Keynote: Lydia Winkler, Lessons from Burning Alive

Lydia Winkler is an award-winning entrepreneur and community leader recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the Top 100 Female Founders and by Business Insider as a Rising Star in Real Estate. She has founded and grown multiple companies and nonprofits, with projects spanning sustainability, housing affordability, and parole advocacy. Beyond her own ventures, Lydia is deeply committed to supporting the next generation of innovators. She serves as a mentor with The Idea Village, a leading Gulf Coast innovation hub, where she works with emerging entrepreneurs to turn bold ideas into thriving enterprises. Lydia brings to every stage a wealth of experience in business leadership, social impact, and mentorship.

This event is co-sponsored by the Sanger Leadership Initiative at DePauw, and is presented in conjunction with the Prindle Institute’s Business and Ethical Leadership Conference for high school students on September 8.