Dr. Tracy Pierner has been the President of Blackhawk Technical College since 2016, marking his return to his home state and the Wisconsin Technical College System, where he began his career in higher education. Prior to joining Blackhawk Technical College, Dr. Pierner was the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan. In this role, he oversaw all academic programs, online learning, the library, faculty development, tutoring, workforce development, and continuing education. He also served on several influential boards, including the Workforce Intelligence Network, Southeast Michigan Community Alliance, Michigan Project Lead the Way Executive Leadership Committee, and the business advisory board of the Advanced Technology Academy.
Before his tenure at Henry Ford College, Dr. Pierner was the Dean of Technical Education at Aiken Technical College in Aiken, South Carolina, where he led technical education programs and developed training partnerships with industry. Under his leadership, the college's flexible approach to education earned the faculty the A. Wade Martin Innovator of the Year Award in 2012. His contributions were recognized by the South Carolina Technical Education Association, which named him Administrator of the Year for 2011-2012, in addition to receiving the same honor from Aiken Technical College.
Dr. Pierner began his higher education career in 1999 as an Engineering Technology instructor at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, Wisconsin. There, he developed an Automation Engineering Technology program and played a key role in redesigning the Electromechanical Technology program. He was also part of the team that designed the Manufacturing Technology Center and introduced a flexible, modular delivery model for several associate degree programs, fostering strong industry-education partnerships.
Before transitioning to higher education, Dr. Pierner worked as an engineer at Rockwell Automation, serving in their facilities in Milwaukee, Mequon, and Appleton, Wisconsin, as well as in Cleveland, Ohio. His professional experience also includes engineering consultation with Kimberly-Clark Corp.’s research and engineering division in Neenah, Wisconsin, and service in the Army Reserves.
Dr. Pierner holds a Ph.D. in Technology Management with a focus on Manufacturing Systems from Indiana State University, a Master’s degree in Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.