News Archive

Christopher Creighton, J.D. ’17, serves as vice president of Innovation and Growth at Marian University. Prior to this role, Creighton worked in state government.

Where are you from originally?

I was born in South Bend and moved to Bremen, a small town of 4,600 people about 20 minutes from South Bend, when I was 5 years old. My parents and both of my brothers still live in Bremen. My sister resides in South Bend.  

Did you work before coming to law school? If so, please tell me a little about that, if you would.

I got my start by interning in the Indiana Senate in 2010 during the last semester of my senior year. That led to opportunities to get my start in the campaign world of politics. I ran several Senate campaigns from 2010-2012 for Senator Jim Merritt, Senator Sue Glick, and President Pro Tem David Long. After that, I received a huge break to work for Anne Hathaway at Hathaway Strategies, a public affairs firm in downtown Indianapolis. It was at this time that I returned to school at IU McKinney in fall 2013 as a part-time student. I continued my career throughout my law school experience.

What brought you to IU McKinney?

IU McKinney is the only school that I applied to. It was an easy decision because of the school’s impressive list of alumni like Mike Pence, Todd Young, Susan Brooks, Brian Bosma, Mark Massa, John Gregg, and so many others. Perhaps more importantly in my decision was that I could continue to advance my career while also being able to go to school. It was a challenge, but I would definitely do it again if given the opportunity.

Any lawyers in the family? What made you want to become a lawyer?

I am the first lawyer in my family. My family is really talented at building and making things with their hands, especially working on cars. I simply did not inherit that talent. So, I was always looking for my own way to build a career. Law school was always something in the back of my mind and when I went into politics and policy it made a lot of sense to obtain a law license to advance my career and skillset.

What do you enjoy most about your present role?

Probably that I am doing a little bit of everything in managing a large project. The main reason I came to Marian was to work on the Riverside Education Innovation District (REID). REID is a bold Marian initiative to advance the quality of life and quality of place in the Near Northwest Area (NNW) of Indianapolis. Marian has been an anchor institution in this area since the Sisters of St. Francis of Oldenburg moved the college here from Oldenburg. We were blessed when this project was recently awarded $25 million through the College and Community Collaboration Grant through the Lilly Endowment.

Through REID, we are going to work alongside the community to (1) revitalize portions of the vacant Larue Carter State Hospital on Cold Spring Road and (2) improve educational attainment in the NNW area through Marian educational programs and in coordination with an array of partners. Larue Carter would be used as a hub for Marian’s education outreach programs, specifically our renowned literacy program, to improve educational attainment in the NNW.

Can you share a little about your career trajectory?

I would break my career into pre-law school and post-law school admission. I really enjoyed my time in campaigns and working alongside great candidates and professionals. I learned so much from those I worked with including Matt Zapfe, Senator Merritt, Senator Glick, Senator Long, and so many others. But I always wanted to work on the official side of government and politics. IU McKinney, I believe, gave me a significant amount of credibility to step into a legislative role at the Department of Health in 2016. Six months later I was deputy legislative director for Governor Holcomb. Then two years later, legislative director. Finally, before my arrival at Marian, I served as chief of staff at the Indiana Department of Transportation for two and a half years.

Was working in this kind of role an ambition of yours?

No, my career has simply been a long list of the right opportunities at the right times. Coming to work for President Dan Elsener at Marian University and to lead the Riverside Education Innovation District (REID) project was simply an opportunity that I could not pass up.

What during your time as a student at IU McKinney prepared you for what you’re doing now?

So many different parts of my IU McKinney experience prepared me for what I am doing right now. I have found that going to law school part time while working helped me to develop a certain resiliency. It also helped me to redefine my career and break into official roles, rather being pigeonholed as a campaign person specifically. Beyond that, I would also just mention the terrific network of friends that I developed that helped me get through those tough finals weeks and on whom I still rely for advice and assistance. I was close with Mitch Osterday who is now with the Supreme Court, Jeff Cummins who works at AES in government affairs, Kait Campoli who is a prosecutor in Elkhart County, Kayla Grimes who is an attorney in Richmond, and Kevin Oschman who is patent counsel at the Purdue Research Foundation. They had a huge impact on me during law school and they have gone on to impressive roles and accomplishments.

What’s next?

I am going to strive to be successful in my role at Marian and enjoy life with my wife (Katie), son (Grant), and our daughter we are expecting in March of 2025.

Earl Goode, the governor’s chief of staff, once told me that focusing on success in your current position is the best way to gain additional opportunities. I’ve tried to follow that advice and simply focus on what I am doing in the here and now. I suspect that the next unexpected opportunity will pop up at the right time.