WORKCON 2019 SPONSORS

PREMIUM SPONSORS

San Bernardino Workforce Development Board

Northern Rural Training and Employment Consortium (NoRTEC)

PLATINUM SPONSORS

Grant Associates

Public Consulting Group, Inc.

G*Stars/ AGS Data Systems

SILVER SPONSORS

CASAS

CompTIA

Emsi

Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board

Geographic Solutions

Jobspeaker

KRA

LiteracyPro Systems

PAIRIN

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

9:30 – 11:30 Pre-Conference Training Sessions

The Barrier Buster: New, Faster and More Powerful Ways to Eliminate Barriers to

Employment!

Garden 1

Larry Robbin, Executive Director, Robbin & Associates

The way we address barriers is stuck in a time when there were fewer and less

daunting barriers than what we see today. Individuals with multiple and

powerful barriers require a whole host of new and innovative strategies, but our

approach has not always kept up with this new reality. If you are curious about

new ways to reframe your barrier conversations, don't miss this preconference

training.

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Check out why this is one of the most requested regional training sessions in

California!

Grant Writing: How to Give Yourself a Fighting Chance

Harbor / 2nd Floor

Tressa A. Dorsey, President, TAD Grants

Grant writing is one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs in the world. The

best grant writers adhere to a process and know that organization and having a

strong team is imperative to success. Those that are not grant writers that find

themselves contributing content, research or data may feel overwhelmed with

looming deadlines and a lack of clarity.

This workshop will focus on the core fundamentals of how to respond to funding

opportunities from Federal and State Agencies. Attendees will learn a strategic

process to organize their efforts, learn how to identify the key roles in a grant

writing team and what grant reviewers are looking for in a winning proposal.

Courtroom to Breakroom: Secrets to Employment for Clients with Criminal

Convictions

Garden 2

Toni White, Attorney at Law; Co-Founder, Ascend Program Inc.

A criminal defense attorney who co-founded the acclaimed Ascend Program

speaks to the root causes of crime, solutions for stopping the revolving door of

the criminal justice system, and the new era of employment discrimination

faced by clients with criminal records. Learn how Ascend is using Accelerator

6.0 funding to forge a new way through these challenges.

Serving Customers with Disabilities

Pacific / 2nd Floor

Toni Bamford, Training Officer, Disability Access Services Training Team

California Department of Rehabilitation

This training will help staff understand different disability experiences, improve

customer service interactions, discuss disability etiquette practices and share the

use of effective communication strategies.

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SPECIAL FORUM ON RURAL ISSUES

10:00 – 11:30

Garden 3

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Facilitator: Kathy Garcia, Tehama County Job Training Center, NoRTEC

This Forum will provide those operating programs and providing services in rural

areas an opportunity to share successes and challenges. Take a “data walk”

around rural issues, and be inspired by new ideas for getting programs designed

for urban areas to work in more sparsely populated and/or agricultural

communities.

12:45 – 2:00 Opening Plenary Grand Ballroom A - D

Welcome

Jan Vogel, Chair, CWA;

Executive Director/ CEO, South Bay Workforce Investment Board

Keynote Address

The Economic Graph: Significant Trends Relevant to Learning and Employment

Joey Zumaya, Manager, Public Sector, LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn’s Economic Graph is a digital representation of the global economy

based on over 610 million members, 50 thousand skills, 30 million companies, 20

million open jobs and 84 thousand schools. In short, it’s all the data on LinkedIn.

Through mapping every member, company, job and school, LinkedIn can spot

trends in talent migration, hiring rates and in-demand skills. These insights provide

a data rich context for partnering with governments and organizations around

the world to help them better connect people to employment opportunities.

2:30 – 3:30 Curious: Round One Workshops

A Different Look at Recidivism and What We Can Do About It

Garden 1

Toni White, Attorney at Law and Co-Founder, Ascend Program Inc.

A criminal defense attorney who co-founded the acclaimed Ascend Program

speaks to the root causes of crime, solutions for pulling clients out of the

revolving door of the criminal justice system, the new era of employment

discrimination being faced by clients with criminal records, and the little lapses

that can send clients back to prison.

A New Playbook? Workforce Development in a Full Employment Economy

Garden 2

David Shinder, Workforce Consultant

L. Bradley Williams, VP for Operations, ResCare Workforce Services

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For decades, the workforce system has operated under a set of norms and

tactical standards that address the needs of job seekers and businesses. But are

our best practices from the past still relevant in a full employment economy?

Across a wide range of sectors, businesses are thriving and seeking talent at all

levels, and even the least experienced workers are being hired to meet industry

needs. The remaining talent pool is shallow and unemployed job seekers include

many with multiple barriers to employment. Innovative approaches and

creative strategies are needed to marry the unique needs of today’s lean and

talent-hungry businesses with a talent pool that needs development.

This session will consider opportunities for re-writing the “workforce development

playbook” to include more agile labor market approaches. This session will

heighten your curiosity and empower you to think beyond current practices and

embrace new ideas for meeting both the demand and supply sides of our

economy.

Creating a Marketing & Communications Plan That You Can Start Tomorrow

Garden 3

Laura Kohn, Director of CLIMB and Marketing & Communications

Stephani Mitchell, Marketing & Communications Specialist

Wilda Wong, Senior Marketing & Communications Specialist

San Diego Workforce Partnership

The Marketing & Communications Team from the San Diego Workforce

Partnership will facilitate a discussion and share strategic frameworks and

accessible tools that have helped humanize programs and services, share

research, promote equity in the region and fuel public and private fundraising.

Join us for an action-driven conversation on how to tackle workforce

development communications by putting goals and objectives first.

