For the City Times

The Mid-State Technical College District Board is delighted to announce the selection of Dr. Shelly Mondeik as the college’s sixth president.

Mondeik will join the college on June 1. She was selected from a pool of more than thirty candidates from across the United States. The college began the presidential search last fall after Dr. Sue Budjac announced she will retire in summer, 2017.

In announcing the selection, District Board Chairperson Betty Bruski Mallek noted that Mondeik is the quintessential technical college leader.

“Shelly Mondeik is herself a Wisconsin technical college graduate. She started her career in the private sector. She went on to teach at the technical college level and to move up through leadership to become a highly regarded vice president at neighboring Northcentral Technical College,” said Mallek. “Shelly Mondeik is a central Wisconsin person through and through and is a proven leader in the Wisconsin Technical College System.”

Mondeik has served since 2010 as Vice President for Learning and Chief Academic Officer at Northcentral Technical College, headquartered in Wausau. She holds leadership positions at the national, state and regional level including chairing the board of the Community College Consortium for Agriculture Advancement, serving on the advisory board of the Medical College of Wisconsin, and leading the Wisconsin Technical College System’s statewide “credit for prior learning” initiative to better recognize the work and life experience Wisconsinites bring to college.

The Mid-State Board was impressed with Mondeik’s strong track record of building community relationships and partnerships. She is president-elect of the Merrill Chamber of Commerce and chairs the Workforce Hub Steering Committee of the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce.

“Shelly has earned a reputation as a leader who works tirelessly to ensure her college meets business, industry and community needs,” said Mallek. “She also has great experience working with public officials at the local, state and national level.”

The Mid-State Board also noted Mondeik’s commitment to balance continued progress on important college initiatives with new energy and new ideas. “We were looking for a leader who will maintain momentum on our strategic plan and culture of accountability while leading us to exciting new accomplishments,” Mallek said.

Mondeik earned a doctorate in educational leadership at Madison’s Edgewood College. She earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees in career and technical education at UW-Stout, and an associate degree at Northcentral.

The District Board shaped the presidential search profile based in part on a series of seven forums it conducted in September 2016 with community leaders and college faculty and staff in Wisconsin Rapids, Marshfield, Stevens Point and Adams. Don Stevens + Associates of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, assisted the college with the search.