Elevate Ep 58: Leading with a Scout’s Honor - John Cary, CEO of Crossroads of America Council

Jason Ulm (0:02)

Welcome to The Elevate Podcast, where every leader has a story. We bring you conversations with influential leaders who are shaping our local communities. Hear about their path to leadership and experiences that define them, and how they're driving meaningful impact today.

Hey everybody, Jason Ulm here with another episode of The Elevate Powered by Braden Podcast. And these episodes are terrific. We've been having conversations with people all over the state of Indiana, also around the Chicagoland area, both for-profit and non-profit. This one happens to be a really cool non-profit, that's a larger non-profit, but really kind of unique here in Central Indiana. And I had an opportunity not only to meet John, but also to visit one of the camps, super cool place. But John, welcome to the show.

John Cary (0:47)

Thank you, Jason. It's a pleasure to be here. I'm actually humbled that somehow I was considered to be a part of this group. Yeah. You have a wonderful lineup of past guests, by the way.

Jason Ulm (0:56)

Appreciate that for sure. Before we go back and talk a little bit about your story, let's let everybody know what your role is today and which council you're in charge of.

John Cary (1:07)

Sure. I'm the CEO of Crossroads of America Council, Scout Council, and that's part of Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts. We changed that back in February.

We cover 26 counties in Central Indiana, literally from one line to the other line of the state. I'm on the road a lot. We serve just over by 10,000 Scouts and another 4,000 or 5,000 registered adult leaders. These are the people who actually give their time weekday, week out, weekends, and everything. I mean, Scouting happens. Very blessed to be here in Central Indiana. Before that, of course, I was up in South Bend for eight years. Don't you see anything?

Jason Ulm (1:49)

Sure. Well, we'll get there.

We know that's where you are today, but you didn't start there.

John Cary (1:53)

No.

Jason Ulm (1:53)

So what's your genesis? Where are you from originally?

John Cary (1:55)

So I am proud to say I'm from Louisville, Kentucky.

Jason Ulm (1:59)

Okay.

John Cary (1:59)

I'm a Kentucky boy and born and raised there. I grew up in a town called St. Matthews and went from, of course, went to high school and went on to college and went to the University of Louisville.

Jason Ulm (2:16)

So just wanted to stay hometown. How were you planning to study, Doc?

John Cary (2:19)

Well, you know, I looked at a lot of colleges. I was fortunate to maybe have some opportunities. But at the end of the day, it came down to college basketball. And my love for the Cardinals, I hate to say it, the best part, what drove me more than anything is that I wanted to be at the home of the Louisville Cardinals.

Jason Ulm (2:37)

No kidding.

John Cary (2:38)

Yeah, I know, right? People look at degrees. They look at what I want to be in my future. I wasn't even thinking about that. You know, being the first person in my family to go to college, little graduates. I was thinking more, what would be fun?

So, University of Louisville, I was a Cardinal fan, so that's what we chose.

Jason Ulm (2:57)

All right. So what were you studying there?

John Cary (2:59)

So I did a double major. That's actually funny itself because that was purely accidental. I was actually studying, going to political science, and at the time, I'm not having good advising. I was doubling up to a communications degree. It didn't even realize that I was taking core classes in communications, thinking they were electives. And so, no, so I'm doubling up in this major or in these two degrees.

And I think it was my junior year, the final year, someone said, well, you know, you need a few more degree classes. You have both degrees. I said, both degrees and what?

And I got poli sci. What's the other one? Communications. So I ended up getting two degrees. And it's just, we're just doing it, right? And it made an addition to GPA on top of it. But finished the double major. And then another just how life works.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I feel I graduated. And so someone said, well, why don't you run for student body president? Well, that means I've got to go back to school. So I applied for a master's in public administration, and of course got in. And then I ran for student body president, and I won't need to know. So now here I am doing the master's, and then doing the SGA, Student Government Association. And yeah, so then getting a master's that way.