Our Goals & Priorities

Meet Our Central Committee

ROSS THOMAS

Chair

Ross lives in Columbus with his wife, Amy and their three children.  He is a 1988 graduate of Jennings County High School.  He earned his bachelors degree in Political Economy from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1992 and his law degree from the Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis in 1994. Ross has been a practicing attorney in Indiana since 1995 and owns and operates his own law firm based in Indianapolis.
Ross is a member of the board for Columbus Youth Baseball and is a long time baseball coach  for the Columbus Parks & Rec. Youth Baseball Program.  He is a member of the Legal Redress Committee of the Columbus Chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Indiana State Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Legal Committee of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Email: [email protected]

MICHELLE CARR

Vice Chair

Michelle Carr is a lifelong resident of Bartholomew county. She began volunteering with the local Democratic Party in early 2017. A few months later, she became our Social Media Director. Due to her efforts, our Social Media engagement and following has more than doubled and been used several times as an example by the state party. In 2018, Michelle was appointed to Precinct Chair of her area. Michelle was elected as our Vice Chair in April of 2022.
​
Michelle was accepted into Hoosier Women Forward in 2022 to join their Class 5. She volunteers wherever she can help within the community and state in varying leadership roles. She currently serves as a delegate to the Hoosier Chapter Sierra Club Executive Committee, Winding Waters Group Executive Committee as their Communication Chair, on the board of Energy Matters Community Coalition, and is a Climate Reality Leader.

DENNIS BAUTE

Treasurer

​Dennis Baute is the current treasurer of BCDP. He holds an ancient BS degree from Ball State University with a major in business administration and a minor in political science. Though born and raised in Bartholomew County, he lived in the greater St. Louis Missouri area for 26 years before returning to Columbus in 2007. He is on various boards and commissions around Columbus and is especially interested in environmental and energy conservation issues and politics. He enjoys cycling, camping, friends, and life in general.

SHARON KRIEG

Secretary

​Sharon Krieg has lived in Bartholomew County since 1966. She first became involved in the Democratic Party by participating in Youth for Hamilton. She has been a precinct committee person for many years. She has worked at various polling
locations throughout the years. The last few years she has worked at the Courthouse as the Democratic member of the absentee ballot board.
In 2016 Sharon was a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention for Sen. Bernie Sanders. She is a past president of the Bartholomew County Democratic Women. You are likely to find Sharon at the local farmers market selling nuts as a fundraiser for the women to support local
candidates.
When not taking part in political activities, Sharon likes to spend her time with her kids and grandkids, knitting, and watching IU women’s and men’s basketball.