INDIANAPOLIS–Ivy Tech Community College has established a search committee for the leadership position of its Richmond region. James Steck, the current Chancellor of the Richmond Region, will be retiring after 27 years with the college.

The committee plans to make its final selection by May.  David Stidham, retired banker and former Ivy Tech Regional Trustee, will serve as the committee chair. Additional committee members include Kevin Ahaus, President of Ahaus Tool & Engineering Inc.; Toure Conley, Assistant Director of Disability Services at Ivy Tech-Richmond; Angie Dickman, Vice President of Reid Hospital; Jon Ford, Retiree of Purina Mills; Bill Graesser, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Ivy Tech-Richmond; Kevin L. Handley, Sr., Chief Academic Officer at Galileo Charter School; Sandi Mathews, Store Director at Meijer, Inc.; Nasser Paydar, Chancellor of Indiana University East; Sabrina Pennington, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Executive Director of Human Resources at Ivy Tech-Richmond; Jeff Terp, Senior Vice President for Engagement and Institutional Efficiency for Ivy Tech; and Dr. Ann Valentine, Chancellor of Ivy Tech’s Wabash Valley Region.

The Richmond region – one of 14 regions in the Ivy Tech system – includes full-service campuses in Richmond and Connersville, as well as other training and instruction sites. Enrollment in the region exceeds 6,000, and the region employs more than 225 faculty and 120 full and part-time staff.

In the Richmond region, Ivy Tech works with world-class corporations in fields like logistics, advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and technology. The region is also unique in its proximity to several world-class colleges and universities, such as Indiana University East, Purdue University College of Technology Richmond, and Earlham College along with significant K-12 partners. As a result, the region’s Chancellor is a key contributor to efforts vitally important to shaping the economic future of the region. As the leader of one of Ivy Tech’s most significant regions, the Chancellor works closely with Ivy Tech President Thomas J. Snyder as the College helps shape the economic future of the state as whole.

During the past decade, credit-hour enrollment has increased 243 percent and the region is poised for continued growth and progress. The region offers state-of-the-art facilities including the Richmond campus which has recently completed a multi-million dollar capital campaign which supported the development of two new campus buildings.

Interested candidates can learn more about the position and application requirements at www.ivytech.edu/chancellor.  The target date for application is March 7, 2012.

Steck has been with Ivy Tech Community College since 1985.  In addition to serving as Chancellor of the Richmond region, he has held the positions of Executive Dean, Dean of Instructional Affairs, and Division Chair of Technology.

Prior to joining Ivy Tech in 1985, Steck worked for TRW Inc., Aerospace and Defense Systems

Division, in Dayton, Ohio, where he held the position of project manager and was responsible  for the engineering and development of an electromagnetic simulation system utilized by the United States Air Force to test integrated communication, navigation, and identification avionics systems for a variety of military platforms.

Before joining TRW, Steck worked for The Dayton Power & Light Company in Dayton, Ohio, where over a seven year period he managed the Production Fuels division, the IT/Data Processing Center, the Process Computer Systems department, and the Management Information Systems department.

Steck holds an MS in Computer and Information Science and a BS in Computer Engineering, both from The Ohio State University. He taught undergraduate and graduate courses for the College of Engineering, the Mathematics department, and the Computer Science department at OSU.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system serving nearly 200,000 students annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.