Riley Children’s Foundation Names Courtney Roberts Next President and CEO

July 17, 2025 -- Riley Children’s Foundation, the state’s leading foundation dedicated to supporting children’s health, has named veteran Indiana philanthropic leader Courtney Roberts as its next president and CEO. She will assume the position on September 2.

Roberts has extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and grantmaking, most recently as president of the Ivy Tech Foundation, which supports the nation’s largest community college system. Prior to that, she served as executive director of the Lilly Foundation.

“I’m honored to be selected to lead Riley Children’s Foundation and partner with the extraordinary team at Riley Children’s Health to ensure all Indiana children have access to the life-saving care they need to thrive,” said Roberts, who was selected following a national search. “I look forward to working alongside our donors, the corporate community, and civic leaders to leverage philanthropy to address the most pressing needs in children’s health and drive innovations in pediatric care.”

Riley Children’s Foundation is the founding organization that opened Riley Hospital for Children more than 100 years ago. It fundraises for Riley Children’s Health and Riley-affiliated pediatric research programs at Indiana University School of Medicine, granting more than $48 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Dr. Cory Martinson, chair of the Riley Children’s Foundation Board of Governors, noted that Roberts joins the foundation at a time when private support for children’s health and pediatric research is especially critical. The foundation announced its Every Child Deserves Riley campaign earlier this year. The campaign is the most ambitious in Riley Children’s history and aims to raise $300 million to support priorities such as youth mental health, recruitment and retention of top pediatric specialists, and pediatric research.

“Courtney is a visionary and strategic leader who has a strong record of building coalitions to address some of Indiana’s biggest challenges,” Martinson said. “We’re confident she’ll bring that same approach to Riley Children’s Foundation as we look to grow Riley’s nationally ranked programs and put in place meaningful solutions to issues like the youth mental health crisis, a looming shortage of pediatric specialists, and healthcare disparities.”

At the Ivy Tech Foundation, Roberts oversaw the successful completion of the community college system’s first-ever statewide campaign, which raised a record-breaking $340 million. Under her leadership, Ivy Tech secured multiple transformational gifts to address some of the most urgent workforce needs in Indiana, including strengthening the pipeline of early childhood professionals, bolstering the biopharma talent base, and addressing the state’s nursing shortage.

While with the Lilly Foundation, she led Eli Lilly and Company’s philanthropic global health equity portfolio. She focused on strengthening health systems and expanding access to care for millions of people living in resource-limited settings both locally and abroad.

A native Hoosier, Roberts earned her undergraduate degree from Butler University and a law degree from Indiana University McKinney School of Law. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in philanthropic leadership from the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy. She serves on the boards of the Women's Fund of Central Indiana and the Indiana Conference for Women.

“Support from Riley Children’s Foundation and our donors allows us to bring more leading-edge treatments to Indiana, improve access to pediatric specialty care, and serve every child who needs us,” said Riley Children’s Health President David Biggerstaff. “We’re elated to have Courtney join the foundation and look forward to working with her and the entire team to grow the community of donors who are committed to transforming children’s health in Indiana.”