About Dr. Tracy Pierner
Dr. Tracy Pierner currently serves as the President of Blackhawk Technical College, returning to his home state and the Wisconsin Technical College System where he began his career in higher education. Before taking on his role at Blackhawk Technical College, Dr. Pierner served as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Henry Ford College, Dearborn, Michigan, overseeing all academic programs, online learning, the library, faculty development, tutoring, workforce development, and continuing education. While in this role, he served on the Boards of the Workforce Intelligence Network and Southeast Michigan Community Alliance, State of Michigan Project Lead the Way Executive Leadership Committee, and the business advisory board of the Advanced Technology Academy.
Prior to Henry Ford College, Dr. Pierner served as Dean of Technical Education for Aiken Technical College in Aiken, South Carolina, where he was responsible for technical education academic programs and courses and the development of training partnerships with business and industry. Working with the computer technology, welding, and industrial maintenance faculty, Dr. Pierner helped implement a flexible delivery approach to education that culminated in the faculty winning the A. Wade Martin Innovator of the Year Award in 2012. His leadership was recognized by the South Carolina Technical Education Association as the Administrator of the Year in 2011-2012 and Administrator of the Year at Aiken Technical College.
In 1999, Dr. Pierner entered higher education as an instructor in Engineering Technology at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he created an Automation Engineering Technology program and helped redesign the Electromechanical Technology program. During his tenure, he was part of the team that designed the Manufacturing Technology Center, redesigned the educational delivery model for four associate degree programs to a flexible and modular delivery paradigm, and created several unique industry/education partnerships.
Before entering higher education, Dr. Pierner was an engineer at Rockwell Automation in their Milwaukee, Mequon, Appleton, Wisconsin, and Cleveland, Ohio, facilities. Other experiences include engineering consultation with the research and engineering arm of Kimberly-Clark Corp. in Neenah, Wisconsin, and serving in the Army Reserves.
He holds a Ph.D. in Technology Management - Manufacturing Systems from Indiana State University, a Master's degree in Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.