A Fort Dodge Police Department captain will be joining the administrative staff at Iowa Central Community College this summer.

Capt. Ryan Gruenberg, public information officer for the FDPD, has accepted the position of vice president of operations.

“That’s going to be a new position for us, and we’re absolutely ecstatic to have Ryan join our team,” said Iowa Central President Jesse Ulrich.

The addition of the position is part of the restructure of the administrative cabinet, Ulrich said. As VP of operations, Gruenberg will be overseeing all the operations of the institution, including the college’s facilities and its capital projects, technology and informational services.

“Being spread across nine counties, we really need that one individual to make sure that we’re on top of our capital projects, which by our estimation is we’ve got about $36 million worth of projects in the next two to three years that Ryan will be overseeing.”

Gruenberg’s background, serving 12 years in the Fort Dodge Police Department, made him a prime candidate for the leadership position at Iowa Central, Ulrich said.

“What really stood out to us with Ryan is his servant leadership, his attention to detail, as well as his experience with the city of Fort Dodge Police Department,” he said. “He really oversees the operations of the department and a lot of those skills transfer right into what we will be needing him to do here at the college.”

The journey in transitioning from the FDPD to Iowa Central will be a bittersweet one, Gruenberg said.

“While I am stepping away from a career I have truly loved, I am more than excited to see what the future holds as the newest member of the Triton Family,” he said. “As I have often shared with my colleagues, life is like a rollercoaster. It is full of ups and downs, twists and turns that most of us never see coming. This opportunity to become the vice president of operations has certainly turned into one of those rollercoaster moments.”

Spending the last decade with the FDPD has given Gruenberg an extended family of sorts.

“The Fort Dodge Police Department has been an absolutely fantastic place to be over the last 12 years,” he said. “I have had the opportunity to work alongside some of the most dedicated and professional police officers in the field today. The Fort Dodge community should be extremely proud of the officers that protect and serve them on a daily basis. They are truly some of the best of the best.”

Gruenberg’s contract, which was approved by the Iowa Central Board of Trustees on April 12, is for one year with a salary of $125,000. He will begin his duties with the college July 1. He said he is unsure of when his last day with the FDPD will be, but he expects sometime in late June.

“As I transition to this new role, I am beyond excited to become a part of one of Iowa’s premier community colleges,” he said. “Doing my part to make Iowa Central a college of choice for those within our region and beyond is a vision I cannot wait to become involved with. The Iowa Central community has already shown an outpouring of support to me and my family and we are thankful for this opportunity to become members of the Triton Family.”