Indiana Commerce Secretary Jim Schellinger is stepping down from the post.
A statement released early evening March 3 from Gov. Eric Holcomb indicated he had received Schellinger’s resignation that day. Schellinger, who was raised in South Bend and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in architecture, indicated his resignation was effective immediately.
“Today, I reluctantly received and accepted Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger’s resignation,” Holcomb said in a March 3 statement. “He informed me it was the right time for him to step down immediately and I have accepted his decision.”
Holcomb said during Schellinger’s time overseeing the Indiana Economic Development Corp., the state has experienced record-breaking job commitments, increasing average wages and strong capital investment.
“I am tremendously grateful to Jim for his long service to the state of Indiana,” Holcomb said. “We will move quickly to name another great leader for this all-important agency, so we don’t skip a beat with the momentum we’ve established to make Indiana a great place to locate, start and grow a business.”
Holcomb said an interim leader would be named soon.
As secretary of commerce, Schellinger led the state’s domestic and international economic development with four consecutive, record-breaking years for economic development in Indiana, Holcomb said.
In 2020, the IEDC secured 282 commitments from companies to locate or grow in the state. Together, these businesses plan to invest more than $5.6 billion in their Indiana operations and create up to 31,300 new Hoosier jobs with average wages of $28.13 an hour, which according to the state is the highest annual record for new job commitments and the second-highest annual record for average wages since the IEDC was established in 2005.
Prior to being named secretary of commerce by Holcomb in 2017, Schellinger served as president of the IEDC under former Gov. Mike Pence. Schellinger was appointed president in August 2015 after serving two years as a member of the IEDC board.
Schellinger was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to serve on the U.S. Investment Advisory Council, where he advised on national strategies and efforts to increase foreign direct investment.
