Stephen J. Dutton, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, is the 2019 Bridge Builder Award recipient.
TechPoint Foundation for Youth is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has selected Stephen J. Dutton, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, as the 2019 Bridge Builder Award recipient.
The award will be presented to Mr. Dutton during the TechPoint Mira Awards gala at the JW Marriott on April 13th. The Mira Awards gala, recognizing individual and organizational success in the Indiana technology industry, will be celebrating its 20th anniversary to a sold-out crowd.
The Bridge Builder Award is given annually to an individual, program, or organization that has transformed science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for Indiana students who are typically underrepresented in those same industries.
Stephen J. Dutton was selected in recognition of his nearly two decades working to help form and shape the organizations that became TechPoint, Inc. and TechPoint Foundation for Youth, serving a combined 27 years as a member of the Board of Directors for these organizations. As a founding board member of TechPoint Foundation for Youth, Steve’s role in setting the groundwork for the governance and structure of the organization has been a crucial component in allowing the Foundation to invest millions of philanthropic dollars into our state and impact hundreds of thousands of students since 2001.
“TechPoint Foundation was envisioned as a way for the tech community to give back,” said Mr. Dutton. “The focus was always on finding a way to supplement the philanthropy made possible with the influx brought about by the new economy being buoyed by Indiana’s local manufacturing and financial sectors.”
Steve played a crucial role in positioning both organizations to successfully impact thousands of students, professionals, and companies throughout Indiana and the impact he made continues to influence their direction.
“TechPoint and its predecessors have moved Central Indiana from a technology backwater to a national player,” said Mr. Dutton, “and Techpoint Foundation for Youth has done so much with so little. Its focus on STEM education has moved the needle in Indiana.”
Steve began his career advising on securities, tax, and M&A matters before moving to advise on technology transactions during what was the very infancy of the tech industry. Steve has spent over four decades in practice, becoming an often under-the-radar fixture within the technology ecosystem. Steve’s amazing abilities have been recognized throughout his career, including The Best Lawyers in America, 2003-2019; Lawyer of the Year, 2015 and 2017; Indiana Super Lawyers, 2004-2017. Steve graduated magna cum laude from both Illinois Institute of Technology and Indiana University School of Law.
“I will be forever grateful for the role Steve has played in our success as an organization,” said Laura Dodds, Executive Director of TechPoint Foundation for Youth. “Ironically, considering his unbelievable humility, I have affectionately referred to Steve as the Grand Poobah of the Foundation as there is no question he doesn't have the answer to from his time with the board. There is truly no one like him.”