Myron Hardiman

One of the first African American professional engineers in the state of Indiana, Myron Hardiman received a BS in civil engineering from Purdue in 1969 and became a registered professional engineer in 1974. In 1976, he obtained his MBA from Indiana University.

After graduation from Purdue, Hardiman joined Eli Lilly and Company, where he held several engineering related positions over the next two decades, including corporate design and construction engineering, distribution and facilities planning, engineering components quality, minority business development, and manufacturing procurement.

From 1998 to 2001, he served as an executive on loan to Advancing Minorities' Interests in Engineering (AMIE), a non-profit organization whose purpose is to expand corporate, government, and academic alliances in order to advance underrepresented minority students in engineering careers. He retired from Eli Lilly in 2001 and has served as full-time executive director of AMIE since then.

The first chairman of Lilly's Minority Engineering Recruiting Task Force to improve recruitment of minority engineers, Hardiman was active in minority engineer recruitment for many years. He established Lilly's recruiting programs at Tuskegee University, Prairie View A&M University, and North Carolina A&T University. He led Lilly's involvement in the National Society of Black Engineers, National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Black Engineer of the Year Conference, and the National GEM Consortium. Currently, Hardiman serves on the Dean of Engineering's Advisory Boards at Tuskegee and Hampton Universities.

A life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Hardiman has held several offices in the local Indianapolis Alumni Chapter. He is a past province polemarch of the five states North Central Province and a past member of the National Board of Directors. In 2003, he was awarded the fraternity's second highest honor, the Elder Watson Diggs Award. Currently, he is co-chairman of the fraternity's Centennial Celebration Planning Committee.

Hardiman's community activities include the United Way Minority Key Club of Indianapolis, NAACP, and Project Impact, where he serves on the board of directors.

Hardiman has been married for more than 40 years to his wife, Gwendolyn, and is the father of two lovely daughters, Rachelle and Kellee. He is a member of Light of the World Christian Church in Indianapolis, where he serves as treasurer, trustee, member of the stewardship committee, and chairman of the building committee.