Joan Blackwell

Joan serves as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and works out of the company’s Indianapolis Office.

As Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Joan leads efforts to strengthen the organization through strategic hiring, partner development, and scalable onboarding and training programs. She also supports effective governance, streamlines operational processes, and provides oversight of external consultants to ensure alignment, accountability, and successful execution across the company.

Before joining Latitude, Joan served as General Counsel, Ethics Officer, and Chief of Staff for the Indiana Attorney General’s Office, where she advised senior leadership on complex legal and policy matters. Earlier in her career, she was an attorney with Barnes & Thornburg LLP in the Finance, Insolvency, and Restructuring Department, focusing on commercial bankruptcy and related litigation. She also served as a staff attorney to the Honorable Frank J. Otte of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana and began her legal career as an associate at Kroger, Gardis & Regas, LLP.

Joan earned her B.A. from Indiana University Bloomington and her J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She is an adjunct professor at the IU McKinney School of Law, where she has taught secured transactions for more than a decade.

An active member of both civic and professional communities, Joan is involved with the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, the Indianapolis Bar Association, and the Sagamore American Inn of Court. Her family played a foundational role in establishing the International School of Indiana, which has served the community for more than 25 years. She has also chaired the Heartland International Film Festival awards program and volunteered extensively in her children’s schools.

Joan and her husband, Tom, enjoy traveling, cooking, and hiking. They have four grown, married children and are proud grandparents. They reside in Zionsville, Indiana, with their two dogs.