MOU: From Concept to Reality Through Shared Success

Garden 4

Angela Gardner, President, Workforce Development Solutions, Inc.

One-Stop Operator, San Bernardino County

Bessine Richard, Grace Cleveland & Cheryl Shelby,

AJCC Managers, San Bernardino County Workforce Development Department

Todd Haag, Principal, Chaffey Adult School

Adele McClain, Administrator, Apple Valley Adult School

Timothy Vasquez, Assistant Manager, Economic Development & Corporate

Training, Workforce Development, San Bernardino Community College District

Rhonda Wolke, Interim Deputy Director, Transitional Assistance Department

San Bernardino County

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How do 29 entities representing 15 WIOA programs come together as one

system with one vision?

Join this lively group to discover how San Bernardino County has taken the WIOA

MOU from concept to reality. Participate in a thoughtful conversation with AJCC

System Partners who will share strategies they used to develop cooperative

working relationships and deliver integrated services to employers and job

seekers. Also, hear from a participant who has benefitted from partners working

together.

Mind the Soft Skills Gap: Are We Focusing on Employers’ True Needs?

Harbor

Blake Konczal, Executive Director

Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board

Erik Cherkaski, Business Services Manager

Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board

Brenda G, Budke, SPHR-Executive Director, Sierra HR Partners, Inc.

With so much attention paid to the skill gap, are workforce development efforts

focusing on the hiring issues that matter most to employers? While the emphasis

has been on investing in training for technical skills, studies and employer

feedback continue to highlight the importance of soft skills in both hiring and job

retention in a wide variety of industries.

Learn how the Fresno Workforce Development Board is working with employers

to understand the exact nature of the soft skills required for individuals to be

work ready and a better fit for what business is looking for. Walk away with

strategies for employer engagement and training development.

LAUNCH: Beyond the California Apprenticeship Initiative

Pacific

Joshua Modlin, Project Director, Apprenticeship Support Network,

Foundation for California Community Colleges

Nick Esquivel, Apprenticeship Coordinator,

California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office

Charles Henkels, Apprenticeship Director, Norco College

Over the last four years the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office

has competitively awarded 80 grants through the California Apprenticeship

Initiative (CAI). This $60 million investment is intended to expand Apprenticeship

into new and innovative sectors and help underserved and under-represented

individuals gain entry and succeed in state registered apprenticeship programs.

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Learn more about potential funding opportunities and follow Norco Colleges’

journey from a program to a growing network of community colleges, workforce

boards, high schools and industry partners.

Amplify Your Employer Relationships with Dynamic Data

Salon I

Cheryl Parker, CEO, The Urban Explorer

Michele Robertson, Senior Manager, Dun and Bradstreet

Maiknue Vang, Deputy Director, Workforce Development Board of Madera

County

Some Workforce Development Boards (WDBs) are using data and analytics to

streamline and enhance relationships with businesses. Speakers will share how

your WDB can incorporate up-to-date, filtered data into their daily workflow to

improve staff efficiency, increase outreach effectiveness, and build credibility as

a leading community voice. These Boards are leveraging business data,

interactive data visualization and mapping resources in innovative ways to

support companies at all stages of the business cycle.

Seeing Yourself in Tech

Salon V

Zakiya Harris, Co-Founder, Hack the Hood

Tashae Hawkins, HTH Alumni & Community/Career Pathways Developer,

Hack the Hood

Hack the Hood is an award-winning non-profit that introduces low income youth

of color to careers in technology. Recent efforts led to the creation of a series of

videos to inspire youth to explore this industry. Seeing Yourself in Tech, features a

collection of short videos showing people of color who have created thriving

careers in tech on their own terms. By showcasing success stories and

expanding the definition of “in tech” beyond the world of coding, the videos

allow young people to see themselves succeeding in the tech world.

The workshop will include a screening of selected videos as well as best

practices on how to create youth-led culturally relevant content to support

workforce development strategies in underrepresented sectors.

Employee Disability Disclosure: Should I or Shouldn’t I?

Salon VI

Toni Bamford, Training Officer, Disability Access Services Training Team

California Department of Rehabilitation

The disclosure of one’s disability is a very personal decision. This interactive

workshop will discuss the need to disclose a disability in the recruitment,

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application, interviewing and employment phases of employment including

why and when to disclose a disability; what and whom to disclose; and how to

disclose during the recruitment, application and interview stages, as well as,

strategies for disclosure once employed.

The Orange County Local Partnership Agreement Community Programming

Efforts

Salon VII – VIII

Linda O’Neal, Transition Specialist & Consultant, Chapman University;

Thompson Policy Institute, SDSU Interwork Institute & RCOC

Norman Albances, Manager, County of Orange, Community Investment Division

Arturo Cazares, Associate Director for Employment, Regional Center of Orange

County

Kurt Kosbab, Vocational Specialist, Huntington Beach UHSD

Trinh Van Erp, Team Manager, California Department of Rehabilitation

Christine Gascon, Executive Director, Adult Education,

Rancho Santiago Adult Education Consortium

Karena Gibbs, Administrator, Irvine Unified School District

The Orange County Local Partnership Agreement (OCLPA) has been

operational for 20 months and brings together representatives from community

organizations committed to improving employment opportunities for individuals

with disabilities.

Presenters will share what they have learned about cross-agency efforts

focusing on promoting, developing, and sustaining employment. Effective

workforce development strategies will be discussed, particularly their Universal

Referral Pilot Program that uses an Integrated Resource Team approach to

ensure warm handoffs between agencies.

4:00 – 5:15 Plenary Session

State of the Workforce

Bob Lanter, Executive Director, CWA

Bob Lanter will share recent data on the impact the larger workforce and

education system is having on many of the issues impacting our lives and our

communities, and that drive our politics and divisiveness.

