ITCC Names Ron Eads Executive Director Of CCEC Program For Lawrenceburg & Batesville Area

“I am humbled and honored to be selected as the Executive Director of the new CCEC initiative for the Lawrenceburg and Batesville Service Area.”

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Lilly Endowment has made a grant to the Ivy Tech Foundation to support Ivy Tech Community College’s new statewide Career Coaching and Employer Connection (CCEC) program. This new, more strategic approach, will emphasize comprehensive career readiness practices working alongside academic preparation throughout a student’s college experience. The new approach will transform Ivy Tech’s current Career Development structure and programs to focus on intentional career advising and employer engagement.

Ivy Tech Community College of Lawrenceburg and Batesville is pleased to announce that Ron Eads has been hired as its Executive Director of Career Coaching and Employer Connections.  Eads joined Ivy Tech in 2015 after retiring as the Band Director for Rising Sun-Ohio County Schools for 29 years.  Eads spent his first two years at Ivy Tech working as an academic advisor - eventually specializing as the industrial technology program advisor.  In 2017, Eads was named as the Workforce Alignment Consultant where he has been working as the education facilitator between Ivy Tech and area businesses.  In this role, Eads will be overseeing a new team which will include an Employer Consultant, a Career Coach, and a Career Experiences Specialist. 

The CCEC team will be working as a cross functional team to help students put together their Career Development Portfolio and prepare them for their job search.  This new team will work collaboratively with businesses to help coordinate internships, externships, and work and learn opportunities in the Lawrenceburg and Batesville Service Area serving the counties of Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio, and Ripley.

“We have heard students and employers and have designed the Career Coaching and Employer Connections program to ensure our graduates leave Ivy Tech career-ready and enter into available high-wage, high-demand careers with local employers,” Ivy Tech Senior Vice President for Workforce and Careers Chris Lowery said. “The result will be clear and meaningful pathways for students that equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive, ultimately enhancing the Hoosier workforce, economy, and communities across the state.” Chris R. Lowery, Senior Vice President Workforce and Careers

“The Career Coaching and Employer Connections (CCEC) venture at Ivy Tech will provide tools and resources to better equip our students to attain meaningful careers in high-value fields that positions them for lifelong upward mobility. Ivy Tech is committed to deepening relationships with employer and community partners as part of CCEC to enhance the Hoosier workforce and the state economy. I am delighted that Ron Eads will serve as Executive Director of CCEC in the Lawrenceburg and Batesville Ivy Tech service areas to lead this transformative movement. Caroline Dowd-Higgins, Vice President Career Coaching and Employer Connections

“I’m pleased that Ron Eads has accepted the new position as Executive Director of the Career Coaching and Employer Connections (CCEC) starting July 6^th, 2020” says Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg and Batesville Chancellor Mark Graver. “Ron’s knowledge and experience are invaluable as Ivy Tech implements the new CCEC services to Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Information Technology partners in SE Indiana. Students will greatly benefit from the work-and-learn opportunities with local employers”

Eads lives in Ohio County with his wife Beverly, a sixth-grade teacher at Rising Sun.  They have two sons and a daughter-in-law.  Kent and his wife, Morgan, live in Maui and Benjamin lives in Chattanooga.  Eads completed his Master’s of Education degree from Indiana University as a School Counselor and his Bachelor’s Degree from Ball State University in Instrumental Music Education.  He is a Certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer and a Certified Suicide Prevention Trainer.

“I am humbled and honored to be selected as the Executive Director of the new CCEC initiative for the Lawrenceburg and Batesville Service Area,” said Eads. “This is a great opportunity to expand my role with the college and to work on the ground floor of this new initiative for the college.  I am excited to be able to continue working with students, as well as businesses, in this meaningful endeavor to help students get high paying jobs and help employers get the high-quality employees they want and need.”

Contact Ron with any questions or for further information:  reads14@ivytech.edu.