Last Updated on August 23, 2022 by Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region
KOKOMO, Ind. – Mike and Kelly Karickhoff, longtime leaders in Kokomo and Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo, were honored recently with the Distinguished Citizens Award presented by the Sagamore Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Mike also received the National Eagle Scout Association’s Outstanding Eagle Scout Award while Kelly was honored with the prestigious Sagamore of the Wabash Award given by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.
More than 100 community leaders were on hand to celebrate the awards during the Boy Scouts’ annual Distinguished Citizens Dinner held in the Hingst Hall community room on the Ivy Tech Kokomo Campus.
As Alan Parks, scout executive for the Sagamore Council, said, “This was a great night honoring two local leaders whose impact and leadership are in the very fabric of Howard County and the Sagamore Council.”
In his remarks, Mike said, “Scouting is the best youth leadership program in the world,” adding that his experiences in Scouting helped prepare him for his careers in parks and recreation and government service. “Tonight, we are here to support the Sagamore Council and the future of Scouting in our community,” he said. Saying Scouting prepares young people for the world they have in front of them, Mike continued, “We need more Scouts, with the values and work ethic that Scouting instills.”
The event raised more than $22,000 to support the programming of the Sagamore Council, which serves 15 counties in central Indiana.
Both Karickhoffs have made extensive contributions to Ivy Tech and the Kokomo community.
Mike, a long-time Boy Scout, camp counselor, and volunteer, served as executive director of Facilities for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area from 2002 to 2019, a job that included overseeing the construction of the College’s Logansport campus. A state representative since 2010, he was a strong supporter of state funding for the transformation of Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Campus, which he helped plan. Mike now serves as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Indiana House of Representatives. He was superintendent of the Kokomo Parks Department from 1985 to 2002 and served on the Kokomo Common Council. In addition to the Boy Scouts, Mike’s volunteer experiences have included various economic development organizations, the Kokomo Kiwanis Club, the American Red Cross, United Way, and the YMCA’s Y’s Men’s Club.
Kelly is executive director of Resource Development for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area. In this role, she leads a team that has raised more than $17 million over the last 10 years to advance the College’s mission. She has been an active leader in the community for more than 30 years, serving for more than 20 years as executive director of the Howard County Historical Society. Her volunteering has included leadership positions with groups ranging from the United Way to the Kokomo Visitors and Convention Bureau and service as a Kokomo High School cheerleading coach.
Speaking on behalf of Ivy Tech, Kokomo Interim Chancellor Ethan Heicher described the Karickhoffs’ work in completing the $43 million transformation of the Kokomo Campus where the banquet was held.
“Their fingerprints are all over this campus,” Heicher said. “The contributions Kelly and Mike have made to our campus are immeasurable.”
Mike and Kelly have four daughters and 10 grandchildren they are enormously proud of.