Maggi Spartz, President
mspartz@uflc.net

As the founding president of Unity Foundation, Maggi Spartz has been at Unity’s helm since our inception in 1992. For more than three decades, her passion for La Porte County and the region has been unmatched. She is known for closely listening to donors and connecting their generosity with the causes they care about most.

Throughout her career, she has invested her time, talent, and heart into bringing people together, strengthening communities, and championing innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship across the region.

Maggi plans to retire at the end of 2025 and looks forward to “switching gears” into her next adventure.

Learn more about where we are in the President transition process here.

CC Payne, Director of Operations
ccpayne@uflc.net

CC Payne is honored to serve as the Director of Operations at Unity Foundation of La Porte County, where she supports the mission of building permanent endowments and fostering community vitality. CC’s career spans over 15 years, holding director and executive-level roles in nonprofit and educational settings (Geminus Head Start, Family Focus, Inc. and Indiana University Northwest), excelling in operations, strategic planning, financial oversight, grant and scholarship management, stakeholder engagement, and organizational leadership.

An engaged community leader, CC participated in PNW’s Leadership Northwest Indiana (’22-’23) and Leadership LaPorte County (’23-’24). Her passion for enhancing quality of life aligns with the Foundation’s mission, and she looks forward to driving social and economic growth in LaPorte County. She holds an MBA and an MPA from Indiana University Northwest and a BA in French/Spanish from Indiana University Bloomington, along with a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Outside of work, she enjoys family adventures, camping, gardening, and exploring the Great Lakes.

Jamie Miller, Development Officer
jmiller@uflc.net

As Development Officer, Jamie collaborates with a diverse donor base to fulfill Unity’s mission. With a professional career spanning over 12 years in the philanthropic sector, Jamie is well-versed in increasing annual revenue, donor retention and organizing successful giving days.

Jamie received her BA from Purdue University, West Lafayette, majoring in Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management. She received her Certificate in Fundraising Management from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She and her husband Scott have one child, Jake. In addition to her professional interests, she enjoys camping, bluegrass music festivals, gardening, cooking, and entertaining friends and family.

Jamie is a Michiana Lions club member. For over nine years she has served in various roles such as president, vice president, board member, membership chairperson, and marketing communications chairperson for the club. Through her lionism, Jamie stewards five Little Free Library boxes throughout Michigan City. She also provides instruction to homeless and low-income families so they can grow, maintain, and harvest from two community gardens located at Keys to Hope Community Resource Center and Sand Castle Shelter in Michigan City, IN.

Jamie Szumanski, Controller
jszumanski@uflc.net

An experienced accountant, Jamie specializes in government and nonprofit financial management. Jamie has developed expertise in GAAP principles, budgeting, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance. Her career spans roles with organizations like INDOT, Michiana Hematology Oncology, and Opportunity Enterprises, where she discovered her passion for supporting nonprofit organizations that positively impact the community.

Jamie’s skills include financial analysis, account reconciliation, payroll, and general ledger accounting. She is proficient in tools like QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics, and Tableau. Her work at Opportunity Enterprises ignited her passion for community-focused accounting, which she now applies in her role at Unity Foundation, contributing to our mission of enhancing local quality of life. Jamie has a Bachelor’s in Accounting from Devry and a Master’s in Accounting from Keller Graduate School. Outside of work, Jamie enjoys running, Zumba, walking her dogs, and spending time with her three children and extended family. Her dedication to community and family drives her both professionally and personally.

Andy Neal, Operations Manager
aneal@uflc.net

Andy Neal is the Operations Manager for the Unity Foundation of La Porte County, where he played a key role in developing The STAR Center. His background includes operations management at the Northern Indiana Education Foundation, asset management at GE Capital and Edgemark Asset Management, and retail operations at Hartmarx Corporation, including marketing Nicklaus apparel at major PGA events.

Andy holds a B.S. in Organizational Leadership from Purdue University, is a graduate of the New York Institute of Photography and the Northwest Indiana Entrepreneurship Academy, and is an active community leader, having served as Board Chair for United Way of La Porte County and the Dunes Arts Foundation. An avid photographer and drone pilot, Andy has been the Photographer in Residence at the Dunes Summer Theatre since 2016. He and his wife, Kathy, live in Michigan City and have two adult children.

Marisa Rempala, Marketing & Program Manager
mrempala@uflc.net

As Marketing & Program Manager, Marisa’s job is to spread the word about Unity Foundation’s mission, work, and opportunities. She also plays a key role in administering Unity’s many grants and scholarships.

A lifelong resident of Michigan City, Indiana, Marisa earned a B.S. in Tourism Management from Purdue University Northwest, where she conducted grant-funded independent research on sustainable tourism in Lake Michigan communities. She is passionate about creating diverse, balanced opportunities in La Porte County for long-term residents, prospective residents, and visitors.

Marisa is an experienced nonprofit professional. Prior to Unity, she worked as a Communications Specialist at Chikaming Open Lands, a nonprofit land trust in Southwest Michigan. She also served in AmeriCorps at Indiana Dunes National Park, where she helped manage the Volunteers-in-Parks program. In her free time, Marisa loves hiking local trails, cozying up with a good book, and traveling to exciting new places.

Margie Nasser, Administrative Assistant (P/T)
mnasser@uflc.net

Margie Nasser has supported the Unity Foundation in one way or another since our inception in 1992. Before working at Unity, Margie was the Executive Assistant to Horizon Bank’s Larry Reed, a member of Unity’s Founding Board of Directors. Because Margie has watched Unity grow from nothing to where we are today, she offers valuable perspective on our history. We don’t know what we’d do without her!

Margie excels at caring for others, and she is especially vigilant in ensuring the names in our database are as updated as possible. If we’ve misspelled your name (we apologize) or if you have a new address, Margie is the one to fix it!

In her free time, Margie loves attending our many cultural events and spending time with friends and family.