Fred Payne

Fred Payne is a seasoned executive, attorney, and public servant whose career spans the private sector, state government, and nonprofit leadership. He is the President and CEO of United Way of Central Indiana, where he leads a mission to help distance people from poverty so they can live the lives they are capable of living.

Payne’s leadership has been tested and refined across a range of high-stakes environments. As Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, he directed the state’s response to historic unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing the delivery of $10.2 billion in benefits to more than 900,000 Hoosiers. He also launched the state’s Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship and enhanced the Next Level Jobs program, which enrolled more than 26,000 people in job training and credentialing programs.

Earlier in his career, Payne was a member of the early leadership team when the first vehicle was produced at Honda’s Indiana Auto Plant, where he served in leadership roles such as Chief Administrator, General Counsel, and head of the Business Division. He helped to establish Honda’s Indiana Office of Compliance and Ethics and the Office of Equity and Inclusion, and began the company’s corporate governance and risk management processes. He began his legal career working in litigation and in employment and labor law in Indianapolis.

Since joining United Way of Central Indiana in 2022, Payne has led the organization to publish a first-of-its-kind economic impact report showing $1.52 billion in GDP ripple effect impact for Central Indiana from United Way investments, relieve $239 million in medical debt for 112,000 Hoosiers, and launch a five-year strategic plan to combat poverty.

The insights in The Thermostat Effect are drawn from Payne’s decades of firsthand experience leading organizations through change, building high-performing teams, and navigating the complexities of new leadership roles. His work has been recognized with the Sagamore of the Wabash—the highest honor bestowed by an Indiana governor—and he has been named one of Indiana’s 250 Most Influential Leaders by the Indianapolis Business Journal. He has also received recognition as an Outstanding Community Leader Award from La Plaza, the Champions of Diversity Impact Award from the Indianapolis Recorder, and the 2024 Citizen of the Year Award from the Zeta Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.

Payne earned a J.D. from the Maurer School of Law, a Master of Arts from the University of Northern Iowa, and a Bachelor of Arts from Grambling State University.