Originally on path to be preacher, Damar CEO leads efforts to aid thousands per day

Jim Dalton grew up in Indianapolis in a devout, church-going family. He entered college thinking he would become a preacher, but another career path made itself clear – one in which he’d be able to serve and guide children to healthier and happier lives. He didn’t know at the time that he eventually would be able to have an impact on thousands of people every day.

Today he is just the third president and CEO of Indianapolis-based Damar Services, a 59-year-old nonprofit that provides essential support for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He joined Damar as chief operating officer in 2002 and became CEO in 2013. Over that 24 years, the organization’s annual budget has grown from about $4 million to more than $140 million, and its employee count has grown from 67 to about 1,400, directly serving about 1,800 clients per day. It recently expanded from central Indiana to East Chicago and just launched operations in Richmond. Dalton is our guest this week to talk about his evolution from child psychologist to chief executive of one of central Indiana’s largest nonprofits. He also explains the aggressive strategy behind Damar’s expansion, which in a sense boils down this: “If there are still people who need our services, we should expand to meet them.” Here’s our conversation.