Get to know Grace

Columbus City Boards and Commissions:

  • City Council President Pro Tem

  • Redevelopment Commission

  • Commons Board

  • Mayor’s Public Art Committee

  • Incentive Review Committee

Grace with her family celebrating her mother’s The Republic’s Woman of the Year award in 2018.
 
 

About Grace:

Grace Kestler began her 1st term as Columbus City Councilor at-large in January 2020. She will be sworn in for her 2nd term in January 2023.

Grace is a Columbus native and small business owner. She brings her personal experiences to every aspect of her work and has a passion for volunteerism, inclusive urban planning, and community advocacy. Grace is committed to creating opportunity for all.

After attending St. Peters Lutheran School through 8th grade, Grace moved on to Columbus North High School, and then Depauw University, where she earned a degree in communications and anthropology.

Grace returned to Columbus to take a role with Cummins, Inc. where she was part of the team that developed the company’s first strategies aimed at hiring a diverse workforce, with specific focus on women, veterans and individuals with disabilities. While at Cummins, she also served as a corporate responsibility specialist focusing her work on community engagement and employee volunteerism.

In 2017 she finished her master’s degree in culture and conflict studies in Berlin, Germany, and returned once again to Columbus to establish Grace Kestler Consulting, where she works with small businesses and community groups to help them be inclusive and accessible. Grace also works as the Executive Director of The Arc of Bartholomew County.

Grace’s family has been a part of our community for generations. Her parents, John and Elizabeth Kestler, instilled in their children, Grace, Hannah and Noah, a sense of responsibility to serve others and be a force for positive change.

Grace loves living downtown with her Husband, Matthew Neville, and Step-son, Emmett.

Other Affiliations:

  • Columbus Rotary Member

  • Hoosier Women Forward Class Member 21/22

  • Kappa Alpha Theta’s National 35 under 35 for 2021

  • United Way Board Governance Committee

  • Exhibit Columbus Design Review Team

  • Thrive Alliance Board Member

  • BCSC Transition Council for Students

  • BCSC CCIC