Tia Robinson-Cooper is the new chancellor for Ivy Tech Community College’s South Bend-Elkhart campus.
Robinson-Cooper, a Chicago native and former president of Contra Costa College in San Pablo, California, was selected from a finalist field of three. The other candidates following a national search were Andrew Williams, a veteran Ivy Tech administrator who had been serving as interim campus chancellor since Jan. 31, and Nerita Hughes, dean for the school of business, careers, education and workforce innovation at North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and president/chief executive officer of JG Consulting LLC.
Robinson-Cooper, starts her new role July 11.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Robinson-Cooper to Ivy Tech,” said Dr. Sue Ellspermann, president of Ivy Tech.
Ellspermann said Robinson-Cooper is an experienced community college leader with two decades of progressive leadership experience.
“I look forward to supporting her work as she leads the South Bend-Elkhart campus, placing more students on the path to high-quality education and successful careers which support the economic growth of South Bend-Elkhart,” she said.
Robinson-Cooper said she admired Ivy Tech’s commitment to workforce development social-economic mobility and looks forward to her new role.
“I am honored to serve as chancellor of Ivy Tech South Bend-Elkhart and look forward to continuing this important work,” she said.
Prior to her presidency at Contra Costa College in California, Robinson-Cooper served as the provost and vice president of academic affairs/chief academic officer at Inver Hills Community College, one of 30 community colleges within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. As Provost, she created a data-informed culture focused on continuous improvement, equity in student learning, and maximizing labor market impact.
Robinson-Cooper earned a Doctor of Education in Counseling and Adult Higher Education from Northern Illinois University; a Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from National Louis University in Chicago; a Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from NIU; and an Associate of Science in Business Administration from Kishwaukee College in Malta, Illinois.
