Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann announced this afternoon that she will leave her post as Lt. Governor. This also means Indiana will soon have a new Secretary of Agriculture. By virtue of the position, the Lt. Governor is Secretary of Agriculture and in charge of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

A TV report on WISH-TV, channel 8, in Indianapolis, airing in late December, indicated that Ellspermann was considering seeking the position of Ivy Tech president. However, her press secretary, Dennis Rosebrough, confirms that she has not yet been offered that post. According to her official statement released today, she has applied for the positon and the Ivy Tech trustees have yet to announce a decision.

Her statement adds: “I was approached by friends of Ivy Tech about the position to which I gave thoughtful consideration. I then took this opportunity to the governor and we agreed that this might be an even better ‘seat on the bus’ for me as leading Ivy Tech could impact workforce development and the economic future of our state in a very significant way.”

Ellspermann did not mention agriculture or her role as Secretary of Agriculture directly in her prepared statement released to the press. She appeared at the Purdue University Ag Alumni Fish Fry on Feb. 6, and presented Donya Lester with the Sagamore of the Wabash award. Pence appeared via a pre-recorded video message.

Ellspermann, from Ferdinand, served in the Indiana House for two years before becoming Pence’s running mate in 2012.

Meanwhile, Pence announced this afternoon that he will ask the legislature to approve Eric Holcomb as the next Lt. Governor of Indiana. Holcomb is former head of the Indiana Republican Party, and served as a deputy chief of staff to former Gov. Mitch Daniels. He also has served as Senator Coats’ state chief of staff.

Holcomb announced his bid for the U.S. Senate recently. Then just yesterday, he announced he was withdrawing from the race.

By statute Holcomb will also become the next Secretary of Agriculture, if approved by the Indiana General Assembly.