Following his remarks, a reaction panel will discuss the new Administration in

Sacramento and the dynamics likely to play out in Washington DC now that the

Democrats control the U. S. House of Representatives. Discussion will also include

emerging priorities and initiatives that should be on our radar, new discretionary

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funding opportunities, as well as the policy and program trends likely to continue

into the foreseeable future.

Reaction Panelists

John Bailey, ETA Regional Administrator, Region 6, U.S. Department of Labor

Ron Painter, President/ CEO, National Association of Workforce Boards

Joe Xavier, Director, California Department of Rehabilitation

Yolanda Castro, Executive Director, SELACO

Michael Cross, Executive Director, NoRTEC

K-Rahn Vallatine, Founder, LiveAboveTheHype

5:30 – 7:00 Welcoming Reception North Tower Pool

Thursday, May 16, 2019

7:30 – 8:30 Continental Breakfast Grand Ballroom E - G

8:30 – 10:00 Morning Plenary Grand Ballroom A - D

Welcome and Speaker Introduction

Blake Konczal, Executive Director, Fresno Regional Workforce Board;

Treasurer, California Workforce Association

Strengthening your Curiosity Muscle

Diana Kander, Director of Innovation Culture and Habits, Maddock Douglas

Diana, a Georgetown educated attorney, left her successful law practice to

start and sell numerous business ventures, spanning software, real estate,

hospitality, construction, staffing and consulting. After the sale of her last

company, Diana spent three years as a Senior Fellow at the Ewing Marion

Kauffman Foundation, the largest non-profit in the world dedicated to

entrepreneurship and education, and two years as a professor of

entrepreneurship in the MBA program at the University of Missouri.

Diana is currently with Maddock Douglas, an innovation consulting firm. In this

role, she trains executives and Fortune 1000 companies to be more creative and

inspires employees to think like entrepreneurs. Diana is also the author of the

NYT’s Bestseller All in Startup, which is used in over 70 colleges to teach

innovation and entrepreneurship. Her most recent book is: The Curiosity Muscle.

10:30 – 11:30 More Curious: Round Two Workshops

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Integrating Case Managers as Part of a High Performing Business Engagement

Team

Garden 1

Christine Bosworth, Ed.D., Co-founder/CEO, Business U, Inc.

Celina Shands, Co-founder, Business U, Inc.

Business U’s national 2019 Workforce Case Manager Study revealed major

disconnects in how business services and case management teams coordinate

effectively to build credibility and trust with employers while meeting job seeker

performance outcomes. This session reviews the study’s preliminary findings and

offers a business engagement blueprint to help attendees strategically move

out of siloes and toward a more integrated approach to serve both demand

and supply customers.

E-Learning Training Solutions for the Modern Jobseeker

Garden 2

Phyllis Stogbauer, Deputy Director for Programs

Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board

Patricia Carlson, Training Navigator, Tooling U-SME

Steve Christianson, Founder, The Water School

Ben Munoz, Selma-Kingsburg-Fowler County Sanitation District

As technology advances and jobseekers become busier with their daily lives,

flexibility and accessibility becomes paramount and Workforce Boards must be

flexible in how they deliver trainings. Learn more about ways to provide

customer centered online e-learning training solutions that include instructor led

facilitated training.

Project HIRRE: Using Technology to Create a Participant-Centric, Integrated

Workforce, Education, and Social Services System

Garden 3

Heather Henry, Executive Director, Solano County Workforce Board

Christine Hess, Executive Director, Solano Adult Education Consortium

Garth Neil, VP Sales, and Marketing, LiteracyPro Systems

Solano County is taking a bold and collaborative step. Having identified 32

agencies, schools, and non-profits actively supporting and developing the

county’s workforce, we are transforming previously isolated entities into a

cohesive service delivery system. Learn how we are aligning synergistic

programs and leveraging data by using a data-sharing technology platform.

And, learn how we are addressing referrals, privacy concerns and cost sharing

across partners to create a participant-centered system that connects services

and supports.

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Career Pathways 180: A Strategic Approach to Serving Adults on Parole

Garden 4

Robert Chavez, Operations Manager, South Bay Workforce Investment Board

Carla Cortez, Program Manager, South Bay One-Stop Business & Career Centers-

Vincent Thompson, Parole Administrator, CDCR/ Los Angeles

Mary Weaver, Executive Director, Friends Outside/ Los Angeles

Paul Guzman, Executive Director, New Opportunities Organization

South Bay Workforce Investment Board’s Career Pathway 180 (CP 180) is a

partnership with CDCR-Parole, Friends Outside and New Opportunities

Organization to prepare recently released parolees through a comprehensive,

robust week-long workshop to learn strategies to overcome their barriers.

Learn how the Partnership allows for career ladder self-sustaining employment

through leveraged funding (including WIOA) to provide career pathway

counseling, vocational training, paid work experience, on-the-job training and

job development.

Beyond Jobs: Elevating and Supporting Irregular Employment

Harbor

Nick Schultz, Executive Director, Pacific Gateway Workforce Board

Andrew Munoz, Director of Staffing Services,

Pacific Gateway Workforce Partnership

Tens of millions of Americans are engaged in the gig economy and the numbers

are growing. Outside of the Uber/Lyft/TaskRabbit/Independent Contractor

world, most gig work is found offline and off-the-books. What is the gig economy

and what role could/should the public workforce system play to increase

stability, prospects, and quality in this area and how should the system go about

making it happen?

Learn from the approach underway in the City of Long Beach and how the

public workforce system is leading the effort.

