Weinzapfel to Lead Ivy Tech Region
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA former Evansville mayor is the new chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College-Southwest. Jonathan Weinzapfel is moving into the post following the recent retirement of longtime chancellor Daniel Schenk. Weinzapfel is a former Indiana State Representative and a two-term mayor of Evansville.
He has private sector experience with Old National Bancorp (NYSE: ONB) and Eli Lilly and Co (NYSE: LLY) April 28, 2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Ivy Tech Community College has selected Jonathan Weinzapfel (photo attached) to serve as Chancellor of the college’s newly combined region that includes the Southwest (Evansville, Tell City) and Wabash Valley (Terre Haute) regions.
“I am very excited and honored to join the team at Ivy Tech Community College. In my work as Mayor of the City of Evansville, I came to realize just how important Ivy Tech is to a community and how the Ivy Tech experience can change the lives of the people who live there,” Weinzapfel said. “Ivy Tech is doing some great things in helping Hoosiers obtain the skills and the education they need to succeed in today’s economy. It truly is on the cutting edge of economic development in the State of Indiana. I look forward to building on the great work that has been put in place by the students, faculty, staff, businesses and community leaders in both Evansville and Terre Haute.”
“We are pleased to add Jonathan to our team in this multi-campus leadership position. He has a proven track record in bringing people together to help improve communities,” Ivy Tech President Thomas J. Snyder said. “He will ensure that our efforts both in Evansville and Terre Haute, and the surrounding counties, are consistent with the needs of those communities. Jonathan brings a wealth of experience in economic and workforce development which is at the core of our mission at Ivy Tech Community College.”
Weinzapfel currently works as an attorney at Faegre Baker Daniels where he has focused his legal practice on economic development issues and municipal consulting. Previously, Weinzapfel served two terms as Mayor of the City of Evansville and five years as a state representative.
As Mayor of the City of Evansville, Weinzapfel focused much of his efforts on education and economic development issues. As Mayor, Weinzapfel formed the Evansville Education Roundtable to enhance communication and foster collaboration among government officials, educators, members of local business and industry, and the community with the goal to ensure that every person in Vanderburgh County had an opportunity to receive a world-class education. Initiatives developed through the Evansville Education Roundtable include the Southwest Indiana College Access Network, the Early Childhood Development Coalition, and the Mentor Evansville Program.
Under Weinzapfel’s leadership, the city negotiated economic development agreements with AT&T, Mead Johnson Nutrition, American General Financial Services, Berry Plastics, SS&C, Casino Aztar and others enabling these companies to either relocate or expand in Evansville. These agreements created more than 1,500 new jobs and kept thousands more in the city while incentivizing new investment totaling more than $300 million.
Weinzapfel also led downtown development efforts that included the construction of the new Ford Center, the creation of hundreds of new apartments and condos, the relocation of cMoe and the LST 325 to downtown, and the expansion of the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science.
In addition, Weinzapfel led Evansville city government through the most difficult economic downturn since the Great Depression. In spite of decreasing tax revenue due to the slowdown in the economy and the imposition of property tax caps by the Indiana General Assembly, Weinzapfel delivered eight balanced budgets, streamlined government services and costs to ensure that city priorities were funded, and continued to provide quality city services that the people of Evansville had come to expect.
While Weinzapfel was Mayor, the City of Evansville was recognized as the Community of the Year by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, one of the 50 smartest places to live by Kiplinger’s Magazine, one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People by America’s Promise: The Alliance for Youth, and an All-America City by the National Civic League.
Weinzapfel serves on several boards for several organizations including the Economic Development Coalition of Southwestern Indiana, Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science, and the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville Wisdom Council.
In 2012, Weinzapfel earned an honorary degree of Associate of Science in College and Community Service from Ivy Tech. He has also earned a J.D. from the Indiana University School of Law, a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Indiana University.
Daniel L. Schenk, who retired earlier this year, previously served as the Chancellor of the Southwest region and Ann Valentine who currently serves as Chancellor of the Wabash Valley region announced last month that she will be leaving the college effective May 15. The Ivy Tech State Board of Trustees approved the merger of these two regions at its board meeting on April 10. Weinzapfel will begin his new position on May 12.
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 AssociationSource: Ivy Tech Community College