Jim Pape has joined West Kentucky Community and Technical College as vice president of Workforce and Economic Development, having served as a manufacturing specialist for nearly seven years at the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
For the past six and a half years, Pape has worked with manufacturers in Illinois and other partner states to improve their businesses by managing projects in production, engineering, production inventory control, safety, finance, quality, research & development, and the general business office. Throughout his career, Pape has specialized in building high performance teams to achieve business success. He has also been a member of the adjunct faculty at WKCTC, John A. Logan College and Rend Lake College.
A resident of Southern Illinois, Pape earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from SIU-Carbondale. Pape has extensive work experience in the automotive, defense, chemical, energy and food sectors. He has held positions as plant manager, operations manager, and vice president and general manager for international companies.
A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Pape is also a Certified Behavioral Analyst, a Certified Lead Auditor for ISO/TS, a Certified Family Business Advisor, and has advanced sales training from the Xerox Professional Sales School and Solution Selling.
“We feel very fortunate to have Jim Pape join WKCTC,” said WKCTC President Barbara Veazey. “Jim will work with economic development leaders throughout the region to assure that WKCTC can provide customized training for both existing and future industry. Jim brings valuable work experience, industry recognized certifications and a proven track record of providing quality instruction and consultation.”