Partnering with Purpose

Pacific

Tressa A. Dorsey, President, TAD Grants

No matter how strong, competent or productive your organization is, partnership

building is ongoing. Determining which partnerships we build, how we build

them and why, is accomplished through comprehensive evaluation and

strategic planning. Learn the process of building sustainable and intentional

partnerships through discussion and activities. Discussion will cover developing

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shared workspace, promoting accountability and common communication

guidelines.

Workforce Boards: Building a Culture of Innovation

Salon I

Ron Painter, President and CEO, National Association of Workforce Boards

Tom Kavanaugh, Senior Consultant, Public Consulting Group

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act expanded the role of local

workforce boards by pushing boards to think beyond the mandates of the

federal law and focus on strategic planning for the workforce system in their

communities. This session will focus on how to understand the shifting dynamics

in workforce development and how to bring new visioning to the table.

Inspiring Generation Z and Preparing Government Agencies for the Future Public

Sector Workforce

Salon II

Moderator

Randi Kay Stephens, Institute for Local Government

Panelists

Candy Vickrey Smith, Faculty,

Folsom Lake College (Los Rios Community College)

Sandra Paschal, Sacramento County Human Resources

Terri Carpenter, Sacramento Employment & Training Agency

Twenty eight per cent of all employment in the Sacramento region is in the

public sector. Learn what partners in workforce/youth development, human

resources and educators are doing to address the gray wave while innovating

pathways into public service. Fueled by curiosity and a desire to address

challenges in the civil service, leaders are diagnosing challenges, aligning

systems, and making progress. From dual enrollment and training to engaging

at-risk youth in the public sector, the team aspires to develop the diverse

workforce of the future.

Employer Fears and Misconceptions

Salon V

Toni Bamford, Training Officer, Disability Access Services Training Team

California Department of Rehabilitation

This fast-paced workshop is designed to help job placement staff dispel

employer held myths, misconceptions and misinformation that impedes the

hiring and retention of qualified job seekers with disabilities. Participants will be

able to educate prospective employers regarding common misconceptions

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and identify California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) employment

responsibilities.

Move that DigiBUS! A Creative Rapid Response Collaboration

Salon VI

Martha Espinosa, Business Services/Rapid Response Coordinator

Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board

Shannon Morrison, Adult Programming Librarian

Fresno County Public Library

May Ly, Program Specialist, CLCA

Richard Heath & Associates, Inc.

What happens when a business doesn’t want you to provide Rapid Response

Services on their premises?

Discover the creative uses of the Fresno County Library’s Digibus and learn how

7 organizations leveraged their resources to provide Rapid Response and Rapid

Reemployment Services for business closures and layoffs. Learn from case

examples in our area to improve services to dislocated workers in yours.

Using the Good Jobs, Good Business Toolkit to Meet Small Business Workforce

Development Needs

Salon VII – VIII

Kristy Henrich, Analyst, Impact Investing, Pacific Community Ventures

Tom Woelfel, Director, Impact Advisory Services, Pacific Community Ventures

Jenny Weissbourd, Senior Project Manager

Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

Jeannine LaPrad, Senior Fellow, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

Through the Aspen Institute’s Reimagine Retail Initiative, Pacific Community

Ventures has worked with small retail businesses to develop and pilot a toolkit

with practical approaches to improve job quality for their workers. Participants

will learn more about these tools, explore the opportunities and challenges in

working with small businesses on their hiring and advancement practices, and

develop new ways in which this toolkit could be adapted to meet business

needs in their own community.

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11:45 – 1:00 CHARLIE BROWN AWARDS LUNCHEON Grand Ballroom A - D

The Awards Luncheon honors those who have contributed significantly to the

workforce profession and to workforce development in their communities, and

who emulate the go-to-where-the-need-is leadership and innovation that the

late Charlie Brown embodied.

1:15 – 2:15 Even More Curious: Round Three Workshops

Questions Nurture Curiosity, Answers Crush It: Using Questions to Build Problem

Solving Capacity

Garden 1

Silver Rose, Silver Rose Enterprises

Get your curiosity mojo back! In a society that seeks instant answers, true

innovation comes from nurturing your innate curiosity by wrestling with questions.

In this funny and interactive session, you will learn how to build your strategic

problem-solving muscle by applying Appreciative Inquiry to ask good questions.

If you are feeling stagnant in your work or you often think, “There has to be a

better way,” this session is for you!

LinkedIn Learning: The Easy Way to Upgrade the Skills of Your Customers

Garden 2

Joey Zumaya, Manager, Public Sector, LinkedIn Learning

Samantha Tobin, Account Executive, Public Sector, LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning is an American massive open online course website offering

video courses taught by industry experts in software, creative, and business skills.

Find out more about ways you might use this readily available training to further

the skills and credentials of your customers.

Extreme Employer Engagement: Hiring Chambers of Commerce to Deliver WIOA

Business Services

Garden 3

Frank Avery, Executive Director, CareerSource North Central Florida

Eric Godet, CEO, Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce

Jeffrey Tate, COO, CTD Holdings; Vice Chair and Board Chair-elect,

CareerSource North Central Florida Board

Kim Tesch-Vaught, Business Development Director, Public Consulting Group

Business likes working with business. So how do we as government and non-profit

workforce boards break into the business community? For over a decade,

CareerSource North Central Florida has answered this question by putting

business on the frontlines, literally. CSNCFL has seamlessly integrated workforce

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board WIOA resources into a fully-integrated, service provider delivery model

through regional chambers of commerce. The model was recognized by the U.S

Chamber of Commerce in 2009 and serves as an enduring example of sector-

based, industry-driven business engagement strategies.

Hear how this one-of-a-kind partnership streamlines service delivery and

elevates business, economic and workforce development for the region.

