Dr. Stacy Atkinson started her career at Ivy Tech in January 2015 with a passion to help others thrive on their educational and life-long journey. She has served in various roles at the College including Early Childhood Adjunct Instructor for the Muncie Campus, Senior Instructional Designer, and the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives where she was heavily involved in the development of Ivy Tech’s current strategic plan and the organizational restructure in 2017. When the College moved to a predominantly 8-week course offering institution, she served as statewide co-lead to support campuses moving to this new format. She moved to a campus from Systems Office and served as the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs on the Richmond Campus. Stacy first moved into the role of Acting Chancellor overseeing the entire campus operations and budget, and now serves as the permanent Chancellor since July 2019. In addition to her full-time role, Stacy is a certified SIMPLEX Creative Problem-Solving Trainer for both SIMPLEX I and II, a certified facilitator and a Coach for those seeking facilitator certification. Stacy’s passion for Ivy Tech is reflected in her various roles and future commitment to the College, as well as in her role as a Circle of Ivy Guiding Circle representative.

Prior to relocating to Hamilton County where she and her family reside, Stacy served as Program Chair for the Early Care and Education program at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in South Carolina after being honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps where she served as an Avionics Technician and worked on the F/A 18A fighter jet during both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Between the Marine Corps and moving to higher education, Stacy spent time in an elementary school classroom where she was a second-grade teacher at Shell Point Elementary in Beaufort, SC.

As a service to the profession of Early Childhood, Stacy serves on the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Commission on Accreditation of Higher Education programs. As a native Spanish speaker and English language learner, her passion for children and their literacy is an important component of her work with AMIGOS Latino Centers, PHASE Foundation and the Central Indiana Girl Scouts. Additional boards she currently serves on include the OneZone Chamber of Commerce and the Community First Bank Board. In 2020, Stacy was named one of the Indiana Business Journal’s Forty Under 40, which recognizes leadership talent in Indiana.

Stacy earned a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2008, a Master of Arts degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina in 2010, a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University in 2012. She earned her PhD in Adult Learning and Development from Lesley University in 2016. Stacy is the proud wife to Keith who she met in the Marine Corps and mom to Kelsey (13) and Jordan (9).