Joel Schleusner is Blackhawk’s new administrative chair for the Business Department after serving as a full-time instructor for five years in the college’s Business Management and Leadership Development programs. He officially began his new role in January.

Joel started off his career in banking but felt called to education after he became an adjunct instructor for his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he earned a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees.

He went on to teach math at Edgerton High School while continuing to teach part-time at UW-Whitewater.

After his children graduated from high school, Joel joined Blackhawk, which has provided him with many opportunities to help others and form relationships.

“As a banker, I was able to help people with their financial needs, but I wasn’t around my customers enough to get to know them personally,” he said.

Joel appreciates the interesting backgrounds of the students, which he believes brings a lot of great experiences to the classroom. He also cites the staff as something special, with caring and helpful people in every department.

When it comes to Blackhawk’s flexible education model, Joel believes that flexibility is paramount to students’ success.

“In the Business Department, the typical student has been out of high school for a number of years, and many of our students have jobs and families,” he said. “MyEdChoice allows the flexibility for our students to schedule their school time around their already busy lives.”

Blackhawk has great people working as instructors, advisors and other student support positions - all of whom want to see their students succeed, he said.

Joel has been married to Leslie, a Blackhawk Dental Hygienist alumna, for 33 years. They have two adult children, Jarod and Jacob, and a one-year-old Shar Pei named Ruby. Joel and his wife enjoy hiking, biking, attending concerts and spending time with friends.