In the mid 1990’s, Lora Busch owned her own landscaping business serving Indianapolis and Carmel when she an ad in the paper about Area 30 Career Center starting a landscape class.

In 1995, Busch began the landscape class at Area 30 and never looked back, becoming the assistant director and director of Area 30 before recently announcing her intentions to retire from Area 30.

“I will be working in my yard, learning to golf and spending more time with my husband, family, friends and dogs. And, I will be staying close to Career and Technical Education, as I have accepted the position as the Executive Director of Indiana Association of Career and Technical Education Districts,” Busch told the Putnam County Post.

Busch told Putnam County Post the opportunity to start up the landscape class and put her Horticulture Education degree from Purdue to use was “exciting,” as it allowed her to put her 13 years of work experience to test.

“I did my student teaching and it was fun to see the way kids had changed over the years. I enjoyed working with high school students, and they enjoyed being able to apply the knowledge they learned in the classroom. We installed and maintained landscapes all over Putnam County. The class was popular with students and community members and we stayed very busy. I worked year-round so we were able to employ students in the summer. We continued our landscape work right up until school started,” Busch said.

And, Busch never stopped learning, earning a Master’s Degree in Adult Education in 2000, followed by a Director’s License two years later. In 2003, she became the assistant director at Area 30 and in 2008, she was named the executive director of Area 30.

“I am most proud of the staff, who have created an environment that encourages the love of learning through multiple avenues. One accomplishment is the number of certifications and dual credits that are earned while in high school that create opportunities for students as they enter college and their chosen careers,” Busch told the Putnam County Post.

During her time in education, Busch admits she has seen an increased awareness of career and technical education and its value to students, families and the community.

“Area 30 mirrors our high schools’ student bodies and we are proud to serve all students. Area 30 has had the opportunity to provide students with current industry equipment, software and other resources through local, state and federal grants and donations from our local community partners. We have increased the number of program offerings from 10 to 18 in the past 14 years. When I started with Area 30 in 1995, we had about 150 students enrolled. We now average about 365 each year,” Busch said.

With a vision statement of “Explore opportunities, experience excellence and realize potential,” Busch says Area 30 is there for all students, regardless of what their post-high school plans are.

“It is important for students to leave high school with a plan. Area 30 provides students with the opportunity to explore multiple career areas and this is accomplished through work based learning, clinical experiences and operation of business enterprises within their program areas. Area 30 has prepared students to enter the workforce at a high level with skills, certifications and experiences that employers are seeking. Students also secure college credit and this provides them with a better understanding of the educational expectations post secondary institutions. This also saves students thousands of dollars each year,” Busch said.