PS&E CEO Mel Raines selected as 2026 Indiana University commencement speaker
The Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO and IU graduate will address undergraduates May 9 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines has been selected as the commencement speaker for the undergraduate ceremony at Indiana University Bloomington.
The ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Memorial Stadium — home of the 2025 NCAA football national champions.
Earlier in the day, the Indiana Fever open up the WNBA season with a 1 p.m. game against the Dallas Wings — which will air nationally on ABC.
Raines, a 1991 graduate with a degree in telecommunications, was promoted to CEO in July 2024 following the retirement of Rick Fuson.
Last year, she was invited to speak about her professional journey during The Hazelett Forum. She shared how she worked her way up and consistently embraced new opportunities.
“Don’t turn down a job you haven’t been offered,” Raines told the crowd. “Oftentimes, you get a call about something and immediately say, ‘I don’t want to do that,’ or ‘That’s not a place I want to live.’ And you discount it before you have a conversation. I never thought I would work in sports; I had worked in politics my whole life. But I think having a conversation can be meaningful and change your life,” Mel said.
Before becoming CEO, Raines volunteered to lead the $360 million renovation project at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“The greatest opportunities of my career have come because I wanted the experience. The Fieldhouse renovation didn’t have to fall on me, but I thought it would be really interesting,” she said. “I didn’t get a raise, and I didn’t get a promotion. It was something I thought I could learn from, and it would pay off.”
Meanwhile, Raines was also honored one week ago by Marian University, where she was inducted into the Clayton Family Circle of Honor.
Tamika Catchings served as the emcee for the celebratory dinner, which was held April 22.
On the honor:
The Clayton Family Circle of Honor was created in part to honor, but also to inspire. Joseph Clayton (1949-2018) and his wife, Janet, agreed to lend their names to these awards because they believed in the character-building qualities associated with athletics in a university community. At Marian University, the faith tradition and values are activated in many ways, including athletics. On the fields and courts of competition, student-athletes learn respect, fair play, and teamwork. These values carry over into all areas of their lives—personal relationships, careers, parenthood, and community service.