Using Technology to Automate Lead Generation for Workforce and Education

Campaigns

Garden 4

Celina Shands, CEO/Founder, Full Capacity Marketing, Inc.

Lead generation is a proactive strategy to garner interest in your workforce

services and convert prospective job seekers and employers to meet targeted

performance metrics. This session deconstructs how lead generation was used

to successfully target hard to reach populations.

Participants will learn how to: 1) create compelling calls to action that generate

interest; 2) deploy outreach using common communication mediums to

capture leads; and 3) automate lead distribution and follow-up to minimize staff

time.

SNAP Employment and Training: Understanding the Opportunity, the Model and

How to Get Started

Harbor

Ken Barnes, Senior Policy Associate, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

Nick Codd, Senior Consultant, Seattle Jobs Initiative

Sarah Turner, CalFresh Employment and Training, CDSS

Robert Garcia, Program Specialist, County of Alameda

California Workforce Development Boards are integrating CalFresh E&T into their

updated WIOA plans in 2019. This session will provide an overview of the USDA’s

SNAP E&T model including the funding opportunity offered by the SNAP 50/50

reimbursement model. The panel will provide guidance and examples on how

local WDBs can collaborate with county and state CalFresh departments to

integrate services that reduce poverty and increase employability for CalFresh

participants.

Data Driven Program Management

Pacific

Tressa A. Dorsey, President, TAD Grants

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Data is a key element to determining the success of a project. Often the data

collected is not as useful as it could be. Attendees will learn what types of data

should be collected, how it can be utilized and what it can reveal about

program design flaws. The workshop will focus on how to use data to manage

teams and processes and how to incorporate performance into marketing and

grant writing campaigns.

Incumbent Worker Training: Helping Regional Businesses Compete and Thrive

Salon I

Thi Pham & Stephanie Murillo, IERPU Regional Organizers

Antonette Llano, Business Solutions Consultant

Riverside County Workforce Development

Darren Cook, Business Services Supervisor

San Bernardino County Workforce Development

The Inland Empire Regional Planning Unit has tackled Incumbent Worker Training

(IWT) regionally, developing a process that is mirrored in two counties. IWT is a

crucial service for businesses, especially in a time when the unemployment rate

is so low. Responsiveness and the ability to provide this service to businesses is

improving relationships and stimulating the economy in the Inland Empire.

Join us for a discussion on how the Inland Empire is making this work.

Creating a Skills-for-California Network

Salon II

Brianna Bruns, Director of Policy & Advocacy, California EDGE Coalition

The California EDGE Coalition, in partnership with the National Skills Coalition,

convened the first annual Skills for California Summit in February 2019 where over

100 attendees representing business, labor, community-based organizations,

workforce boards, educational institutions, and job training providers convened

to endorse a series of broad strategies for closing the skills and equity gap in

California. Come hear about the effort and join this growing network.

Honey, We Forgot the Kids! Addressing the Near Complete Absence of Youth in

Regional Plans

Salon V

David Shinder, Workforce Consultant

California’s state, regional and local plans are the best in the nation, charting

the course for effective services for priority populations and industries. The Plans,

however, are light on strategies focused specifically on youth. Local boards,

service providers, educators, and other stakeholders may find value in

developing plans to meet wide-ranging needs of young workers.

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Explore opportunities to borrow from California’s workforce planning playbook

to craft approaches that could be used to develop youth-focused workforce

plans.

STEPS Youth and STEPS Connections: Developing Innovative Solutions to

Effectively Serve Reentry Youth

Salon VI

Edward Sajor, WIOA Re-Entry Division, Ventura County HSA

Elsa Banuelos, WIOA Re-Entry STEPS-Connection Division, Ventura County HSA

Guadalupe Paz, Supervising Deputy Probation Officer,

Ventura County Probation Agency

Ivette Gutierrez, Associate, Social Policy Research Associates

Kate Dunham, Director, Workforce and Human Services Division

Social Policy Research Associates

Ventura County’s WIOA Re-Entry Division, along with its county probation

agency, is implementing the STEPS-Youth program to help youth ages 16-21 who

are on probation or incarcerated with finding unsubsidized employment. The

County is also using an Accelerator grant to fund the STEPS-Connection

program, which is aimed at identifying innovative solutions to overcome

challenges—such as a lack of transportation—to serving these youth effectively.

Learn more about the county’s curiosity-driven efforts in this interactive

workshop.

Lessons from a High-Profile Regional Workforce Initiative

Salon VII – VIII

Larry Berry, Director, K12; United Way Bay Area

Roshni Wadhwani, Research Associate, Public Profit

United Way Bay Area will be discussing their experience serving as a backbone

organization for a city-wide youth workforce initiative in San Francisco (Mayor's

Youth Jobs+) and sharing insights, best practices and failures from their

experience and recent independent evaluation of the initiative.

Programs and organizations looking to partner with the public and private

sectors around regional workforce initiatives can benefit from UWBA's seven

years of experience managing a high-impact, high-profile initiative. Join us and

learn more.

2:45 – 3:45 Curiouser: Round Four Workshops

Why Don’t They Show Up?

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Garden 1

Larry Robbin, Executive Director, Robbin & Associates

Are you curious about why job seekers either don't come to our programs or

why there are so many no shows for appointments? Job seeker no shows for

appointments are not only frustrating, but many staff waste literally weeks of

time in a year waiting for people to come. Do you wonder why more employers

are not showing up at our doors asking about our services? If our business

services are so good, why aren't more employers referring other business people

to us?

If you are a manager or staff person that wants the answers to these questions

so you can get more job seekers and employers to show up, make sure you

come to this workshop! This session is based on surveys with hundreds of job

seeker and employer customers that delved into the reasons they did not show

up. These listening sessions did not provide the obvious answers because we

were curious about the deeper level issues. Putting this revealing information

into your work will mean you will be able to better serve more job seekers and

businesses in less time because people will show up!

