Jefferson Shreve discusses his IU trustee candidacy

Since earning his IU undergrad in 1989, Jefferson has given back to the university, serving as National Chairman of the IU Alumni Association, and now as a member of the Executive Dean’s board for the College of Arts & Sciences. He’d also served as the Young Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Kelley School of Business, and as a board member for IU Health Bloomington Hospital.

Jefferson now seeks to put these experiences to work as a member of IU’s Board of Trustees — the nine member body that is the University’s governing board.

Shreve recently gave an interview with IU Alumni Magazine, discussing his candidacy and his intended approach to issues that will challenge IU . Here is a quick look back at his responses.

“What do you consider three major issues facing Indiana University today?”

1. “Ensuring the successful execution of IU’s Bicentennial Strategic Plan. Countless hours and great thought went into formulating our Bicentennial Plan. It identifies eight (not three) priority issues. The trustees needs to ensure that that Bicentennial Strategic Plan is capably executed.”
2. “Planning for IU’s third century! Succession management must be our focus. The trustee elected this June will share responsibility for selecting IU’s next President — and for confirming many new members of his or her executive leadership team.”
3. “Ensuring that we have fortified the cyber infrastructure that connects and underpins the IU ecosystem. This issue may sound pedestrian, and we have smart people managing this realm, but vigilance in safeguarding IU from major cyber vulnerability starts at the top.”

“What should be the trustees’ role and responsibility in addressing these issues?”
“To provide steady governance for an institution that 650,000 Hoosiers cherish. For our alumni-elected trustees – to also be their representative voice on the board. Trustees serve to oversee and shape IU’s broad policies. And trustees must ensure that capable executive leadership is in place to implement these policies.”

“What do you believe you can contribute to the board of trustees?”
“Twenty-five years of governance experience; a broad familiarity with the IU ecosystem; fluency with the challenges before the trustees; a deep sense of IU’s history, its traditions and our institutional values; [and] the ability and desire to serve our alumni as we move into our third century!”

About the author

Jefferson Shreve has remained a part of the Indianapolis community for much of his life. In addition to being a longstanding presence at IU, he also owns his own business, Storage Express, which is headquartered in Indiana. Jefferson has enjoyed a successful career that has allowed him to grow as a leader and give back to the community he loves.

To learn more about Jefferson Shreve, click here.