For Hub City Times

WISCONSIN RAPIDS — The Mid-State Technical College district board recently announced that Shelly Mondeik has been selected as the college’s sixth president. Mondeik will join the college on June 1. She was chosen from a pool of more than 30 candidates from across the United States. The college began the presidential search last fall after current President Sue Budjac announced she would retire in summer of 2017.

The presidential search profile was based in part on a series of seven forums 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 assisted the college with the search.

In announcing the selection, district board Chairperson Betty Bruski Mallek noted that Mondeik was 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,” Mallek said. “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.

“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.