Learn by Texting: Improve Training Outcomes with Text Messaging

Garden 2

Kim Coulthurst, Co-Founder, CareerHub and Pathways Consultants

Amanda Gerrie, Co-Founder, CareerHub and Pathways Consultants

Tanika Carter, Senior Case Manager, Bay Area Community Resources

Karine Kanikkeberg, Resource Teacher, Kern High School District, Career

Resource Department

Ena Volic, Consultant, Los Angeles Transition Age Youth Collaborative

Did you know that Americans spend close to four hours a day on their cell

phones? Texting is a great way to communicate with clients and remind them of

meetings and events, but did you know that you can provide training via texting

too? Three service providers, serving different California regions and different

populations will share how they use texting to provide training virtually. Come

learn how virtual training can improve your outcomes, engage clients and offer

efficient online services at low cost.

Integrating Re-entry Services in Career Center Operations

Garden 3

Jim Painter, CSNCFL Board Member/Executive Director,

Florida Concrete Masonry Education Council

Sean McCoy, Business Services Manager CSNCFL, Public Consulting Group

Kim Tesch-Vaught, Business Manager, Public Consulting Group

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This session will share our experiences in creating a partnership between

CSNCFL, the Florida Department of Corrections Probation Services, community-

based organizations and employers to maximize employment opportunities for

justice involved citizens.

The integrated service plan between probation and employment specialists

resulted in 69% of clients placed in employment, and provided access to

employment, entrepreneurship training, while removing social stigma and

apprehension about working with government agencies.

More Walk, Less Talk: Creating a Culture of Accountability

Garden 4

Josh Davies, Chief Executive Officer, The Center for Work Ethic Development

One of the greatest challenges a leader faces is dealing with issues of trust and

accountability. How do you ensure the staff and customers you’re leading

demonstrate integrity on a daily basis? Personal and organizational

accountability are one of the easiest things to talk about but one of hardest to

“walk.”

Using a collaborative and positive approach, participants will go through an

experiential process to learn how to get themselves, their team and their

organization not just talking but walking accountability.

Innovative Strategies for Priority Populations Using Adult Ed: Changing Lives

Forever

Harbor

Dr. Alfred Ramirez, Director, GlendaleLEARNS, Adult Education Consortium

MaryAnn Pranke, Coordinator, GlendaleLEARNS

Verdugo Workforce Development Board

The implementation of the California Adult Education Program allowed for

innovative strategies for increasing access for English Language Learners and

individuals with intellectual disabilities, and other priority populations. Glendale

used this opportunity to integrate education with workforce development and,

using Design Thinking, implemented strategic co-enrollment that integrates

WIOA and non-WIOA sources, providing services that change lives forever.

Proven success is demonstrated through its CNC Machinist Academy for

students with autism celebrating its 88% job placement.

Careers that Build Communities: Creating Sustainable Construction Career

Pathway Models

Pacific

18

Robert Chavez, Operations Manager, South Bay Workforce Investment Board

Carla Cortez, Program Manager, South Bay One-Stop Business & Career Centers

Pamela Penn, President, PDA Consulting Group

Jason Vogel, CEO, Career Expansion

Tanya Stukes, Inclusivity & Workforce Development Manager, Kiewit

Michael Richardson, EEO DBE Manager, Skanska

The Construction Utilities Pathways Program (CUPP) supplies a pipeline of

qualified candidates by providing support services and access to training and

employment to major construction projects in LA County. CUPP’s mission is to

increase community knowledge, demystify the construction industry and help

individuals build the framework to start apprenticeship careers in the

construction industry. By providing case management, workshops and

assessments, enrolled and work-ready clients are identified to Union, Jobs

Coordinators, Contractors, Developers and Owner/Agencies.

Getting Curious About Branding

Salon I

Jose Hernandez, Sarah Sandoval & Nashon Mitchell

Career Development Program Specialists, Los Angeles County Office of

Education

Stella Garcia, Mobility Manager, 211 Los Angeles

Innovation is fueled by the power of collaboration, and transformation –

TRANSFORM your life today by getting curious about branding. Fuel your

curiosity and learn more about how the power of branding can

#changeyourlife for the better. Get curious about branding and create a

BRAND that reflects who you are and what you represent.

Not Your Grandfather’s Strategic Plan: Strategic DoingTM

Salon II

Lisa Rice, CEO, Every Strength Counts, LLC

Do you even know where your Strategic Plan is? Are you able to say that you

have accomplished most items you put into your Strategic Plan? Would you like

to have a way to strategically get things done? Join this workshop for hands on

Strategic DoingTM that will move your organization forward every 90 days.

Participants will engage in a Strategic DoingTM scenario that is realistic to the

workforce development industry.

Navigating the Legal Quagmire of Fiscal Agency in an RPU Setting

Salon VI

19

Blake Konczal, Executive Director, Fresno Regional Workforce Development

Board

Kenneth J. Price, Esquire. Baker Manock & Jensen, PC

Craig Armstrong, Attorney, Baker Manock & Jensen, PC

California’s WIOA Regional Planning Units serve to align workforce development

resources with larger regional areas and resources to provide services to job

seekers and employers. However, Local Workforce Areas having to serve as

fiscal agents for other LWAs has led to a host of unforeseen problems.

Learn about how to address these problems in a thoughtful and pragmatic way.

