Weaver named to lead JJCL (4/24/04)

A familiar voice to residents of Jay and surrounding counties has been tabbed to direct operations at a local higher learning cooperative.

Rob Weaver, who began a career in radio more than 25 years ago after several years as a teacher, was named this week as executive director for the John Jay Center for Learning.

Weaver, the owner and general manager of WPGW in Portland, will begin his duties June 1. He will replace longtime Jay County administrator Sam Shoemaker.

Shoemaker, the only director that JJCL has had during its two and a half years in existence, will work his last day on June 11.

“I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of Sam Shoemaker. He’s done such a great job ... of getting the John Jay Center off the ground,” Weaver said Friday. “I’ve always had an interest in education. When the opportunity opened up of not only developing the John Jay Center for Learning ... but saving the Weiler Building, I thought that sounded like an interesting opportunity.”

The JJCL, which serves as a broker for educational opportunities from three different sources (Ivy Tech State College, Indiana Wesleyan University and Jay School Corporation), has grown from zero students to serving more than 300 for fall and spring semester courses.

“We are thrilled to have Rob as our next executive director,” JJCL board president Doug Inman said in a press release. “The knowledge and skills he possesses are invaluable and the board feels that he is the right person to lead the organization into the future.”

The educational opportunities offered by JJCL range from degree programs to adult basic education/general education diploma (GED) programs. There is an emphasis on meeting the employee/worker training needs of local business and industry.

Weaver, 56, has for 26 years been a familiar voice to area residents during his 6 to 10 a.m. shift, as well as doing play-by-play on local sporting events.

Although he says that future plans for staffing at the station aren’t complete, he is certain that he will be phasing out as morning show host.

“I do plan to still do the sports in the evenings. I plan to phase out the mornings. I plan to do interviews whenever I can when it doesn’t interview with my duties at John Jay,” said Weaver. “That will be very difficult to leave my friends I never see in the morning since I’ve been doing that for 26 years.”

Weaver and wife Mindy, a teacher at Jay County High School, have two children in college (Libby at Wittenburg University and Kyle at Wabash College).

The family attends the Church of the Brethren in Portland.

A native of Marion, Weaver moved to Portland in 1978 following an eight-year career in secondary education — including the last five years at Northeastern High School near Fountain City.

Weaver, who served as member and president of the Jay School Board, is a longtime active member of several area organizations.

He has been a member of the Jay County Fair Board for more than 20 years and is also a member and president-elect of the Portland Lions Club.

He has served as second vice president of the Arts Place board of directors, as a board member of the Jay County Visitors and Tourism Bureau and is a director emeritus of United Way of Jay County.

Weaver said that his first task on the job will be to familiarize himself with the center and its operations.

“My first job really, as I see it, is to evaluate what has been done and the successful things that have happened and try to improve on those if I can,” Weaver said.

“At this point in time I don’t have any specific new ideas ... but sometimes a fresh mind can come up with some new ideas that might increase involvement with the community and the center.”[[In-content Ad]]