Kirk White is Assistant Vice President for Strategic Partnerships at Indiana University. He joined the IU Office of the Vice President for Engagement in 2010 and is responsible for coordinating national defense and homeland security partnerships with state and federal government agencies and IU’s mutually beneficial relationships with economic development organizations in southwest Indiana. He holds additional appointments as Military Liaison for the IU Office of the President and as a member of the IU Emergency Management incident management team. Kirk joined the professional staff of IU in 1984 after completing the Bachelor of Science degree from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He has served IU in several external, alumni and government relations assignments including: Assistant to the Vice President, Director of Alumni Chapters, Assistant Director and Director of Hoosiers for Higher Education, Coordinator of IU’s Critical Incident Communications Team and most recently as Director of Community Relations.
A former elected official, Kirk served eight years as a member of the Bloomington City Council (1988-95), and one term as Monroe County Commissioner (1997-2000). In city and county office, he focused on land use planning, improving public works, utilities, public safety, emergency management, animal control and fleet management. The Association of Indiana Counties awarded Monroe County the 2001 Local Government Cooperation Award for an emergency communications system project that Commissioner White directed.
Colonel White is a Field Artillery officer in the Indiana Army National Guard and currently serves as Operations and Training Officer for 81st Troop Command, headquartered in Terre Haute. In 25 years of service, he has been assigned as Battery Fire Direction Officer, Battery Commander, Battalion Executive Officer and Battalion Commander at Headquarters, 2nd Battalion, 150th Field Artillery Regiment and G5/Chief of Plans for the 38th Infantry Division. He was called to active duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and served as chief of an Embedded Training Team with a light infantry battalion of the Afghanistan National Army (2004-05), where he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and Combat Action Badge. He served a second tour in Afghanistan (2009-10) as commander of a provisional task force responsible for base operations and force protection in Kabul and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
In June 2013, Kirk was appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court to serve a five year term on the court’s attorney disciplinary commission. He serves as a board member of the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation. Kirk is a former member of the Monroe County Economic Development Commission, former board member of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, past chairman of the board of trustees at First United Methodist Church in Bloomington and is past president of the Rotary Club of Bloomington North.
He and his wife Janice have two daughters.
