Ivy Tech Community College has announced the appointment of Susie Trees as Site Director of the college’s planned Frankfort expansion. Trees joined the college in 2007 and recently coordinated dual credit programs with area high schools.
Trees is a life-long educator. For 21 years she was a secondary teacher in the Community Schools of Frankfort. Prior to Ivy Tech, she coordinated Clinton County’s first community learning center in partnership with Purdue University Extension. The learning center became a national model, resulting in eight similar learning centers established in Indiana alone. Trees developed relationships with Clinton County business and industry, expanding educational opportunities to the community’s workforce.
Trees also served as Coordinator of the Latino Community Learning Center of Frankfort, one of four centers statewide that provides access to basic education and computer literacy to the local Latino community.
A life-long Clinton County resident, Trees graduated from Clinton Prairie High School. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in home economics from Butler University, a master of science in education from Indiana University, and a lifetime Vocational Home Economics License from Purdue University.
Trees is active in the Frankfort community. She has served for fifteen years as vice president of the Community Schools of Frankfort Building Trades Advisory Board, and has served on the board of directors for Zonta International-Advancing the Status of Women Worldwide. She has also served as president of Tri Kappa Philanthropic organization, and is a charter member and the first president of the Clinton County Alumnae chapter of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for women. She currently serves as Elder in her church, and has been a volunteer choir member for nearly 13 years, as well as serving many church school teaching positions.
Trees resides in rural Clinton County with her husband Ronald. They have two adult children, Tami Sulit and Rhett Trees, and five grandchildren.
“On behalf of the Frankfort community, we are very pleased and proud of the selection of Susie Trees to lead our local Ivy Tech campus. Susie’s outstanding reputation as a member of the Ivy Tech staff and as a long-time Frankfort community leader is a perfect fit for the vision and goals Ivy Tech and City and County officials have for our new campus.
“Susie’s dedication to advancing higher educational opportunities for Clinton County’s youth demonstrates her keen understanding that a quality, affordable college education is key to not only our children’s future, but the stability and progress of our entire city and county. We congratulate Susie in her new role and look forward to a positive, innovative working relationship with her and her team on campus,” Frankfort Mayor Chris McBarnes said.
About Ivy Tech
Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system serving nearly 200,000 students annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.
