Dr. Ian Roark serves as the Vice President of Workforce Development & Strategic Partnerships for Pima Community College. As the college’s single point of contact for workforce and economic development initiatives, Ian works with internal and external stakeholders to respond to the workforce needs of businesses and industry, and leads the college-wide alignment to the economic development priorities of the region and state.

Ian holds a Bachelor of Music from Angelo State University, a Master’s of Education/Educational Leadership from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

He is dedicated to collective impact partnerships, community college innovation, the future of work, early college programs, and business and industry engagement, with an emphasis on learner access, success, and upward mobility.

Ian currently serves on the: Pima Association of Government Economic Vitality Advisory Committee; Tucson Metro Chamber Board of Directors; Arizona Community College Coordinating Council Workforce & Economic Development Committee (Chair); the Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center Executive Committee, and more.

He was named to the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence for 2019-2020, received the Workforce Development Practitioner of the Year Award from the Arizona Association for Economic Development in 2019, served as the Steering Committee Lead for Arizona’s Reskilling & Recovery Network Team in 2020, was named to the New America New Models for Career Preparation Advisory Committee in 2021, and was selected as a Designer in Residence by the Education Design Lab for 2021-2022.

Ian has been married to his awesome wife, Landi, who is an exemplary public school teacher, for 23 years. They have two children; a fun-loving, witty, and athletic son who is 14; and an artistic, mathematical, and scientific daughter, who is 18 and is attending Arizona State University. Together, they enjoy road trips, watching movies, and backyard cookouts. Ian’s favorite activities include hiking, camping, and writing and playing music.