Ivy Tech Community College has named Matthew Etchison as chief information officer, effective January 1, 2019.  Etchison currently serves as vice president for information technology as part of the workforce alignment department for the College. The position is currently held by Anne Brinson, who will retire December 31. Etchison and Brinson will work together leading up to the new year to ensure a smooth transition.

As chief information officer, Etchison will serve as the senior information technology administrator for Ivy Tech, providing visionary and operational leadership for strategic planning, implementation and improvement of technologies, solutions and related support services that closely align with the College.

In Etchison’s current role, he oversees the School of Information Technology (IT) from an academic and workforce alignment perspective. In the last two years, the School has seen a 162.4 percent increase in credentials, which include certificates, technical certificates and associate degrees, earned in nine academic programs. He is responsible for the outcomes, academic growth and continuous improvement for IT programs across 19 campuses in Indiana, nine state program chairs and more than 19 academic deans. He has helped the College develop world class programs and partnerships with some of the world’s largest information technology firms.

“It is a tremendous honor to be named the chief information officer for Ivy Tech Community College,” said Etchison. “No other institution is so tightly embedded in the heart of every Indiana community and is accessible, affordable and able to transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers. My role is to position the college to utilize IT as the force multiplier and innovative driver for the College’s strategic plan.”

Since Etchison’s time with Ivy Tech, he has developed multiple strategic IT partnerships with industry including: Google, Salesforce, Apple and Amazon Web Services. In total, more than 15 academic alliances have been made with Silicon Valley companies and IT multinationals to provide highly-sought after, industry-certified technical skills, to community college students. Most recently, the College partnered with Salesforce and Deloitte for the Pathfinder Program, where students can participate in a cohort-based Salesforce technical skills and Deloitte soft skills IT training. Graduates of the program will interview with Deloitte and have opportunities for internships and employment.

“We are looking forward to Matt serving in his new role and how he will accelerate Ivy Tech’s vision, mission and strategic priorities,” says Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann. “Matt is highly-regarded in the IT sector and business community, and his relationships and knowledge are invaluable. He has also worked closely with our academic teams and his student-facing perspective will be critical as we continue to work toward our big goal of students earning 50,000 high-value credentials aligned with workforce needs annually.”

Prior to Ivy Tech, Etchison served as the senior group manager of product integration testing at Interactive Intelligence. While leading the Software Testing leadership team, he provided strategic direction to more than 160 engineers and 30 interns. While at Interactive Intelligence, he led software projects and teams for companies such as BMW, Kohl’s, John Deere and many others. He also served as the data center architect managing, designing and engineering all technical details for several multi-million dollar projects.

Etchison is a current TechPoint board member, helping Indiana’s tech accelerator make Indianapolis the Midwest’s premier tech hub and incubator. He is also a member of Governor Holcomb’s Executive Council on Cybersecurity. He is often an executive speaker/panelist at leading global tech events, most recently at Dreamforce in San Francisco and the A.I. Summit in Washington D.C. His efforts in the tech sector also garnered him an invitation to the White House in 2016. In 2018 he was nominated for a TechPoint Mira Award as Tech Educator of the Year.

Etchison has a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Business Information Systems from Indiana Wesleyan University.

About Ivy Tech Community College

Ivy Tech Community College serves communities across Indiana, providing world-class education and driving economic transformation. It is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering high-value degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its communities, 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.