Our Founders

Janet Prindle Seidler, a 1958 graduate of DePauw University, was a pioneer in finance and a steadfast advocate for ethics in business and beyond. The first woman to become a partner at Neuberger Berman, she built a career proving that integrity and success are not at odds, they’re inseparable. Her remarkable generosity made the Institute’s creation possible in 2007, transforming a vision of ethical reflection and dialogue into a national center for ethics education. Janet believed that thinking carefully about our choices can shape a better world, and thanks to her leadership and enduring support, the Institute continues that work every day, helping students, educators, and communities explore what it means to live well and do good. Her legacy endures in the questions we ask, the conversations we foster, and the lives her vision continues to inspire.

Robert “Bob” Bottoms, president emeritus of DePauw University, imagined an institute that would make ethics a living part of campus life. When DePauw acquired the Nature Park in 2003, his vision began to take shape, a place where students, faculty, and community members could come together to ask big questions and learn from one another. Bob believed that ethics begins in inquiry and grows through conversation, and under his leadership the Institute became just that: a home for reflection, dialogue, and the exchange of diverse perspectives on the issues that shape our lives. Today, his vision continues to inspire the Institute’s work, transforming a quiet limestone quarry into a vibrant space for thinking deeply about how we ought to live.

Martha Rainbolt helped shape the Institute from its very beginning. Through her leadership and imagination, the Faculty Advisory Committee became a lasting part of its work, and new opportunities for reflection and dialogue took root across campus. Under Martha’s guidance, reading programs for students and faculty flourished, visiting scholars and speakers brought new voices to DePauw, and the Undergraduate Ethics Symposium, launched in 2008, became a signature event. She also led faculty workshops that encouraged colleagues to weave ethics into their teaching and research, expanding the reach of ethical inquiry throughout the university. Her insight and dedication were instrumental in building the Institute into the vibrant home for ethics education it is today.

Linda Clute joined the Institute in 2008 as its very first employee, helping to bring it from vision to reality. As Assistant Director and later Operations Manager, she guided nearly every facet of its early development, overseeing operations, events, and communications with care and precision. Linda also led the first Hillman Internship program, shaping an experience that continues to inspire DePauw students today. Before her time at the Institute, she served DePauw in roles across Public Affairs, the Office of the President, University Development, and Alumni Relations, coordinating visits from 28 distinguished Ubben Lecturers along the way. After more than two decades of service to DePauw, Linda retired in 2020, but returned in 2022 to help guide another leadership transition, before concluding her tenure in 2024 with a legacy of steadfast commitment and community-building that continues to shape the Institute’s work.