Meet Katie Whitley, 2026 Luminaries of the Year Candidate

Riley Children’s Foundation proudly announces Katie Whitley as a 2026 Luminaries of the Year candidate.

Luminaries of the Year is a new annual program at the foundation launched in partnership with Children’s Miracle Network. The program celebrates Dance Marathon alumni who continue to uplift and strengthen their local communities while championing their local children’s hospital. Selected candidates spend four weeks fundraising to extend their legacy of service.

“Luminaries is a way for me to reconnect more deeply with a cause that means so much to me and has been a big part of my life,” said Whitley. “When I think of the word luminary, I think about spreading light and inspiring others. This is another opportunity to be part of something bigger.”

Whitley is an attorney in Indianapolis. She grew up in Bloomington, where she is an alumna of Bloomington South Dance Marathon and Indiana University Dance Marathon, where she served as president in 2013.

“There’s no experience like Dance Marathon to prepare you for pretty much any industry you enter,” said Whitley. “Dance Marathon was a place where I learned I could believe in myself and that I could do anything I set my mind to. That was a critical part of my development and who I am as a person.”

Beginning her professional career in teaching and now as a wife and mother of two, children’s health has taken on a deeper meaning since her time in Dance Marathon. She delivered both of her sons at the Riley Maternity Tower. This was a full-circle moment for her. As a student raising money, she learned about the need for maternity care and the fundraising efforts to increase delivery capacity at Riley. After the new maternity tower was completed, she knew there was nowhere else she would rather give birth.

Along with maternity care, Whitley is passionate about pediatric cancer research. She recently met with Riley researchers at the forefront of pediatric cancer treatment.

“Without the funding, there is so much research that wouldn’t happen in an area that is so important,” said Whitley. “I think what is so powerful about Riley is the research that they do doesn’t just have a local reach but across the country and even across the world.”

You can donate to Whitley’s fundraiser for Riley Children’s Foundation here. Katie has chosen to direct funds raised to Indiana University Dance Marathon’s annual fundraising efforts.