MASON CITY – North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) announced leadership changes after Vice President Jamie T. Zanios retired at the end of December.
For the past 11 years, Zanios has served as Director of the NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and NIACC’s Institutional Advancement office. Even though he is officially retiring from the College, Zanios will remain involved as he works on special projects with the NIACC Foundation.
Moving forward, the two NIACC departments previously supervised by Zanios will be under the leadership of two long-time NIACC employees.
Molly Knoll, a 2000 graduate of NIACC is serving as Director of Institutional Advancement, which includes the NIACC Foundation and Alumni Association. Knoll has been employed at NIACC for 11 years and was promoted to Director in November 2013.
The mission of the NIACC Foundation is to maximize private gift support and provide stewardship to multiply funds already raised. The Foundation aligns itself with the College’s major priorities in order to aid NIACC in fulfilling its own mission of excellence in education and service to the North Iowa region.
Knoll is also a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Communications.
Tim Putnam has been named Director of the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center
Putnam joined NIACC in 2000 and has developed and delivered entrepreneurial training programs for entrepreneurs, small business owners, communities and students. He has led presentations and consulted on entrepreneurial education, creating entrepreneurial communities, creating community based seed funds and small business development at both the state and national level.
The Pappajohn Center offers comprehensive entrepreneurial training and support programs for entrepreneurs, small business owners, communities and students. Current areas of focus include developing new businesses, entrepreneur mentor program, Midwest Educator’s Forum on Entrepreneurship, business plan competitions, funding for new business startups and regional economic development through entrepreneurship.
Putnam, who has 12 years of management experience with Pizza Hut of America, Inc., is a board member for the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, Mason City YMCA and Mason City Blue Zone’s. He is a co-founder of the Bicycle, Blues and BBQ Festival and currently serves as the festival director. He is finishing his second year as a Fellow for Community Outreach for the National Association for Community Colleges for Entrepreneurship.
He has a BS in Business Administration from Kansas State University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Drake University. He served in the Army National Guard from 1986 – 1996. Putnam can be reached at putnatim@niacc.edu or by phone: 641-422-4192.
Zanios said he is leaving his departments in good hands. “I have been blessed by having great people working with me in the divisions I supervised at NIACC,” he said. “It takes a strong team to achieve success and I am confident that the staff is up to the challenge. They will exceed expectations.”
NIACC President Steve Schulz said he is thankful for the dedication that Zanios and his team have provided to the College. “Jamie and his team have done excellent work over the past 11 years and I am confident in Molly’s and Tim’s ability to build upon the strengths of their respective departments and provide leadership for years to come. We wish Jamie the best in retirement.”
Not a fan.
Sounds like good choices for new leadership. I wonder if Tim Putnam will get the same $ 250,000 plus per year as Jamie Zanios??