College of DuPage welcomes new associate dean

College of DuPage welcomes Joanne Ivory as the new associate dean of continuing education and director of business solutions.

Fulfilling her dual role since May 2015, Ivory said that she is pleased with her experience so far at the College.

"I love it here at COD," she said. "There is a wonderful energy at the College. Everyone has been very friendly and it's clear that the faculty, administrators and staff are completely committed to helping students succeed."

With 10 years of experience in education, Ivory worked as Associate Dean of Careers for Olive-Harvey College, One of the City Colleges of Chicago, from 2005 to 2015, before coming to COD. She earned a B.S. in Management from National Louis University and an M.B.A. in Business Administration from Benedictine University where she is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Organization Development.

Born and raised in Mississippi, Ivory spent 15 years in transportation and logistics management prior to her career in higher education. While working for Rachel's Bus Company, Inc. and later, Alltown Bus Services, both major transportation providers for Chicago Public Schools, she served in a wide variety of roles, including supervisor, Safety Director, Fleet Manager, Director of Safety, Training and Recruitment, and Risk Manager.

Ivory said that even while working in the private sector, she has always enjoyed helping people and often found herself in corporate teaching and training roles including the development and teaching of safety-related training courses, as well as the creation of an employee GED program. A featured presenter at local, state and national conferences, she has served on the State of Illinois Taskforce for School Bus Transportation, as a State of Illinois Delegate at the 14th National School Transportation Congress and, in 2003, was the recipient of a Golden Merit Award from the National School Transportation Association. In 2007, she was named Administrator of the Year at Olive-Harvey College for outstanding contributions in departmental management. Most recently, she interviewed, made hiring recommendations and trained staff for an entire department and has submitted multiple programs that successfully completed the Illinois Community College Board Approval process.

In her dual role as Associate Dean of Continuing Education and Director of Business Solutions at College of DuPage, Ivory said that she is looking forward to expanding these programs.

"While both Continuing Education and Business Solutions are thriving, there is always room for development and growth," she said. "I plan to grow these programs by further enhancing connections with businesses and other learning institutions in an effort ultimately aimed toward student success. Business Solutions provides us with the opportunity to connect with employers in multiple sectors, identifying and providing courses and workshops to their employees that meets the needs of their organizations."

Ivory said she enjoys her career in higher education and seeing students develop and achieve their goals.

"The best times are the first day of classes and graduation," she said. "The first day, students are excited and in awe, starting a new journey and trying to find their way around. At graduation, students have a completely different kind of awe and excitement."

Ivory said she is particularly thrilled to be working within Continuing Education.

"One of the great things about Continuing Education is that you get to see the light come on for people who for one reason or another haven't pursued the traditional approach to higher education," she said. "Continuing Education courses and programs offer a great transitional pathway for students who have been out of school for an extended period of time and have not fully decided to commit to degree-seeking programs. You get to see them become successful and achieve their goals and dreams. It's great to be a part of that process."