Madison, Ind. – Ivy Tech Community College has selected Kathleen Mote as Interim Chancellor of its Columbus/Southeast Region. Mote fills the leadership vacancy created when former Chancellor Chris Lowery was named in September as the College’s Senior Vice President of Workforce Alignment.

The Columbus/Southeast Region has campuses in Batesville, Columbus, Lawrenceburg and Madison and has an enrollment of nearly 5,000 students.

“It is truly a blessing to work side by side with so many dedicated colleagues who help change the lives of our students and their families,” Mote said. “I am humbled to have been selected to help lead these talented professionals in our region.”

Mote began her career with Ivy Tech as an Adjunct Professor of general education in 2009. In 2011, she became Assistant Professor and Chair of the regional Criminal Justice program. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2014 and in November of that year was named President of the Madison Campus. Prior to Ivy Tech, Mote practiced criminal law as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Marion, Jackson, and Jefferson counties. Mote was honored in 2014 as Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year by the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She has been a member of the Indiana Bar since 2005.

Initiatives at the Madison Campus have resulted in Madison area high school students earning hundreds of college credits that can be used toward an Ivy Tech degree or guaranteed to transfer to any public university in Indiana. The robust partnerships formed with area school corporation superintendents and school boards have saved area families thousands in college expenses and are increasing educational attainment in southeastern Indiana.

Under Mote’s leadership, enrollment at the Madison Campus has increased.  The Madison Campus has led the state through development of the Transfer General Education Core (TGEC) dual enrollment program where high school students taking college classes at Ivy Tech Madison complete the first year of college upon high school graduation. Enrollment of high school students in this program has increased from 22 in 2014 to 208 this fall. During her tenure as Campus President, she was among those in the Madison community spearheading manufacturing initiatives that have created career pathways for high school students.

Partnering this fall with Koehler Welding, Inc., Super ATV, and VSG/Rotary Lift, the Madison Campus launched a dual enrollment welding program for high school students. Students in the two-year program will earn a Technical Certificate in Industrial Technology, Welding Concentration, and three American Welding Society certifications. The dual enrollment welding pathway enables high school students to land high-wage, high demand jobs soon after receiving their diplomas. Like the TGEC dual enrollment program, these students complete one year of college while enrolled in high school. Through initiatives like these, the rate of completion at the Madison campus increased from spring 2015 to spring 2016 by 78%.

Mote has also led Madison Campus efforts in a Skill Up grant with River Valley Resources, the Clearinghouse of Jefferson County and the Madison Correctional Facility (MCU) to provide offerings to eligible women at MCU, including a pre-release Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (MSSC) and Certified Production Technician course that is the first in the nation for incarcerated women.

Mote has also helped launch summer academies in advanced manufacturing and healthcare for rising ninth grade students, introducing them to careers in those fields and the available opportunities within Jefferson County high schools to earn college credits, credentials, and industry-recognized certifications upon graduation.

“Katie has proven to be a wonderful collaborator, pulling together the faculty and staff at the Madison Campus to work alongside our community and K-12 education partners to help change the lives of our students,” Lowery said. “The commitment she exhibits each day to her students, faculty, and staff and to the southeastern Indiana region will be invaluable as Ivy Tech continues its work in meeting the workforce needs of our communities and increasing the levels of educational attainment throughout the state.”

Reporting to Ivy Tech President Dr. Sue Ellspermann, Mote will help cultivate and foster cooperation and support of the College with educational, business and community leaders within the service delivery area and provide leadership and guidance in each of the functional areas – academic affairs, student affairs, finance, facilities, marketing and communications, resource development, human resources, and Corporate College.

Mote holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, earned with high distinction, in English and Spanish from Indiana University, Bloomington. She also studied at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. She earned her Juris Doctor in 2005 from the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University.

Mote serves in the Madison community in many volunteer roles, including as a member of the Board of Directors of Girls’ Inc. of Jefferson County, Vice Chair of the Prince of Peace School Commission, and member of the ENVISION Jefferson County Education Committee, Hanover College Community Leaders Council,  and Rotary Club. Within the regional community, Mote serves on the Education Advisory Committee for Congressman Luke Messer and as a member of the Region 9 Eco Network Attainment Guiding Team, working to increase high school, post-secondary, and adult educational attainment. She also represents the Region on the Ivy Tech Statewide Wrap-Around Services committee.

Mote lives in Madison with her husband, D.J., and their two children.