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Indiana University honored six IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law alumni for their philanthropic leadership with membership in the Presidents Circle during special ceremonies on September 17 in Indianapolis.

Established in 1992, the Presidents Circle honors Indiana University's most generous donors for the significant impact of their gifts to IU.

The McKinney Family Foundation was also honored. The law school is named for its benefactor, Robert H. McKinney, Chair of the Board of Directors of the McKinney Family Foundation. Marni McKinney Waterfield serves as President of the foundation.

IU McKinney Law alumni honored were:

Gary H., Baise, ‘68, and Ann G. Baise

Gary and Ann Baise have been loyal supporters of Indiana University for more than 30 years. Both are involved in higher education, agriculture and governmental affairs.

Originally from Illinois, Gary received his B.S. from Western Illinois University in 1963 and his J.D. from IU McKinney Law in 1968. Gary has over 50 years of experience in government and private legal practice, currently serving as chairman of the litigation practice at OFW Law in Washington, D.C. A nationally recognized speaker, consultant and lawyer, Gary specializes in environmental and agricultural law and regulations and corporate governance issues. Gary’s distinguished career includes appointment as the first chief of staff to the first Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and later the director of the EPA’s Office of Legislation. He has also served as executive assistant to the Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Acting Deputy Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ann earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Longwood College in 1974 and master’s degree in Education from Virginia Tech in 1978.

Gary came to law school on a scholarship from the Ford Foundation. Continuing the tradition of making opportunity possible for others, Gary and Ann have established the Gary H. and Ann G. Baise Scholarship at IU McKinney Law.

Pamela L. Carter, ‘84, and Michael A. Carter, Sr.

Pamela L. Carter and Michael A. Carter, Sr. have shown their enthusiasm and commitment to IU through their loyal philanthropic support and service. 

Pamela is a 1984 graduate of IU McKinney Law and was a member of the school’s Board of Visitors from 1999 to 2019. She is the recipient of the IU Distinguished Alumni Award. 

Pamela’s distinguished career includes serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to Indiana Governor Evan Bayh from 1988 to 1992. In 1992, she became the first African American woman elected as a state’s attorney general in the nation. She served as Indiana Attorney General from 1993 to 1997, later joining Cummins as Vice-President- General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. She became a Global business executive headquartered in Europe. She was named President of Cummins Distribution Business and became the first woman to run a major business unit at the company. She retired from Cummins in 2015. She now serves on four corporate boards and four not for profit boards. She is the recipient of many awards including the Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award from Legal Momentum and DirectWomen for advancing the value of diversity on corporate boards. 

Michael serves as Managing Partner of Pinnacle Construction Partners, LLC, a commercial preconstruction, planning and construction management service company for the public and private sector, and as President and CEO of MAC LLC, a commercial and residential development company.

Their son, Michael A. Carter, Jr., ‘10, leads a Global Supply Chain group at Cummins. Pamela and Michael created the Robert H. McKinney School of Law Office of Student Affairs Endowment which is designed to provide programming and resources to enhance academic student success. The endowment supports peer tutoring activities, bar preparation, specialized student programming, and academic support and advising. 

 The Honorable Judge J. Terrence “Terry” Cody, ‘74, and Peggy P. Cody

Judge Cody and Peggy have been steadfast supporters of Indiana University for over 40 years.

Judge Cody received his undergraduate education from Xavier University in Cincinnati and his J.D. from IU McKinney Law. Following graduation from law school in 1974, he returned to his hometown of New Albany, Indiana to practice law with his father, John A. Cody, Jr. until his election to the Floyd Circuit Court in November 1998. He was re-elected in 2004, 2010, and 2016 and has been on the bench for 23 years.

Peggy is a native of Ashland, Ohio and attended the Katherine Gibbs School in Boston for her post-secondary education. Judge Cody and Peggy have two adult children, Patrick and Shane.

They support IU through McKinney Law’s Equal Justice Works and Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) Endowment.

J. Joseph Tanner, ‘87, and Jill Harris Tanner, ‘85 

Joe and Jill Tanner have a unique connection to the IU McKinney Law. Three generations of lawyers—the late John Tanner, ‘63, Jill Tanner, ‘85, Joe Tanner, ‘87, and their son, Mitch Tanner, ‘19–have all earned their J.D. degrees from the law school. John’s father was also an attorney, and he and his father practiced together in Winchester, Indiana. 

Joe and Jill met in law school and the two both began their careers at Baker & Daniels, now Faegre Drinker, where Joe continues as partner, leading the firm’s nationally ranked product liability & mass torts group. Jill is now retired and served as Executive Director of the Indiana Health Facility Financing Authority. They created the Tanner Family Scholarship at IU McKinney in 2019.

Michael W. Wells, ‘79, and Mary “Annie” Wells

Graduates of Purdue University, Mike and Annie Wells are loyal benefactors of IU McKinney Law, where Mike serves on the school’s Board of Visitors. 

Mike received a B.S. from Purdue University in Interdisciplinary Engineering and graduated from IU McKinney Law magna cum laude in 1979. He started his career by practicing law for the State of Indiana, specializing in real estate and tax-exempt financing. Currently, he serves as president of REI Investments, Inc. and manager of REI Real Estate Services, LLC. Mike has been involved with numerous developments in Indianapolis, including the JW Marriott Hotel, Emmis Communications Headquarters, and Circle City Mall.  

They created the Mike and Annie Wells Legal Scholarship for IUPUI undergraduates who pursue a J.D. degree at IU McKinney Law.