Cynthia Owen Bergland, wife of Indiana University Northwest Chancellor Bruce Bergland, was instrumental in founding the Indiana Women's Institute for Learning and Leadership (IWILL). The organization is a collaborative of women from the IUN campus and the greater northwest Indiana region with a focus to create life-long learning opportunities for women and nurture women in leadership roles. While some organizations for women are geared only toward business and the workplace, Owen-Bergland wanted to include all aspects in life, including personal and emotional growth.

From her own experience, Owen-Bergland knows the importance of continued personal growth and learning. During her first career as a physical therapist, she found the gardening she enjoyed expanding into work in small residential design. She returned to school, received her Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Colorado and now has more than ten years of experience as a practicing landscape architect. Her design experience includes six years in the public sector as a project manager for several large-scale public works projects. She specializes in unique, environmentally conscious designs utilizing native plant materials and possesses eight years of experience as a practicing landscape architect.

In 2010, Owen-Bergland was recognized with her husband as an honored recipient of the President’s Medal of Excellence.