By Katy Maggart—
MUNCIE, IN— The Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce Dr. Jeffery C. Bird has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Legacy Award. The award will be presented at the Legacy Dinner on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at the Horizon Convention Center.
The Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce Legacy Award is presented annually to an individual or individuals who have made extraordinary, sustained, and positive contributions to the Muncie-Delaware County community at large, and who has provided leadership in the development of programs, events, and/or new traditions that promote goodwill and community pride.
Dr. Bird serves as President of the Indiana University Health – East Region, which spans from New Castle to the Fort Wayne metropolitan area, with IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Indiana, being its flagship, regional medical center. As a lifelong resident of Delaware County, Indiana, and having spent his entire medical and professional career in the community, he is well-positioned to ensure the best care is available close to home through highly skilled clinicians and state-of-the-art healthcare facilities.
“I am deeply honored to serve as the Chair of the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce in the year we celebrate Dr. Jeff Bird with the Legacy Award,” said Jeff Scott, Chancellor at Ivy Tech Muncie-Henry County. “Dr. Bird and IU Ball Hospital have been exemplary partners and collaborators with Ivy Tech Muncie. We are grateful for his steadfast support and advocacy. Dr. Bird exemplifies the spirit of the Legacy Award, which honors those who have made extraordinary contributions and positive impacts on the Muncie-Delaware County community.“
Dr. Bird is a graduate of Muncie Northside High School and earned his BA in Zoology from DePauw University in 1981. He then attended Indiana University School of Medicine, graduating in 1986. Following medical school, he returned to Muncie to complete his residency training in Family Medicine at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, serving as Chief Resident from 1988 to 1989.
“Dr. Bird is the embodiment of what the Legacy Award is all about,” said Elizabeth Rowray, President/CEO of the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce. “As someone who was raised in Muncie and has spent most of his career giving back to this community, he is exactly the kind of person the Chamber wants to recognize with the Legacy Award.”
Dr. Bird currently resides just east of Muncie with his wife, Susan. They have four grown children and three grandchildren. He serves on the Ball Brothers Foundation Board of Directors and the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. A fitness enthusiast, he is an ardent supporter of the YMCA of Muncie. Dr. Bird actively champions health disparity work and improved outcomes in his community through partnerships with churches and neighborhoods, assisting the medically underserved.
The Legacy Dinner will be hosted on Thursday, September 18, at the Horizon Convention Center in Downtown Muncie. Presenting Sponsor, Indiana Michigan Power.
For information about sponsorship opportunities or to make a reservation for the event, visit munciechamber.org/events.
About the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce
Since 1894, the Chamber has been integral to Greater Muncie because of our strategic business-building plans and services. We strive to be a source of innovative business development for our community by engaging large, medium, and small businesses in countless industries. The Chamber builds an extensive Muncie business network through member connections and expansion. Building business. Building community.
