December 5: Chris Lowery
By Rotary Club of Indianapolis on November 30, 2023
| Join us Tuesday to hear from Chris Lowery. Lowery was appointed in 2022 to serve as Commissioner for Indiana’s Commission for Higher Education, the coordinating agency charged with ensuring the state’s postsecondary education system is aligned to meet the needs of students and the state. Prior to joining the Commission, Lowery was senior vice president, workforce, careers, and adult strategy at Ivy Tech Community College where he provided overall leadership of Ivy Tech workforce and career initiatives and organization. Before working in higher education, Lowery led public policy and engagement for Hillenbrand, Inc. and served as an aide to former Indiana Governor Robert D. Orr and then-Senator Dan Quayle. As Commissioner, Lowery is committed to developing postsecondary attainment, economic and social mobility outcomes, and the overall return on investment by increasing the college-going rate, engaging adult learners, improving completion rates and retaining college graduates. He is focused on ensuring students of all ages understand the value proposition of higher education. He collaborates with policymakers, higher education leaders and community partners to maintain college affordability and guarantee quality higher education is delivered and tied to career relevance as the Commission continues its efforts to realize the state’s goal of at least 60 percent of Hoosiers with quality education and training beyond high school. Currently, Lowery is a member of the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Board for the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, the Board of Directors of Shepherd Community and the Higher Education Working Group of the American Enterprise Institute. He previously served on the Board of Trustees of the Sagamore Institute think tank and as chair. Lowery was chair of the Career Coaching and Navigation Action Team for Governor Eric Holcomb’s Workforce Cabinet. He has served on various other boards of directors including AgriNovus Indiana, Gleaners Food Bank, the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation, the Indiana Council for Continuing Education, the State Workforce Innovation Council, the Executive Council of the Indiana University Alumni Association and the Batesville Community School Corporation. Lowery is a recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash and the Distinguished Alumni Award of the Indiana University O’Neill School of Public Affairs. He is a regular speaker in Indiana and nationally on topics ranging from the future of higher education, the economy and workforce preparedness to innovation, leadership and social impact investing. All are welcome at Rotary programs. If attending in-person at the Murat Shrine reservations and prepayment are appreciated, but not required. Register on Square at https://rotary-club-of-indianapolis.square.site/. If registering on site we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. We will transition to a cashless registration starting January 9. Lunch and networking start at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. To join our meeting via Zoom starting at 12:15 p.m. go to https://zoom.us/j/710170874?pwd=bFE4ejJTc29IMlNzVmx1Wlg4MTA1UT09. While our Tuesday programs via Zoom are free to attend a suggested donation of $3 – $5 is appreciated in lieu of the typical room fee. These contributions help defray the cost of our hybrid meetings. Please note that donations to the Rotary Club of Indianapolis are not tax deductible. You can support our hybrid meetings at https://rotary-club-of-indianapolis.square.site/. Meeting ID: 710 170 874 Password: 821795 If joining via a mobile phone for audio only click one of the following numbers: +13126266799,,710170874#,,#,821795# US (Chicago) +19292056099,,710170874#,,#,821795# US (New York) You can also join us from a landline phone. +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) Meeting ID: 710 170 874 Password: 821795 Upcoming Programs: December 12: World Community Service Panel December 19: Holiday Program benefitting the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation December 26 & January 2: No programs – Happy Holidays! |
