Meet the Ivy Tech Indianapolis Chancellor’s Cabinet

The top administrative office for Ivy Tech Indianapolis is the Chancellor’s Cabinet. 

The Chancellor’s Cabinet is comprised of Vice Chancellors who lead administrative offices and report directly to the Chancellor. 

Here are the current Indianapolis Cabinet members. 

Dr. Stacy Atkinson

Chancellor

Stacy began serving as the interim chancellor for Indianapolis in May 2023. She has served in several positions with the College since 2015, including as chancellor of the Hamilton County and Richmond campuses. Her other roles have included Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Systems Office and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for Richmond.

Stacy also served in the United States Marine Corps as an Avionics Technician working on F/A 18A fighter jets during both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Between the Marine Corps and higher education, Stacy spent time in an elementary school classroom where she was a second-grade teacher at Shell Point Elementary in Beaufort, SC. She then was an early childhood faculty member at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort.

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, and a Ph.D. in Adult Learning and Development from Lesley University in 2016. Stacy is now enrolled at the IU McKinney School of Law pursuing her J.D.

Amanda Bonilla

Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Belonging + Community Engagement

Amanda is an equity-minded higher education professional who works to create and advocate for more inclusive learning environments in higher education. She provides vision, leadership, management, and strategic planning for inclusion and belonging.

Amanda is a proud lifelong Hoosier and an IUPUI and Indiana University Bloomington graduate. She has received many accolades, including the ACUI Joseph H. Benedict Social Change Award for Racial Justice, the IUPUI Women’s Leadership Award, and the 2021 Advocacy in the Latino Community award by the Indy Chamber.

Outside of her work at Ivy Tech, Amanda owns and operates the Inclusion Consultant Network, a minority-women-owned business focused on increasing cultural competency through discussion and dialogue for optimal work and learning environments. And in 2021, she co-founded the Women’s Equity Brunch (WE Brunch) to advance equity for all women in Central Indiana.  

In the Indianapolis community, Amanda serves on the boards of Project Stepping Stone, American College of Education, and United Way of Central Indiana. She has served as a national board member of Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority Inc. and a mentor for the Indianapolis Mayor’s Axis Program. Amanda is an alumna of the Indiana Latino Institute Leadership Circle program and the National Social Justice Training Institute.

Andy Cummings

Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration

Andy was born and raised in New Castle. He graduated from New Castle Chrysler High School before attending and graduating from Butler University with degrees in Finance and Marketing. 

From 2011 to 2021, Andy worked for the state of Indiana in various roles related to public finance. After his 10 years with the state, Andy moved on to Ivy Tech Community College, where he serves the Indianapolis and Hamilton County campuses. 

Andy oversees the financial operations of both campuses, as well as the marketing and facility operations for the Indianapolis campus. 

Dr. Niki Fjeldal

Vice Chancellor of Student Success

Dr. Niki Fjeldal has 15 years of experience as a higher education and student success professional with a focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion. In her career, she has worked on numerous multi-faceted strategic initiatives allowing interaction with a wide range of audiences.

She holds a Doctorate of Education in Executive Leadership degree from St. John Fisher University and a master’s degree in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Canisius University. 

Niki has most recently served as the inaugural first-year class dean at Allegheny College and Director of Transition and Student Impact at Indiana State University. She is the recipient of the Doris Michiko Award for Excellence as a Student Affairs Professional and the NASPA Region II Mid-Level Professional Award. 

Niki has a track record of increasing retention rates and creating student-centered processes that help break down barriers and help students to achieve a college degree.

Dr. Claire Maxson

Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs

Claire is no stranger to Ivy Tech. She worked part-time for Ivy Tech Community College from 2001-2010 while teaching middle school. She joined full-time as first-year seminar faculty followed by department chair in 2014.

She served as interim dean for the School of Business, Logistics and Supply Chain for the 2020-2021 school year. Since May 2021, she has served as the dean for the School of Business and School of Public Affairs and Social Services as well as local dean contact for the Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She has been interim dean for the School of Information Technology since July 2022.

Her master’s degree is in Executive Development for Public Service and doctorate is in Higher Education, Community College Leadership both from Ball State University.
Her bachelor’s degree is in journalism and secondary education from Indiana University.

Fred Parker

Vice Chancellor of Human Resources

Prior to joining Ivy Tech Fred was Vice President, People Operations for Doma Holdings, Inc, a financial & real estate technology firm in San Francisco, CA. During his tenure, he was responsible for building the HR & Payroll functions and several additional corporate functions for this startup company, as well as for leading the Facilities, HR, and Payroll due diligence required to take the company public. 

Previously, Fred held HR executive positions at Fannie Mae (VP, Human Capital), Bell Industries (Chief Human Resources Officer), Verizon (Head of HR for Technology & the Paging business), WorldCom (Head of US Shared Services & Payroll), MCI (Head of HR for the Residential and Small/Medium Business units), and Pioneer Technologies (multiple operations and HR roles). At those organizations, he led a combination of national and international HR teams.

Fred received his MBA from Regis University in Denver, CO, his bachelor of science in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from Missouri State University in Springfield, MO, and he received sponsorship from a former employer (Fannie Mae) to complete a Harvard Business School Executive Education leadership development program in Cambridge, MA.

Don Weathersbe

Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Services

Don brings a wealth of knowledge to Ivy Tech Community College where he previously served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Services.

In his professional career, he has held several positions from owning his own business for five years to being a Campus President while serving at ITT Technical Institute.

Don is a proud retired Army veteran where he had the pleasure of serving in various locations such as Turkey, Germany, Italy, and Korea, and that just names a few.

Don is a servant leader and loves what he does because is provides him with an opportunity to serve others.

Julie Johns-Cole

Vice Chancellor of Career Link

Julie Johns-Cole is a small business owner and community leader with over 20 years of experience in management, economic development, municipal government, non-profit services, and private sector consulting. 

Prior to joining Ivy Tech, Julie served as the Deputy Mayor for the Town of Zionsville, State Director for the Indiana 211 Partnership, Inc., Executive Director for the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development, and Planning Director for the City of Angola. 

Julie earned a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University, a graduate degree from Indiana University, and studied abroad at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Julie is a Certified Economic Development Finance Professional and a University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute graduate. Julie serves as a board member for the Boone County Chamber of Commerce, Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis, and was a founding board member of zWorks.