By Jud Fisher, President/CEO, Ball Brothers Foundation—
MUNCIE, IN — Ball Brothers Foundation has presented its 2026 John W. and Janice B. Fisher Governance Award to Cindy Sollars, board treasurer of Red-tail Land Conservancy. Sollars was recognized with the award at the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner on November 4.
The Fisher Governance Award honors a nonprofit board member in Delaware County whose strategic leadership, planning, and oversight have strengthened their organization’s mission, financial health, and general effectiveness.
Sollars joined the Red-tail board in 2021, bringing more than 30 years of experience as a CPA to her role as treasurer and chair of the finance committee. Since then, Red-tail has grown from 13 to 18 nature preserves, an expansion made possible in large part by the financial foundation she has helped build.
“Conservation organizations tend to attract people who are passionate about nature and not necessarily about finance and accounting,” Nick Werner, Executive Director of Red-tail Land Conservancy, wrote in Sollars’ nomination. “That’s what makes Cindy so valuable to the Red-tail board and staff. She has committed her deep understanding of accounting and budgeting to ensure that Red-tail is financially sound for years to come.”
For Sollars, an avid gardener, bird watcher, and river and lake fisherman who enjoys visiting state parks, joining the Red-tail board felt like a natural extension of what she already loved.
“When I joined the board, I thought stewardship only had to do with finances,” Sollars said. “I quickly learned that stewardship in a land trust doesn’t just mean taking care of finances. More importantly, stewardship means taking care of the land.”
For a land trust, that care is ongoing: restoring native habitats, removing invasive species, and maintaining trails the community can enjoy. Sollars’ financial work helps make it possible. When a standout seasonal worker considered leaving for a year-round job, her research and number-crunching skills showed Red-tail could afford to keep him on staff permanently, adding capacity for the work on the ground.
Her most lasting contributions have strengthened Red-tail’s long-term planning. Collaborating with former executive director Julie Borgmann and a consultant, Sollars developed Red-tail’s first multi-year budget and helped shape the organization’s five-year strategic plan, which took effect in 2026. She improved how Red-tail manages grants and restricted funds that span fiscal years, guided the investment of its growing endowed funds, and led the organization’s move to online accounting software, streamlining operations while reducing the cost of preparing its annual tax filing. She also created a financial “cheat-sheet” to help fellow board members understand complex financial reports, strengthening governance across the entire board.
When Borgmann retired in 2026, Sollars served on the hiring committee that selected Werner as Red-tail’s next executive director. She then met with him nearly every week during his first two months, volunteering close to 20 hours in some weeks to walk him through everything from the budget and banking to key partnerships and his first board meeting.
“The result was a transition that was as seamless as possible,” Werner said. “And she did it all with kindness, compassion, and a smile, which is the Cindy Sollars way.”
Sollars sees that kind of shared responsibility as essential to good governance. She encourages every board to adopt dual control, which requires two people to approve and complete financial transactions. For small organizations, she said, it’s even more important to have a second person involved, “not only for security and governance, but also to understand and help with financial operations.”
As part of her recognition, Ball Brothers Foundation awarded $10,000 to Red-tail Land Conservancy to support ongoing operations or further board development.
“Every nonprofit depends on sound finances to do its work, and that responsibility rests with its board,” said Jud Fisher, President and CEO of Ball Brothers Foundation. “Cindy’s careful planning and her gift for helping others understand the numbers have positioned Red-tail to protect more land in our community. She’s a great example of how one board member’s expertise can strengthen an entire organization.”
Previous recipients of the John W. and Janice B. Fisher Governance Award include:
• Tony Pierce, Delaware County Futbol Club (2025)
• John West, Muncie Land Bank (2024)
• Ryan Hunter, Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie (2023)
• Marta Moody, Cardinal Greenways (2022)
• Heather Williams, ecoREHAB (2021)
• Ron Fauquher, Innovation Connector (2020)
• James Rosema, Muncie Mission Ministries (2019)
• Leigh Edwards, Muncie Civic Theatre (2018)
• John Craddock, Community Enhancement Projects (2017)
• Ron Orebaugh, Delaware County Soil & Water Conservation District (2016)
• Juli Metzger, Project Leadership and Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie (2015)
• Pat Botts, Greater Muncie, IN Habitat for Humanity (2014)
• Nancy Turner, Muncie Public Library (2013)
• Jeff Parsons, Youth Opportunity Center (2012)
• Teresa Willman, Cardinal Greenways (2011)
About Ball Brothers Foundation
Ball Brothers Foundation is one of Indiana’s oldest and largest family foundations. Annually, the foundation pays out more than $8 million in grants to support arts and culture, community vitality, education, environment, health and public safety, and human services. The Muncie-based private foundation gives priority to projects and programs that improve the quality of life in the foundation’s home city, county, and state. In 2026, Ball Brothers Foundation is celebrating its 100th anniversary, marking a century of grantmaking and philanthropic leadership.
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