Meet Brenda Gerber Vincent.

Brenda Gerber Vincent currently serves as the Vice President of Community and Corporate Impact at Greater Fort Wayne Inc. She is committed to creating quality and equity of place for all through economic development, programming and leadership.

Before joining Greater Fort Wayne Inc., she served as Vice President Mike Pence’s Deputy Finance Director and was Chief of Staff to the Second Lady of the United States, Karen Pence, when they served as Governor and First Lady of Indiana.

Brenda served as a governor-appointed Indiana Bicentennial Commissioner and serves on numerous committees and boards including, The United Front Initiative, The Board of Governors for the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series, AVOW (Advancing the Voices of Women), Vera Bradley Foundation, The Carriage House, Parkview Regional Hospital Board, and the 100+ Women Who Care Steering Committee.

Brenda was the only representative from northeast Indiana, appointed by Governor Holcomb, to serve on the newly created Opportunity Zones Task Force, a federal initiative to bring private-sector investments to low-income areas in Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana.

Brenda is proud to be a fourth generation Fort Wayne native. She received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, where she continues to serve on the Indiana University Board of Associates for the Student Foundation. Besides her husband and children, she considers her single greatest achievement co-founding the Carriage House, a rehabilitation facility established to restore seriously mentally ill persons to maximum social and employment functioning.

Brenda is an alumna of the Aspen Institute for Global Leadership, has appeared on CNN, and has been featured in numerous publications. In 2018, she was the first woman in northeast Indiana to be awarded the prestigious Heart of Indiana – Torchbearer Award and in 2016 received the Sagamore of the Wabash, Indiana’s highest civilian honor.

YWCA Asks:  What does an “empowering woman” mean to you?

Brenda:  To me, an empowering woman is someone who identifies and creates opportunities and pathways for all to succeed.

YWCA Asks:  In what ways do you feel that you empower other women?

Brenda:  I’ve been blessed with amazing mentors throughout my life and have made mentoring and empowering women a priority. I’ve dedicated much of my career to helping women find their path and use their voice to make a difference. Helping others succeed brings me great joy.

YWCA Asks: Would you please share an experience or tidbit of knowledge that would help other women?  This could be a lesson learned, or motivational story, or information that you would like to share to help educate others. 

Brenda: I look forward to the day when every woman has the confidence, strength, and courage to live authentically and to own and embrace their own unique story without shame or fear of consequences. I also want women to understand that lifting others up does not jeopardize their professional position, but actually strengthens it.