INDIANAPOLIS– The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce will be stopping at Ivy Tech Community College on Monday, June 3 as part of their “Leadership Study Mission” which looks to examine leadership in education and to create or improve methods within that area. This will be one stop of many for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce as they travel across the nation, making stops at many government and educational institutions.

The Chamber is part of a collaborative group working to better align workforce preparation and degrees to the needs of Middle Tennessee employers. The group includes the region’s Workforce Investment Boards, the Tennessee Board of Regents, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, the Tennessee Business Roundtable, as well as leaders from higher education and technology centers. The group seeks to understand how Workforce Boards can support a responsive shared business engagement strategy to help meet workforce needs in the Middle Tennessee region

Ivy Tech Community College President Thomas J. Snyder will speak with the Chamber about insights into the changing role of the community college in communities and postsecondary attainment, best practice programs that prepare community college students for the workforce and community leadership, partnerships with business and other community constituents, and thoughts about the future of community colleges as key postsecondary attainment institutions.

Other notable figures speaking to the Chamber during their visit include: Teresa Lubbers, Commissioner of Higher Education for the State of Indiana; Jason Kloth, Deputy Mayor of Education for the Office of Mayor Greg Ballard; Dewayne Matthews, Vice President of Policy and Strategy for the Lumina Foundation; Allison Barber, Chancellor for WGU Indiana; Charles R. Bantz, Chancellor for IUPUI; and Kent Adams, Vice President of Caterpillar Inc. and President of Caterpillar.

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.