Joerg Schreiber
The Center’s Board Member for 26 Years
A German expatriate and business leader who made Indianapolis his home.
In 1994, Joerg Schreiber eagerly moved to Indianapolis to become the Head of Process Development at Boehringer Mannheim. This was not his first time living in the United States, but it was the first time he truly called our country “home.”
As a German native, Schreiber previously traveled to the U.S. for his education, spending three months working on his doctorate and another two and a half years on his post-doctoral degree. He returned to Germany afterwards, until the job offer brought him back to the States.
When Joerg Schreiber and his family relocated to Indianapolis, he found a love for the American tradition of community involvement. This passion for public activism led Schreiber to join the Lawrence Township School Foundation, the Ensemble Music Society, and the board of The International Center. Through community service, Schreiber and his family found joy, friendship and purpose in their life and started putting down roots in the Circle City.
“We wouldn’t have stayed if we didn’t like Indianapolis,” said Schreiber. “Practically every year we could have made a different choice to go somewhere else or back to Germany, but we always decided to stay.”
Time and time again, Schreiber was offered opportunities to move outside the Midwest, but his family chose to stay in the Hoosier state. After serving as the Head of Process Development, he became the company’s Head of Core Services of Operations. Boehringer Mannheim was eventually acquired by Roche in 1997, but Schreiber was still promoted to bigger and bigger leadership roles. Then, in 2005, he started his own consulting company, which he ran for 16 years before he retired.
Over the years, Schreiber led a successful career in the life sciences and medical innovation. His greatest accomplishments included: building a cutting-edge telemedicine practice, supporting a state-of-the-art blood glucose monitoring system, and becoming an entrepreneur late in his life. But Schreiber credits much of his success to the community that supports and inspires him.
“My understanding of leadership is that I am not alone. My pathway was facilitated by people around me,” said Schreiber. “I worked hard, but there are always circumstances and people who can either help or hinder you. That made me decide to give back.”
Joerg Schreiber has carried on this mindset of giving and generosity throughout his retirement. After serving on the board of The International Center for 26 years, he remains involved as an emeritus member. Schreiber is also an active Board member of the Ensemble Music Society and a local STEM non-profit (DNOVA) as well as an ex-Board member and active musician with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of an advisory committee for IUPUI and the leader of his local Homeowners Association. And in their free time, Schreiber and his wife teach college students and mentor them in their transition to the professional world.
