“Horizon. Education. Alliance. Three words to transform Elkhart County”
February 12
1:30-2:30 pm at Greencroft Community Center, Jennings Auditorium
Horizon Education Alliance (HEA) was founded in 2012 to build on an idea that had been percolating in Elkhart County for many years: working together, the business community and the education community could help make this a world-class place to learn, live, work, and play. As the founding President & CEO, Brian Wiebe has been in the center of that work for the last 7+ years, fostering partnerships that have led to collaboration and innovation in the educational space, from early childhood, through K-12 and higher education, and into adult lifelong learning.
About Brian Wiebe
In November 2009, Brian Wiebe joined 200 other Elkhart County leaders to determine the best response to the Great Recession’s negative impact on our community. Beginning in 2011, he became the lead visionary for what would become Horizon Education Alliance (HEA), and then in 2012, he was selected by the new HEA board of school superintendents and business CEOs to be the organization’s first leader. Since that time, he has overseen growth in staffing, governing board, budget, and countywide influence as HEA has launched the effort to raise educational outcomes in Elkhart County.
Prior to HEA, Brian worked as an educator for 25 years in early childhood, middle education, high school, and higher education as a teacher, professor, and administrator, including 10 years as founding Executive Director of the Goshen College Music Center. During these 25 years, he conducted orchestras, choirs, operas, and a dozen performances of Handel’s Messiah.
Brian has a Master’s Degree in music from Northwestern University and a Master’s in Arts in Intercultural Leadership from Goshen College. He has served on local, regional and national boards, and was one of the initial co-chairs of the South Bend / Elkhart Region’s “Education and Workforce Committee.” When he’s not working he enjoys training for marathons, and in mid-2019, he survived the swim and bike portions of his first triathlon and completed a Half Ironman.