Curiosity Is Your Super Power

Salon VII - VIII

Wallace Walrod, Chief Economic Advisor, Orange County Business Council

Jeff Hittenberger, Chief Academic Officer, Orange County Department of

Education

Amy Kaufman, K14 Career Pathways Specialist

Los Angeles/Orange County Regional Consortium

Department of Ed & Behavioral Sciences, University of California at San Diego

Augmented Reality. Virtual Reality. Artificial intelligence. Automation. How do

we equip our students for the fourth industrial revolution? What are the

defensible competencies that cannot be automated? How can we use human-

centered design thinking to fuel students’ curiosity to become their own super

hero, and thrive in this new world of work and life?

4:00 – 5:15 Mini-Plenary Sessions

Pick the session that most appeals to you. These sessions delve more deeply into

the most daunting issues facing business, job seekers and the workforce system.

MOVING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS & REFUGEES TOWARD SUSTAINABLE

CAREER PATHWAYS

Garden 4

Moderator

Kristina Meza, Section Chief, CalFresh Employment and Training,

California Department of Social Services

Featuring

Vicki Brannock, Director of Programs, San Diego Workforce Partnership

Jason Mangold, Strategic Workforce Development Manager, CompTIA

Antonio Vigil, Supervising Employment and Training Counselor

County of Sonoma Human Services

20

Mitch Johnson, Senior Program Manager, International Rescue Committee

Is your community challenged with providing refugee and English Language

Learners with high-wage, high-growth career pathways? Do your programs assist

the under-served Limited English speaking community by connecting them

directly to language skills that could benefit them in their career?

Panelists will share some specific examples of cost effective collaborations and

partnerships that led to exceptional outcomes. Find out why a high percentage

of refugees and EEL participants completed an entire training program

sponsored by the San Diego Workforce Partnership, and how they managed to

pass the challenging certification exams taken in English in the IT world.

Learn how Sonoma County brought together partners from the business,

government and non-profit community to develop a new vocationally focused

intensive English language program.

And, discover new ways you can serve this often underserved population, and

make an even bigger impact on the lives of these individuals.

NEXT LEVEL BUSINESS SERVICES

Garden 2

Moderator

Tressa A. Dorsey, President, TAD Grants

Featuring

Brenda G. Budke, SPHR-Executive Director, Sierra HR Partners, Inc.

Erik Cherkaski, Business Services Manager,

Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board

Darren Cook, Business Services Supervisor,

San Bernardino County Workforce Development

Taking a step back and looking at business services holistically can present

challenges.

This session will include real talk on overcoming objections, identifying true

company needs and services, and connecting to partners within the

community.

Walk away with practical examples of how to market business services, promote

repeat customers, bring partner agencies together to meet the needs of the

business, ensure follow through, and other ways to exceed your business client’s

expectations.

21

INTRODUCING THE CALIFORNIA YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP COALITION

Garden 1

Moderator

Eric Flores, Policy Director, CWA

Featuring

Vinz Koller, Senior Strategist for Capacity Building, Social Policy Research

Associates

Tim Aldinger, Executive Director, Workforce Development

Foundation for California Community Colleges

Don Daves-Rougeaux, Vice President, Higher Education and Workforce

Engagement, Linked Learning Alliance

The California Youth Apprenticeship Coalition (CAYAC) was formed to improve

access to economic opportunity and increased post-secondary degree

attainment for young people in California through apprenticeships. CAYAC

brings workforce boards, educators, training providers, and employers together

with experts to build a youth apprenticeship system that is integrated, universally

accessible and open to as many as 500,000 Californians by 2029. Learn about

CAYAC’s grand plans and how your Board and region can join in.

THE FIRST FAIR CHANCE: BUILDING EQUITY FOR JUSTICE-IMPACTED AND

REENTERING WORKERS

Garden 3

Moderator

Aisa Villarosa, Associate Director of Policy and Advocacy, Insight Center

Featuring

Heather Henry, Executive Director, Solano Workforce Development Board

Darris Young, Program Associate, Boys and Men of Color, Urban Strategies

Council

Linda Denly, Regional Consultant to SELACO Workforce Board;

Criminal Justice Consultant, Owsley & Denly Consulting

A year after California “Banned the Box,” far too many justice-involved people

grapple with re/entering the workforce.

A panel of workforce and policy experts will present findings from the Bay Area

Fair Chance Taskforce, a regional collaborative led by Rise Together United

Way, the Insight Center, and Urban Strategies, and generally highlight

innovative bright spots in local reentry work. Learn more about the Taskforce’s

policy, workforce, and employer recommendations, and other “next” practices

that you should be incorporating into your programs.

22

8:00 – 10:30 Casino Night Grand Ballroom E

Join us for a night of taking chances. Great prizes to the top “money” winners of

the evening.

Friday, May 17, 2019

6:45 – 7:15 Pilates with Diane Walton Grand Ballroom Foyer

7:30 – 8:30 Continental Breakfast Grand Ballroom Foyer

8:30 – 9:45 Morning Plenary Grand Ballroom A

Session Moderator

Teresa Hitchcock, Second Vice Chair, CWA; Executive Director,

Kern, Inyo & Mono Counties Workforce Board

Plenary Presentation

Applied Improv

Izzy Gesell, Improv Coach & Trainer, IzzyG & Company

Until recently, the word “Improv” was usually connected to “theater,” so it had

no relevance to most of us except as entertainment. We looked, we laughed,

we left.

The kind of Improv that is applicable to our daily lives and personal growth is

known as Applied Improv. The premise is the skills that make Improv theater

people successful are the same ones that make us all successful.

Desired and achievable Improv skills include thinking on our feet, dealing with

reality, focusing on what’s important, able to disagree without dissolving into

conflict, having fun and being creative. It’s a growing field of practice around

the world and popping up in all kinds of places and for all kinds of uses.

