INDIANAPOLIS (AP): Former Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann has been selected as the next president for the state’s community college system.

Ivy Tech Community College trustees voted 11-0 Wednesday afternoon to hire Ellspermann, who has been considered the leading candidate for the job for months.

Her candidacy was supported by Republican Gov. Mike Pence, who appoints all members of the Ivy Tech board. Pence praised Ellspermann months before she stepped down in March as lieutenant governor, calling her an “ideal” candidate for the Ivy Tech job.

Ellspermann was the founding director of the Center for Applied Research and Economic Development at the University of Southern Indiana.

She will replace Thomas Snyder on July 1. Snyder is retiring this summer after overseeing Ivy Tech’s more than 30 campuses since 2007.