Ascend Indiana, the talent and workforce development initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), announced today that Alpen Patel will join its Board of Directors.

Patel is director of Manufacturing Operations at Caterpillar Inc.’s Lafayette Engine Center.

“Alpen is an exceptional addition to our board and will help expand not only Ascend Indiana’s geographic footprint but will bring additional perspectives from Indiana’s largest industry sector, advanced manufacturing, as we collectively work to build Indiana’s talent pipeline,” said Brad Rhorer, president and CEO of Ascend Indiana.

Patel has global experience in the areas of product design, supplier development, quality systems management, manufacturing engineering, 6 Sigma & Lean, and most recently facility-level leadership.