Former hospital exec Kitchell picked to chair Governor’s Workforce Cabinet

Former Indiana University Health executive Ryan Kitchell has been tapped to serve as chair of the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet.

Gov. Eric Holcomb Friday appointed Kitchell to chair the cabinet, replacing former chair and Indiana Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers, who announced she would step down from both roles in November.

Kitchell was executive vice president and chief administrative officer at IU Health from 2016 until he left the position in 2019. He had been at IU Health in other roles since 2010.

Prior to working at IU Health, Kitchell served as public finance director and later as the director of the Office of Management and Budget for former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. He also served in corporate treasury and controllership roles at Eli Lilly and Co.

He also serves on several boards, including the Indiana Sports Corp., Old National Bancorp, Cancer Treatment Centers of American and OneAmerica Financial Partners.

Kitchell, who was IBJ’s 2015 CFO of the Year, holds an economics degree from Indiana University, a masters of business administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and has the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

The Governor’s Workforce Cabinet was formed in 2018 with the mission of addressing education and employment needs for individuals and employers. The membership includes the business community, K-12 representatives, postsecondary institutions, Indiana lawmakers and leaders from state agencies.