Indiana’s construction labor pipeline is getting a new leader. Dr. Todd Hitchcock, a former superintendent of Eastern Shelby Schools, has been named executive director of the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation (ICRF) and will begin Oct. 1.
Founded in 2015, the ICRF was created to encourage Hoosiers to pursue careers in construction and the skilled trades. The foundation provides free training for adults and underwrites programs offered through schools, community centers, and nonprofits for K-12 students. For trades that rely on craft skill and hands-on learning, including masonry and restoration work, those early onramps can matter.
Chris Price, president of the ICRF, said the timing is right as schools and employers rethink how students move from high school into careers. He pointed to changes in state diploma requirements, along with growing interest in alternative approaches to education, as opportunities for tighter partnerships between education and industry.
Hitchcock has served on the ICRF board for the past 2 1/2 years. In his new role, he is expected to strengthen ties between the construction industry and schools, and to help employers and educators build clearer pathways into construction careers.
Hitchcock’s own work history includes time in construction. He started part-time at 16 with a general contractor doing carpentry, later built experience across commercial and residential work, and eventually ran his own general contracting and custom carpentry business. He has also overseen school construction projects from the owner’s side while working in school administration.
For mason contractors, the story is a reminder that workforce development is increasingly local and relationship-driven. When schools and employers align on what “learning by doing” looks like, students get clearer options, and the trades get a stronger shot at building the next generation of crews.
Read the full, original article from Building Indiana Business here.