Yellow Trout Lily blog post Apr 2023
Trout lily at Betley Woods
Giving for Impact
Written By: Shawndra Miller
Date Published: April 17, 2023
Shawndra Miller
Second in a series memorializing our friend and benefactor, Len Betley
Our spring newsmagazine spotlights the late Len Betley, whose support of conservation had a far-reaching impact. As a business leader, Len mentored many younger colleagues. One of them was Dan Appel of Gregory & Appel Insurance.
Dan served on multiple boards with Len and has been involved with all three of the foundations that Len helped to start: the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, the Walther Cancer Foundation, and the Regenstrief Institute and Regenstrief Foundation.
Early on in their work together, Dan came to value Len as a friend and mentor.
“I began to have coffee with him once a week for a number of years,” says Dan. “It was amazing to spend an hour with Len because he was such a wonderful person, so worldly and wise. He was always willing to share his knowledge.”
Dan appreciated Len’s quiet way of managing conflict. “I don’t think I ever saw him raise his voice,” Dan says, “but he was always able to untangle the most complex and difficult situations without (needing to)… and everybody walked away saying, ‘How did he do that?’”
He was also incredibly generous with his time, enjoying growing and mentoring others. Dan was one of many who counted on his wise counsel.
Len had a way of asking questions that cut through the noise. Dan recalls, “Whenever I saw him—as late as a month or two before died—he always asked me, ‘Are you having any impact?’ It’s a very thoughtful question, because you can give a lot of money away and do good things, but is it really impacting what you want to do?”
Currently Dan is board chair of the Fairbanks Foundation, whose mission is to advance the vitality of Indianapolis and the well-being of its people. “It can be hard to measure the impact,” Dan says. “But he always asked the question, and it made me step back and ask, ‘Why are we doing what we’re doing?’”
Dan serves alongside Claire Fiddian-Greene, President and CEO of Fairbanks, who took over from Len when he retired from that position. “We both have Len on a pedestal,” he admits, referring to her moving tribute in the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Asked about the origins of Len’s philanthropy and service, Dan says, “I don’t really know where it came from. I can only imagine it came from his humble upbringing and being one of the few in his family to attend an Ivy League school…I think that he was in that camp that believed that for those who are successful, the responsibility to give back is even greater.”
Dan suspects that Len’s generosity was farther reaching than anyone knew. He says, “I would guess that the things that I know about are really just the tip of iceberg in terms of who he’s helped and organizations he assisted, because he was so quiet about it.”
But on the question of impact, one thing is clear: “He had a great impact with his gift to the land trust,” Dan notes. In 2021, the Betley Family donated $1 million toward the restoration and protection of our Hills of Gold Conservation Area. An endowment specifically for this Johnson County region continues to save more critical habitat.
Dan and his wife enjoyed traveling in Europe with Len and Katie, benefiting from the older man’s passion for history. Len was incredibly well-read, with deep knowledge of World War II history, among other things. “It was like traveling with an encyclopedia,” Dan recalls.
But Len wasn’t a stuffed shirt by any means. He was a great conversationalist and very funny. “He had a very subtle, dry, witty sense of humor—and he loved bourbon,” Dan says.
Read more about Len Betley’s legacy in our spring newsmagazine, available online here.
Up next: A tribute from a colleague in the conservation arena
Ben Valentine
Guest Blogger
Ben Valentine is a founding member of the Friends of Marott Woods Nature Preserve and is active in several other conservation organizations. He leads a series of NUVO interviews with Indiana's environmental leaders, and he cherishes showing his son all the wonders of nature he grew up loving.
DJ Connors
Guest Blogger
DJ Connors, a Central Indiana native and late-to-life hunter, combines a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and the outdoors with a deep passion for exploring the natural beauty of the area he has called home for most of his life. As a husband and father of three, he is committed to ensuring his children have the same opportunities to connect with nature and appreciate the outdoors in their community. DJ’s unique journey into hunting emphasizes sustainability, responsible stewardship, and the importance of preserving these experiences for future generations.
Bridget Walls
Guest Blogger
Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Jordan England
Guest Blogger
Jordan England is a lifelong Shelby County resident who graduated from Waldron Jr. Sr. High School (just a few miles from Meltzer Woods!). After earning her B.S. degree in Retail Management from Purdue University, she returned to Waldron to start a family with her husband, Brian. Together they have 3 young children and enjoy sharing with them their love of the community. Jordan is the Grants and Nonprofit Relations Director at Blue River Community Foundation, managing BRCF’s grant program, providing support to local nonprofits, and promoting catalytic philanthropy in Shelby County.
Cliff Chapman
President and CEO
As CILTI’s President and CEO, Cliff keeps CILTI’s focus on good science and stewardship. He’s mindful that the natural places you love took thousands of years to evolve and could be destroyed in a single day, and that knowledge drives his dedication to their protection.
Stacy Cachules
Chief Operating Officer
Among her many key duties as Assistant Director, Stacy has the critical task of tracking our budget, making sure we channel donations for maximum efficiency. When her workday’s done, Stacy loves to spend time with her two young boys—and when not traveling, she’s likely planning the next travel adventure.
Ryan Fuhrmann
Vice Chair
Ryan C. Fuhrmann, CFA, is President and founder of Fuhrmann Capital LLC, an Indiana-based investment management firm focused on portfolio management. Ryan’s interest in land conservation centers around a desire to help preserve natural habitats for wildlife and the subsequent benefits it brings to people and the environment.
Joanna Nixon
Board Member
Joanna Nixon is the owner of Nixon Consulting, an Indianapolis-based strategy and project management firm focused on the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as the Philanthropic Advisor for the Efroymson Family Fund. Prior to opening her consulting practice in 2000, Joanna was vice-president for grantmaking at Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). Joanna has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and arts and culture sector. She is passionate about the environment and loves bringing big ideas to life and creating high-quality arts and culture programs and experiences. Joanna enjoys outdoor adventures, including competing in fitness obstacle course races and hiking with her high energy Australian Cattle Dog, Jackson.
Karen Wade
Board Member
Before retiring, CILTI board member Karen Wade worked for Eli Lilly & Co. In retirement she volunteers for a number of organizations, including the Indiana Master Naturalist program, Johnson County Native Plant Partnership CISMA, Meadowstone Therapeutic Riding Center, and Leadership Johnson County.
David Barickman
Development Systems Manager
Born and raised in Central Illinois, David spent many days as a child wandering around the river, forest and lakes there. He works behind the scenes as a key member of our fundraising team. When not working, David loves to be outdoors hiking, fly fishing, kayaking or woodworking.
Jamison Hutchins
Stewardship Director
Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He comes to our team after eight years as Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the city of Indianapolis, where his work had a positive impact from both health and environmental perspectives.
Jen Schmits Thomas
Media Relations
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together. She is accredited in public relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America, and loves to camp and hike in perfect weather conditions.
Shawndra Miller
Communications Director
Shawndra’s earliest writing projects centered around the natural world, starting when a bird inspired her to write her first “book” in elementary school. Now she is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.
Phillip Weldy
Stewardship Specialist
Phillip enjoys nature’s wonders from an up-close-and-personal perspective as he works to restore the natural places you love. As an AmeriCorps member in Asheville, NC, he had his first full immersion in relatively undisturbed land while reconstructing wilderness trails in National Parks and National Forests.
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