Waukesha County Technical College president Kaylen Betzig announced she will retire at the end of 2020.
Betzig has been with WCTC since 2008, serving as president since 2015.
She has spent a total of 31 years in executive and leadership positions within the Wisconsin Technical College System, including 19 at Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville.
“It has been my privilege serving in the Wisconsin Technical College System and at the district level in numerous positions,” she said. “I believe, to my core, in the work of the technical college system and have seen first-hand the impact we have on students’ lives. It has been an honor to be entrusted with their future success.”
Her retirement is effective Dec. 31. The WCTC District Board of Trustees has hired an educational executive search firm to conduct a national search, with the goal of hiring Betzig’s successor by October.
“Kaylen has been a strong leader for Waukesha County Technical College and a tremendous resource for the entire Wisconsin Technical College System,” said Alan Karch, chair of the WCTC District Board of Trustees. “With more than three decades of experience in higher education, Kaylen has always brought extensive knowledge and experience to her roles. On behalf of the WCTC District Board of Trustees, we thank her for her contributions and wish her well in retirement.”
During Betzig’s tenure as president, WCTC maintained a balanced budget, completed several construction and expansion projects, including a new $4.5 million Integrated Manufacturing Center, and prepared for the fall 2020 launch of a year-round academic calendar, according to a press release.
“I have given the best of myself and my career to WCTC,” she said. “I am grateful for the guidance and support I have received and the friendships I have made over the years.”
Betzig has also represented WCTC at the Higher Education Regional Alliance, a group of southeastern Wisconsin’s 18 colleges and universities that has been working in recent years to raise college completion rates, innovate programs and improve connections with employers.
Prior to working in technical colleges, Betzig was a policy and budget analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services. She also worked at the Cooperative Educational Service Agency #3 as an at-risk student coordinator, and as a social worker for the Department of Social Services in Grant County.
