Ben earned his Master of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in 2019 before taking a job with Indiana Center for Congregations. While there, Ben managed over a million dollars in grant funding for Indiana congregations and coordinated the organization's DEI initiatives.

In addition to helping strengthen Indiana congregations, Ben is actively involved in the community in several ways. He is the co-founder of Kindred Collective which provides racial equity consulting and healing dialogue programming. The Kindred Collective has worked with organizations across the country to address racial equity by providing antiracism training, dei consulting and facilitated conversations.

Ben currently serves as the Chief Diversity & Equity Officer for the City of Indianapolis. He is responsible for guiding the strategic DEI vision for Indianapolis-Marion County enterprise which consists of over 7000 employees. He serves on the Mayor's Cabinet and is a member of the Government Alliance for Racial Equity.

Ben is also an established podcaster and public speaker. He addresses issues of belonging, racial identity and justice. In 2017 he was awarded the Young Alumni Leadership Award from Manchester University.