As vice president of regional initiatives for the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership, Tayrn MacFarlane (MBA/MPP ’08) unites local officials, business leaders, educational institutions, and community organizations from northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan around a common goal: building the regional economy.
“Our vision is really about how we can be the coolest place in Indiana, Michigan, and the broader Midwest,” she says.
The Regional Partnership spans 47 connected communities in five counties, known for musical instrument and recreational vehicle manufacturing, higher education, aerospace technology, and more.
“You can think about our organization as a regional cheerleader,” she explains. “We’re making sure all of the local components work together to make the economic pie bigger—whether that means improving quality of place, housing supply, public amenities, offerings at educational institutions, or something else.”
A major part of MacFarlane’s job is managing a $95 million funding allocation from Indiana called the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, which invests in quality of place projects, such as the 100-year-old Morris Performing Arts Theater and a new mixed-use townhouse development.
After working in roles that involved federal and state policy, MacFarlane has found that working at the regional level provides a sweet spot for getting things done.
“We live and work in regions—this is especially true in the Midwest where people are more spread out—so it makes sense to address development at a regional level,” she says.
“And when you are working locally, there is the potential to make improvements so much more quickly. Because you know the players in a way that’s hard to do on a larger scale.”
Having a broad vision for her goals has driven MacFarlane’s career. “I’ve always wanted to understand how our economy is built and specifically how to build economic opportunities for women,” she says. “That’s why I came to Michigan for a public policy degree and a business degree. I wanted to understand the rules of the game. Understanding how business and policy connected and influenced each other really made the picture whole for me.”
We live and work in regions—this is especially true in the Midwest where people are more spread out—so it makes sense to address development at a regional level.”
Tayrn MacFarlane
In a broad range of organizations and positions, including fundraising for a regional health system and leadership roles at Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and the Girls Scouts of the USA, MacFarlane has remained focused on the same overarching goal.
“Job titles are so deceiving, and you never know what you are going to be doing in five years,” she says. “My through line about economic prosperity for women has never changed, but I feel like I’ve done that work in seven or eight different jobs. What we are building now—my kids will grow up in this region, and I’m building their future—that is very cool.”
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