Indian River State College Announces Key Leadership Appointments

Indian River State College Announces Key Leadership Appointments

July 31, 2023 Robert Lane

FORT PIERCE—Indian River State College (IRSC) has announced three key personnel appointments, including naming a new head of security for all five campuses across Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties.

Salvatore Cardella comes to the College with more than 22 years of law enforcement, security management, and operations experience. He is versed in advanced law enforcement practices, tactics, and training, with experience that includes emergency response, high liability instruction and training, and implementation of operational and supervisory controls. As Chief of Campus Safety, Cardella plans, directs and evaluates all aspects of campus safety, security and emergency operations at all IRSC campuses.

Cardella most recently served as the Director of Security for Wellpath—a medical and mental healthcare facility in Martin County. Prior to that, he was Asset Protection and Operations Manager for Walmart in Fort Pierce. From 2006 to 2021, He served as a Deputy Sheriff for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, where he was the Lead Instructor for the Training Division and was named Deputy of the Year in 2016. From 2001 to 2005, he was a Captain in the Florida Department of Corrections, serving in Miami. Cardella holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Virginia University.

William Ward is as Associate Vice President of Capital Planning for IRSC. In this role, Ward provides leadership for the division of Capital Planning, Capital Projects, and Facilities Maintenance. His responsibilities include facilities planning and management and maintaining communications with consultant engineers and architects, construction managers, contractors, college committees and staff members.

Previously, Ward was Vice Chancellor of Facilities and Police Operations for the Pima County Community College District in Tucson, Arizona—one of the tenth-largest community college districts in the nation. Ward was a member of the College’s Executive Leadership Team overseeing an operational budget of more than $25 million with a capital/revenue budget as high as $250 million. Ward earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Career and Technical Education from Indiana State University.

Prashanth Pilly, Ph.D., was named Associate Vice Provost of Academic Affairs at IRSC in March. Dr. Pilly previously served as IRSC’s Dean of Business. Dr. Pilly provides strategic counsel to the Provost and is accountable for administrative and budgetary support in the areas of, among other things, Liberal Arts, the School of Science, the School of Education, Adult Education, Workforce Education and Development, Health Science, the School of Nursing, Public Service Education, Business, the Institute for Academic Excellence, and IRSC Online. He works with College administration to establish and execute the priorities of the College. Dr. Pilly also ensures student support and success through program quality and functions as an education support person for issues and challenges within Academic Affairs.

Dr. Pilly started at IRSC as an Adjunct Professor in the Business Department in 2012. He was appointed Department Chair of the College’s School of Business in 2017 and then appointed Dean of Business in January 2018. Dr. Pilly also is a Visiting Professor at Xamk South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences and the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. He is currently Co-Chair for the Florida Department of Education’s Council of Workforce Education.

Dr. Pilly received a Ph.D. in Business Administration and Marketing from Northcentral University, a Master’s Degree in Business, Management, Marketing and Related Support Services from the University of Phoenix, a Master of Business Administration Degree from ICBM School of Business Excellence, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Berhampur University.

In addition to these appointments, Dr. Terri Graham, has been named Campus President of the IRSC Chastain Campus in Martin County. In her expanded role, Graham now directs operations and management of campus staff, programs, curriculum, activities and resources in Indian River and Martin counties.