Awards

IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2007

About Paula Grist

Paula Grist graduated with a BS in Industrial Management from Purdue University and an MBA in Finance from the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Following her education at IU, she was the manager of business analytics at G.D. Searle for over 20 years. She then went on to serve as the senior director of sales at Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals, before transferring to Wockhardt USA, where she was senior director of government programs and pricing compliance. After 4 years with Wockhardt, Grist took a job with Hospira.

Grist and her husband, Mark Vaughan, have been philanthropic supporters of IU for a long time. Their first true philanthropic endeavor was IU's Camp Brosius. Before the School of Physical Education and Tourism Management’s academic courses at Camp Brosius begin each year, Vaughan and Grist volunteer to open the camp, performing routine maintenance, cleaning, and porch screen installation. When the school initiated a Camp Brosius Advisory Council in 2006, Vaughan accepted the sustainability and fundraising chairperson positions. In these roles, Vaughan, along with Grist, traveled weekly to Camp Brosius to visit with IU alumni participants to present the case for support of the camp. Hoping to set an example and inspire the philanthropy of others, they also personally contributed to the camp at a leadership level.

The couple also created a scholarship in honor of Charles, Vaughan's father. The elder Vaughan had graduated from IU's school of journalism and practiced in Indianapolis for most of his 40-year career. The Freedom of the Press Scholarship honors his commitment to investigative journalism.