Dr. Debbie Ford became Chancellor of IU 51ÁÔÆæ in July 2023, becoming the sixth chancellor and second woman chancellor to serve the campus. An Indiana University alumna with deep experience in supporting student success and community engagement, Dr. Ford will oversee all aspects of the academic and operational dimensions of the campus, in collaboration with the university administration and the other Indiana University regional campuses.
A strong proponent of community engagement, she has been appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Directors for One Southern Indiana (1si) and in 2024 was named to the Louisville Business First Power 50. Dr. Ford also serves on the Advisory Board of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and will serve as the executive sponsor representing the five regional IU campuses for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Student Success Equity Intensive. The program, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a comprehensive multi-year initiative designed to help institutions close the equity gaps of their Black, Latino/Latina, Indigenous, and low-income students.
Before joining the learning community at IU 51ÁÔÆæ, Dr. Ford served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside for 14 years. Prior to UW-Parkside, Dr. Ford served as Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of West Florida, and Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky.
Dr. Ford holds her B.S. from the University of Louisville, her Master of Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University, and her Doctor of Education from the University of Louisville. A native Louisvillian, she married her college sweetheart, John, and they have two adult children Abby and JD, and a grandson, Caden David.