Giving back to the community is one of the most valuable things one can do with their time.

Retired NIPSCO executive and IU alumnus Michael Suggs preaches this sentiment. Using his corporate knowledge, he continues to support his community through giving back to IU Northwest.

Suggs serves on the IU Northwest Board of Advisors and the School of Business and Economics Advisory Board, all while heading up his new LLC, Twenty Twenty Energy Group.

“I created a small LLC to deliver upon the things I learned along my 40 years of professional experience,” he said. “Supporting inclusion and diversity efforts, doing some training and coaching, and supporting minority business opportunities in the energy sector.”

Promoting and supporting diversity is a significant goal for Suggs. He said when he first attended IU, he was initially overwhelmed by the level of diversity on campus. Looking back, Suggs cites that experience as one that prepared him well for corporate life.

“The level of diversity I was exposed to while at IU was an amazing learning opportunity as I quickly realized the value in learning from and talking with people of different backgrounds. Those experiences enabled me to easily transfer and assimilate into the corporate world,” he said.

Today, Suggs continues to use his wealth of experience to open new doors for members of his community. “There are a number of our communities that don’t provide its citizens with opportunities to gain the training and experiences they need to be successful. I believe it’s very important to give people an avenue to better themselves, and in turn our home—Northwest Indiana,” he said.

He said IU Northwest plays a major role in creating new opportunities for success in the region. Suggs praises the faculty and staff at the campus, pointing out their strong desire to support the community and its unique needs.

Although Suggs did not attend the Northwest campus, he is happy to give back and plans to continue to offer support to the university. “I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to support IU Northwest. This is one of many ways that I am able to give back and support my community, while also growing and learning,” he said.

After years of service at NIPSCO, IU Northwest, and Twenty Twenty Energy Group, Suggs shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to volunteer leadership.  

“I’ve been able to grow from the connections that I’ve had within the university, and because of that, I feel like I’m a better person,” Suggs said.

While there’s lots of ways to pass the time, Suggs is perfectly happy using his to better his community through education and creating access to career opportunities. And, here at IU Northwest, we are quite thankful for that.