Wisconsin Technical College System: Announces presidential search process

Contacts: Morna Foy, 608-266-2449, morna.foy@wtcsystem.edu

Kyle Schwarm, 608-266-0050, kyle.schwarm@wtcsystem.edu

MADISON – The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Board is announcing its succession plan for the System presidency. “Given the System’s vital role in Wisconsin’s economic present and future, we’ve charted an aggressive strategy and timeline,” said WTCS Board President Mark Tyler. Founder and President of OEM Fabricators in northwest Wisconsin, Tyler will lead a search committee responsible for identifying and screening candidates to replace current System President Dan Clancy, who recently announced plans to retire in mid-September.

“President Clancy has done a fantastic job leading the System through a time of historic, unprecedented demands on our colleges,” Tyler said. “Now we’re ready to identify a successor worthy of leading the best technical college system in the nation.”

Other WTCS Board members serving on the search committee include Drew Petersen, a vice president at TDS Telecom; Stan Davis, a private practice attorney from Sun Prairie; and Jose Vasquez, who was recently appointed as the UW Board of Regents’ representative on the WTCS Board. The committee’s other key stakeholders include Jeff Rafn, president of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, representing the System’s 16 college presidents; Pat Costello, a trustee of Mid-State Technical College and a human resources executive at Abbeyland Foods representing the Wisconsin TechnicalCollege District Boards Association; and a representative of the Governor’s office to be named.

The committee, anticipating assistance from an executive search firm, will hold its first meeting in early August and expects to formally announce the position by late September. Tyler said he expects to call a special meeting of the Board in December for finalist interviews, with an eye toward having a new System president in place in January 2013. In the interim, the agency’s senior leadership team will oversee System-level operations.

About the System: The Wisconsin Technical College System offers more than 300 programs awarding two-year associate degrees, one- and two-year technical diplomas and short-term technical diplomas. In addition, the System is the major provider of customized training and technical assistance to Wisconsin’s business and industry community. More than 370,000 individuals access the technical colleges for education and training each year. Find more about educational programs at http://www.witechcolleges.org.