Meet Our Board of Directors
Matt Provenzano grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. There he saw how hard work, union representation of workers, and community activism positively affects all people. Matt moved to Valparaiso, Indiana to attend college and then traveled on to Baltimore for medical school. After training in Iowa and Cincinnati he returned to Indiana where he practices. Matt’s belief that all Americans have an obligation to serve their nation motivated him to join the Air Force and he currently serves at Grissom Air Force Reserve Base.
​
Throughout his personal, professional, and military career, Matt has served in a variety of leadership positions. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Chasing Dreams and Valparaiso University’s Christ College National Council. He currently serves as chairperson of surgery and has been a member of the editorial board for professional medical journals. He is the officer in charge of the Grissom Air Force Reserve Base clinical operations and has previously served as the chief resident at the University of Iowa department of otolaryngology.
Matt currently resides in Washington Township with his wife and seven children. They are members of Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso. In his free time, Matt enjoys traveling, reading, running, and rebuilding his 1978 Jeep.
Debora “Deb” Porter is a former public school music teacher turned UniServ Director for District 1-01 of The Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA). She has been a union leader and public education activist her entire professional career and this led to her desire to serve her community in the political arena. After running for State Senate and State Representative, she served a term on the Valparaiso City Council.
Deb serves on several boards for non-profits whose purposes are advocating and serving the most vulnerable residents and those that advocate for public education and the democratic process.
She currently serves on the board of Hilltop Neighborhood House and the Indiana Federation of Democratic Women. She is also involved with Northwest Indiana Coalition for Public Education, Dune Shores I-Pace, Valparaiso PFLAG, and LGBTQ+ Outreach of Porter County.
Deb has been married to her husband, Mike for 40 years and they have two adult children, Rebekah (husband Tucker) & Aaron as well as two grandsons.
Julie Edwards is a Partner at MJE Strategies and a longtime political communicator, working in California, Washington DC, and all across the nation. For more than a decade, she served as a senior advisor to U.S. Senators and U.S. Senate campaigns.
Julie is passionate about voter education and communication and believes the most fundamental aspect of our democracy is giving all Americans a voice in our government. Now settling back in Valparaiso, Julie joined Indiana Freedom to help expand voter registration opportunities and provide a forum to help voters with the tools they need to have a meaningful say in the decisions that impact their lives.
Shana Provenzano grew up in Alexandria, Kentucky. Raised on a working farm, she learned the value of hard work and community members helping each other. These traits translated well as she worked as a firefighter and EMT.
A graduate of Ohio University, Shana became a registered nurse. She has cared for children as both an oncology nurse and in the operating room. Upon relocating to Washington Township she quickly became involved in her community. She serves on the leadership team for the Little Lamb Preschool board of directors. Shana has seven children and enjoys spending her free time exercising, refinishing furniture, spending time with friends, and sewing.
