Joseph Welch, the chairman, president and CEO of ITC Holdings Corp. based in Novi, has been named to the board of trustees of 4,500-student Lawrence Technological University.
Joseph Welch
Trustees at Lawrence Tech establish strategic direction, help formulate and approve major institutional policies, and hire the university’s executive team. They serve without compensation.
Since the beginning of his career in the utility business in 1971, Welch has held positions of increasing responsibility in electricity transmission, distribution, rates, load research, marketing, pricing, and regulatory affairs that included the development and implementation of regulatory strategies. He established ITCTransmission as a stand-alone entity from its parent corporation in 2003 in Michigan.
ITC has become the largest independent electricity transmission company in the country, with high-voltage transmission systems serving the majority of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Through its subsidiaries, ITC serves a combined peak load exceeding 26,000 megawatts along 15,000 circuit miles of transmission line. The company also focuses on expansion in areas where significant transmission system improvements are needed through ITC Grid Development and its subsidiaries.
Welch has a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kansas and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Michigan. He is the co-author of “Competitive Energy Markets: The Power of Choice.”
Active in business organizations, Welch is the chairman of the board of directors of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce and recently served as chairman of its 2013 Mackinac Policy Conference. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Detroit Economic Club. Welch is an advocate for preparing more American students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees.
“Mr. Welch is a valuable addition to our board because of his experience as a leader in his field, as an electrical engineer, and as an entrepreneur,” said Lloyd E. Reuss, chairman of the university’s board of trustees. “LTU recently added a concentration in power engineering, so his knowledge of current and emerging industry needs will be especially helpful.”
Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 7 percent of universities for return on undergraduate tuition investment, and highest in the Detroit metropolitan area. Lawrence Tech is also listed in the top tier of Midwestern universities by U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review. Students benefit from small class sizes and experienced faculty who provide a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus include over 60 student clubs and organizations and a growing roster of NAIA varsity sports.