Like mindfulness, Applied Improv uses a skillset that is deceptively simple. Since

it’s a skillset, it requires practice. Since its fun, it gets done.

10:00 – 11:00 Curiouser and Curiouser: Round Five Workshops

Using Technology and Digital Badges to De-Risk Non-Traditional Hires

Garden 1

Michael Simpson, CEO & Founder of PAIRIN

Brenda Perea, Director of Education and Workforce Strategies

23

Do you work with employers that won’t hire your amazing candidates because

they can’t get past their non-traditional backgrounds? Could your program

benefit from technologies that reliably match candidates to opportunities and

differentiate you from high-cost recruiters?

This session will uncover how workforce agencies can become cutting-edge

providers of high-quality, undiscovered talent! Learn how technology can help

you impact more people by utilizing digital badging, soft skills data, job-specific

matching and applicant sharing.

The 21st Century Workforce: Using Apprenticeship for Pipeline Development

Garden 2

Julianna Kirby, Director of Client Services & Chief Operating Officer

Training Funding Partners

Deborah Shepard, Career Pathways Coordinator

South Bay Workforce Investment Board

Using apprenticeship as a strategy for workforce pipeline development can be

an important tool for business when recruiting talent. Learn how the South Bay

Workforce Investment Board has created employer driven pre-apprenticeship

and registered apprenticeship career pathways to help business secure the

local talent they need. Discover how the program was designed by employers

to be flexible, allowing them to define the training plan, while providing new

opportunities for students, job seekers and incumbent workers.

Using Labor Market Research to Promote the Resilience of Retail Companies and

Workers

Harbor

Sarah Burns, Director of Research and Evaluation,

San Diego Workforce Partnership

Jenny Weissbourd, Senior Project Manager,

Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

Jeannine LaPrad, Senior Fellow, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

Through the Aspen Institute’s Reimagine Retail Initiative, the San Diego

Workforce Partnership (SDWP) conducted research on the impact of changes in

technology, consumer behavior, and the minimum wage on retail businesses,

jobs, and workers. Participants will learn about the process and findings from this

research and how it’s informing changes in policy and practice, including how

the SDWP plans to work with retailers, small businesses, and workers on job

stability and mobility in the sector.

Rising from Homelessness through Employment

Pacific

24

Judith Velasco, Executive Director, Verdugo Workforce Development Board

Melissa Younesian, Manager. Verdugo Jobs Center

Rasheedah Scott, Case Manager, Verdugo Jobs Center

The Verdugo Workforce Development launched the Regional Immediate

Intervention Service to Employment (RIISE), in partnership with the Verdugo Jobs

Center, Los Angeles County, City of Glendale and community based

organizations to provide a comprehensive work-based learning project that

immediately moves participants to the work environment. Through strategic co-

enrollment, this project combines multiple funding sources to address the various

needs of participants, from meals, transportation to work sites, paid transitional

employment and work readiness workshops.

Partnering with Your Local Child Support Agency: Building a Successful

Collaboration

Salon I

Brigid Reilly, Job Center Navigator

Workforce Development Board of Solano County

Tara Knobbe, Senior Support Specialist, Training Team

Solano County Department of Child Support

This workshop will focus on how to set up a partnership between Workforce

Development Boards (WDBs) and Local Child Support Agencies (LCSAs) and the

benefits of doing so.

Panelists will discuss the relationship between WDBs and Department of Child

Support Services from the state level, the benefits of the partnership to the LCSA

and their customers, how to go about building a positive and fruitful

collaboration between the agencies, and ways to incorporate the partnership

into daily case management.

Best Practices for Transgender Inclusion in the Workplace

Salon V

Rex Wilde, Program Director, Trans Can Work

In the year 2025, millennials will represent 75% of the workforce. Millennials are

twice as likely to identify as LGBTQ and more likely to identify as transgender or

non-binary than previous generations. For employers, it is no longer a matter of

what to do if they have transgender employees, but a matter of preparing for

when they have transgender employees. This session will provide an

environment for professionals to elevate their understanding of transgender

inclusion.

25

JOBS Work: An Innovative Private-Nonprofit Partnership that Helps Communities

Thrive

Salon VI

Christa Sheehan, Deputy Director, Hope Builders

A 2018 Deloitte study showed Hope Builders’ graduates contributed almost $1.3

million annually back to Orange County. This study inspired additional employers

to help us design a program to grow this economic impact. Last spring, the

agency launched a staffing model that fast tracks youth into quality jobs,

connects employers to a vetted, reliable labor pool, and generates revenue to

expand a workforce pipeline.

Join us and find out how to bridge the skills gap and help underserved

communities thrive.

Curiosity from the Inside Out: The Power of Listening

Salon VII – VIII

Lisa Michelle, Coach, Facilitator, Program Manager Santa Clarita AJCC

What is the difference between asking questions and deeply listening?

This interactive learning explores how asking questions can be a roadblock to

curiosity whereas strength based listening permits us to be truly inquisitive and

acquire desirable and essential information.

Grow your listening in such a way that builds resiliency in individuals, grows

employee retention, provides excellent customer service even in breakdown,

and boosts morale and productivity.

11:20 – 12:30 Closing Plenary Grand Ballroom A

Thinking on your Feet

Session Moderator and Game Host

Izzy Gesell, Improv Coach & Trainer, IzzyG & Company

Building on the morning plenary and fueling our curiosity, we’ll leave you with a

demonstration of thinking on your feet through some fun group experiences.

Teams of players selected from amongst attendees will practice this skill through

a few rounds of friendly competition. The audience will vote for the team they

think has done the best during each round and then overall.

Concluding Remarks

Bob Lanter, CWA and John D. Baker, Conference Curator