NAWDP ADVANTAGE JUNE 2020 1

National Association Salutes Migrant Agricultural LaborerBy Proteus, Inc. of California

The Association of Farmwork-er Opportunity Programs (AFOP), the association of the 52 National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) grantees, presented the Outstanding Migrant Farmerworker of the Year award to Mr. Fernando Cervantes of California at its annual nation-al conference in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Mr. Cervantes came to the Unit-ed States as a child with his parents

in 1993 without documentation. In 2016, Fernando applied for and se-cured work authorization through the Obama Administration’s De-ferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, allowing him the chance to seek job training and help him secure a more stable income.

Fernando came to the Prote-us service center in Kerman, Ca-lif., to inquire about the organi-zation’s employment and training services. After a comprehensive assessment, Proteus staff deter-mined that Fernando, working as a migrant farmworker picking broc-coli, lettuce, and cauliflower near Gonzalez, Calif., and peaches and plums in the Kerman area, was earning just $14,186, despite many long, hard hours of difficult work.

Recognizing that NFJP was a perfect fit for Fernando, Prote-us enrolled him in the program immediately. Through NFJP, he received the following services: comprehensive assessment; ca reer counseling; travel support ser-vices; case management services; photovoltaic solar design and instal-lation training; and job placement as-sistance. In February 2017, Fernando successfully completed the Proteus solar vocational training program.

Fernando Cervantes

With some additional help from Proteus, Fernando gained experi-ence as a solar panel installer work-ing for Spectrum Energy in Fresno. In April 2017, he secured a position with Arcadia Solar as crew boss and roof lead, making $17.50 per hour.

With that stable employment, Fernando was able to accomplish many of his dreams. He purchased a new home for his family and married his longtime girlfriend. Arcadia has since promoted him to the position of recruiter and trainer, allowing him now to earn $25 per hour and an annual in-come of $52,000. Fernando states,

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JUNE 2020IN THIS ISSUE

PAGE 2Member Profile

PAGE 3Board Elections

PAGE 4New CWDPs

PAGE 5Calendar of Events

PAGE 6COVID-19 Survey ResultsTools & Resources

On June 1, 2018, Yvonne Wright became the new Director of Workforce Engagement and In-novation for the Missouri Divi-sion of Workforce Development.

Prior to accepting this position, she was employed for nearly 25 years for the Missouri Division of Voca-tional Rehabilitation as Director of Workforce Development and Busi-ness Outreach. For her role in VR,

she was instrumental in developing collaborative partnerships with core and other partners to implement the Workforce Innovation and Op-portunity Act (WIOA). Yvonne was able to bring her strong part-nering skills into her role at DWD, coordinating partnering efforts de-signed to transcend WIOA law into true collaboration and engagement.

In 2017, Yvonne was elected to serve as the President of the Mis-souri Association of Workforce Development and was honored in 2018 to receive this organiza-tion’s Workforce Professional of

the Year Award. Additionally, in 2015, Yvonne was appointed and continues to serve as chair of the Governor’s Council on Disabilities.

In July 2019, Yvonne assumed a new position as Senior Man-ager, Policy and Partnerships for the Office of Workforce Devel-opment, under the newly formed Department of Higher Educa-tion and Workforce Development.

Yvonne and her husband Ron have one grown daughter, Kae-la. Yvonne and Ron live out-side of New Bloomfield, MO with their 4 dogs and one cat.

NAWDP ADVANTAGE JUNE 20202

Member ProfileYvonne Wright

I hope this letter finds you healthy and working hard to serve job seek-ers and businesses in your commu-nity. The first five months of 2020 have been like no other. For the first time in nearly 40 years, NAWDP was forced to cancel our Annual Conference. Missing the Annual Conference confirmed for me just how much I look forward to seeing all of you each year.

However, I have been so proud of the work you have been doing through the COVID-19 pandemic. Workforce professionals, YOU, are resilient. You have found a way to serve your customers through ev-erything that has been put in your way. So many of you have embraced technology and used innovative ways to continue your work with-out being able to meet face-to-face.

Some of you even had to do that from home.

The NAWDP staff and board have stayed very busy during this time as well. We have increased our online learning opportunities. We have partnered to provide free Monday Morning Motivational webinars to all our members. We have made huge advances in streamlining our Certification process. We have spent hundreds of hours on the phone with workforce professionals from around the country talking about successful service delivery strate-gies and the regulatory barriers that prohibit service delivery when One Stops are closed to the public. We have taken all that information and worked with our partners in DC to make sure that lawmakers are aware of what is working and what we

Melissa Robbins

need additional support for. So, what is next? NAWDP is still

planning on hosting our Youth Sym-posium in person, in December at the Sheraton Chicago. We have been

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A Letter from Melissa Robbins, NAWDP CEO

NAWDP ADVANTAGE JUNE 2020 3

Cast Your Ballot for NAWDP State DirectorsThe 2020 election is underway for NAWDP Board state directors. Positions are open for members in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Car-olina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

To be eligible to vote, individuals must be a member of NAWDP during the election period. Members may only vote for candidates in their same state.

