INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Meetings, phone calls and research.
New documents are shedding light on what the governor’s special advisor on child welfare has been up to since he was appointed in April.
Gov. Mike Braun created the new position for Adam Krupp, the former director at the Indiana Department of Child Services—a position that allowed him to keep his $210,000 salary.
Neither the governor’s office nor the State Personnel Department could provide a job description for the special advisor role.
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Last month, Indiana’s I-Team submitted a request to the governor’s office for deliverables outlining what Krupp has been doing in the special advisor role.
The governor’s office provided nine reports, submitted weekly, by Krupp since April.
Krupp works fully remotely, according to the State Personnel Department.
His reports show:
- Meetings with lawmakers, DCS leadership, a consulting firm, vendors, organizations, and AI experts.
- Reviewed DCS website, conducted research on child welfare legislation and best practices, conducted state-by-state review of child welfare systems.
- Planned trip to South Bend to visit Notre Dame’s research facility.
- Researched national trends, federal changes, Indiana fiscal appropriations.
Adam Krupp has not responded to requests from Indiana’s I-Team to talk about his special advisor role.
We shared the documents with Senator Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis.
“It's not the best use of taxpayer dollars,” said Sen. Qaddoura. “Those are administrative, clerical-type of functions that could have been absorbed easily under any regular management position, or even a lower entry-level staff member within the agency. That type of work does not warrant $200,000 annual salary.”
The senator currently works as a Chief Financial Officer for a statewide nonprofit organization.
He says creating a special advisor position is just adding more bureaucracy.
“That flies against everything the governor has said, and to me, at a time when the state is reducing benefits and programs for the most vulnerable,” said Senator Qaddoura. “This does not make any sense to me. And after reviewing the job or the tasks that were performed, I am more convinced that this is not appropriate.”
He is calling on the governor’s office to act.
“By either formalizing a role for the former director with a clear job description by which the employee will be held accountable for their performance, or terminating employment and saving the taxpayers $200,000,” said Sen. Qaddoura.
A report from last month shows Krupp is also looking into the use of Artificial Intelligence in the child welfare system, including cost-saving opportunities.
Indiana’s I-Team has filed a formal records request to obtain the actual reports and findings put together by the special advisor.
We reached out to Governor Braun’s office for a statement on the reports, and we are still waiting to hear back.
In April, he explained his decision to name Krupp as special advisor.
- Kenney: Governor, you just talked about efficiency and accountability. Why give Adam Krupp a position, and how do you hold him accountable if there's no job description?
- Governor: It's easy to hold you accountable. He left because he had a personal issue.
You can read the reports below.
