Steve Ovel

Steve Ovel serves as Executive Director of Governmental Relations for Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. During his 26 years at Kirkwood, he has provided administrative leadership to the areas of development and foundations, community relations, economic development, business and industry training, grants and governmental relations and assistant to the president. Mr. Ovel is a member of the board of directors of the Iowa Workforce Development Department and was involved in the redesign of Iowa’s workforce development delivery system in 1996. He has served on the national board of directors of The Workforce Alliance and is a member of TWA’s Priorities Council. He is also a member of AACC’s Workforce Policy Advisory Group. For the past 17 years, he has served the Iowa community college system as a lobbyist before the Iowa Legislature specializing in job training, workforce and economic development, corrections education and telecommunications issues.