Elyssa Campodonico-Barr is a program director in the community development division at Lilly Endowment, supporting grantmaking efforts related to human and social services. She has served in this role since 2021. Prior to her position at Lilly Endowment, Campodonico-Barr was the president & CEO of Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis (Girl Inc.), a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold. Under Campodonico-Barr’s leadership, Girls Inc. implemented a new impact-driven program model focused on strong financial sustainability, smart resource management, and bold programmatic results.
Elyssa Campodonico-Barr (B.A. ’09, Political Science/Philosophy, Spanish)
Before leading Girls Inc., Campodonico-Barr served as chief of staff of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. There, she was responsible for the development and execution of the BMV’s three-year strategic plan, the central coordination of staff activities, and advising the commissioner on major projects and policy initiatives. Prior to her role as chief of staff, Campodonico-Barr was an attorney within Indiana University’s Office of the Vice President and General Counsel. Her passion and purpose for serving women and girls began early in her career when she volunteered and eventually consulted for the United Nations among other international organizations in India, South America, and sub-Saharan Africa.
In addition to her degree from the College of Arts and Sciences, Campodonico-Barr holds a doctor of jurisprudence from the Maurer School of Law and a master of public administration from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She is a graduate of the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series, Class XLII, and Bloombase’s Advanced Women Leaders program. Campodonico-Barr has been recognized as one of the College of Arts and Sciences’ “20 Under 40” alumni and is a 2019 Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) “Forty Under 40” honoree. The IBJ also named her a Woman of Influence in 2020.
Steadfast in her philosophy of service, Campodonico-Barr serves on the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs Distinguished Alumni Council and frequently mentors Latino young professionals as a personal passion. She formerly served on the Newfields Board of Governors, Indy Maven Editorial Board, the eImagine Corporate Advisory Board, and the Indianapolis Public School Superintendent’s Parent and Community Advisory Council, among others. Campodonico-Barr lives in Indianapolis with her husband, Matt Barr, and her daughter, Lucy.
Read more about Campodonico-Barr in The College magazine, where she was featured in 2021.