
Teresa Lubbers
Board Member
Teresa Lubbers is president of the Sagamore Institute, an action-oriented think tank that advances practical and sustainable solutions to improve communities.
Prior to joining Sagamore in July 2022, she led the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, the agency charged with ensuring the state’s post-high school education system meets the needs of students and the state. Previously, she served 17 years in the Indiana State Senate, including as chair of the Education and Career Development Committee.
During her tenure as the higher education commissioner, Lubbers worked to increase college completion, ensure academic quality and student learning, and align credentials with meaningful careers.
Lubbers has chaired the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet and is a member and past chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers, the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, and the Higher Learning Advocates Board of Directors. She also served as commissioner for the Education Commission of the States, and as a member of the Advisory Council for the Institute for Workforce Excellence and the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.
She is a member and past chair of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, co-founded the Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series, and served as an elder at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church.
Lubbers has received numerous awards and honors, including the John Purdie Innovator and Mentor of the Year Award from Marian University (2023), the Daniels Prize from the Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation (2023), the Michael Carroll Award from the Indianapolis Business Journal (2020), Sagamore of the Wabash (1988, 2016, 2020), and the State Higher Education Officers’ Exceptional Leader Award (2018).
She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Indiana University and a master’s in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.