Mark Schlater

Chief Executive Officer

As Chief Executive Officer, he is responsible for the overall administration and operation of the agency on a daily basis. Mark holds a B.S. in Social Services from Urbana University and has over 30 years of experience in services for children and programs for people with developmental disabilities. His background includes operation of ICFs, waiver services, and day habilitation services; generation of agency policy and procedures; and production of operational budgets. Mark has a known track record for success in agency growth and development.

Joseph Harmon

Chief Operations Officer

As Chief Operations Officer, Joe oversees the Fiscal, HR, Marketing, Quality Assurance, and operational initiatives of Toward Independence. He brings expertise to the fields of strategic processes, finance, technology, creating efficiencies, and people management. Joe graduated with a BA from IBC in Indianapolis. Joe is passionate about making a meaningful impact on the lives of both the employees and the individuals we assist. When he isn’t glued to spreadsheets or working with our teams, he spends his time kayaking, camping, woodworking, reading, and playing Legos and dinosaurs with his kids.

Joseph Harmon

Chief Operations Officer

As the COO, he oversees the Finance and Human Resources Departments. He also manages special projects for the agency. Before joining TI, Joseph managed several retail locations for Chase Bank. In addition to his strong finance background, Joseph holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Indiana Bible College.