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Brian Bosma has practiced law for 28 years. But he is best known throughout the state as Indiana’s Speaker of the House of Representatives. In both his private practice and political capacity, peers describe him as strong in his beliefs, but confident enough to consider other points of view. His “keep calm and carry on” mantra has earned him a reputation as a consistent and judicious leader. Brian’s professional accomplishments, balanced with his community commitment, have made him a role model for many young lawyers.
The best advice I ever had
was from my dad, who was a WWII combat veteran, small businessman and served in the Indiana Senate for 21 years. When tough decisions came up that generally had one or both sides upset, my dad used to say “Just concentrate on doing what’s right, and let the politics shake out for itself.” My dad’s been gone for nearly 30 years, but I quote that advice at least twice a week as I am counseling legislators concerned that their actions will have adverse political consequences. It’s advice I truly try to live by.
I wish I had known when I graduated law school
that management and marketing responsibilities would be such a large part of a professional practice.
If I weren’t a lawyer, I’d be
a civil engineer. Actually, that was my undergraduate degree from Purdue, and it has assisted me greatly in my law practice which focuses on construction, environmental and municipal finance matters. There are some mornings I wake up and just feel like I have to build something.
My best stress reliever is
outdoor activities – take your pick. Depending on the season, we love to camp, backpack, horseback ride, kayak, shoot sporting clays or even sit around the fire pit in the backyard and look at the stars. I even consider yard work therapeutic, probably going back to the days when we did a lot of outdoor work in our family dairy business with my grandfather, my dad and lots of cousins. We worked hard and long and were taught to enjoy it.
The three words that best describe me are
thorough, determined, surprisingly funny (okay, that’s four words, but hey – I am a lawyer in politics).
In 2012, I’d like to
return to the remote village in Haiti that our family has been dedicated to assisting over the last three years. I hope to block the time out to join my son, who will be there for another summer, leading volunteers and assisting folks in the remote village of Chambrun, 10 kilometers outside of Port Au Prince. In a moment of weakness I agreed to lead a project to build a water tower to provide consistent clean water for our planned hospital, and that is at the top of my to do list.
In the movie about my life,
John Travolta would play me. Well, that’s my opinion anyway. My wife says Kelsey Grammer, as in Frasier. Apparently she believes I have some control issues. I’m listening…
In my community, I’m passionate about
services for the blind and visually impaired. As the founding director of Bosma Industries for the Blind (now Bosma Enterprises) and the Chairman of the Bosma Visionary Opportunities Foundation, and more importantly, the father of a son with lifetime vision challenges, Cheryl and I do all that we can to provide opportunities for those with vision challenges.
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