Voting is easy, fast, and very important to the future of NAWDP. Please take a few minutes to cast your vote.• Members in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina,

Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin may vote for one director.• Members in Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia may vote for two directors.

Instructions: 1. Between June 1st and June 30th go to: https://vote.associationvoting.com/nawdp/2. Login as follows:

Login name: email address (associated with your NAWDP membership) Password: membership number

3. Review the candidates and their backgrounds by clicking on the Open Biography link to the right of the names. If they have a link to a video, that will also be in their Biography once opened.

4. Cast your vote.

(NOTE: Membership numbers were sent to eligible voters to the email address associated with an individual’s NAWDP membership.)

Arizona - Vickie SimmonsCalifornia - Celia Garcia

Colorado - William DowlingColorado - Tami Grant

Connecticut - Arlene DonovanFlorida - Charlotte Hearn

Illinois - Claudia Cattouse-RegaladoIllinois - Ron Hearns

Illinois - Cynthia Thomas-GrantIndiana - Stephanie JamesIndiana - Katrina OwensKansas - Leanne KehresKansas - Deb ScheiblerMaryland - Ruthy Davis

Maryland - Kirkland MurrayMaryland - Walter Simmons

Michigan - Trudy MatthewsMichigan - Brenda Motley-Aikens

Michigan - Sharon PersonMissouri - Dana Keller

North Carolina - Kristin BraswellNorth Carolina - Sherri Jones

North Carolina - Solomon McAuleyNorth Carolina - Susan Oney

Ohio - Rebecca KusnerOhio - Lisa Rodriguez-Baylis

Pennsylvania - Nita D’AgostinoPennsylvania - Helene Mancuso

Texas - Tom WilkinsonVirginia - Larry Brunson

Virginia - Constance GreenWisconsin - Celestine Koehn

2020 State Director Candidates

NAWDP ADVANTAGE JUNE 20204

The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals is pleased to announce the workforce pro-fessionals who have successfully earned their Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) creden-tial in January, February and March.

NAWDP Announces New CWDPs

JanuaryHeidi King - VA

Jeanne O’Brien - PADena Bilbrew - CAKarina Amaya - COTiffiney Bean - GA

Charlotte DeBrock - COHelen Freese - CO

Tangi Jackson-Nibbs - INMary Ann West - IN

Patricia McKinney - INCaralyn Bowling - INTanisha Stokes - TX

Jose Reyes-Gonzalez - IN

FebruaryTiffany Coulter - IN

Delores Mockabee - INPenny Dunning - INJeremy Hodge - ALCarriss Rieser - NJ

Mark Hoblitzell - COCarolyn Tucker - CO

Ralph Posey - LACarol Hughes - PAJuliana Saucier - IN

March

Sharon Adams - INCassie DeClouette - VADamarcus Smith - FL

Nick Hughes - WAGreg Cordova - COKathryn Oberg - VA

Danielle Garner-Forbes - NYAhmed Alhatab - VACynthia Walker - NY

Lisa Beard - MIMildred Kuilan - FL

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“Thanks to Proteus, I was able to obtain an education on photovoltaic installation, obtain a job that I really enjoy doing, and buy my first home.”

NFJP is the bedrock of the nation’s commitment to helping agricultural workers upgrade their skills in and outside agriculture, providing em-ployers with what they increasingly say they need: hardworking, com-mitted, well-trained, skilled work-ers. Administered by DOL, NFJP provides funding through a com-petitive grant process to 52 commu-nity-based organizations and pub-lic agencies nationwide that assist workers to attain greater economic stability. One of DOL’s most success-

ful employment training programs, NFJP helps agricultural workers ac-quire the new skills they need to start careers that offer higher wages and a more stable employment outlook.

In addition to employment and training services, the program pro-vides supportive services that help agricultural workers retain and sta-bilize their current agriculture jobs, as well as enable them to partici-pate in up-training and enter new careers. NFJP housing assistance helps meet a critical need for the availability and quality of agricul-tural worker housing and supports better economic outcomes for work-ers and their families. NFJP also fa-cilitates the coordination of services through the American Job Center

network for agricultural workers so they may access other services of the public workforce system.

Like Fernando, the agricultural workers who come to NFJP seek the training to secure and excel in the in-demand jobs employers say they find challenging to fill. In doing so, the workers establish the financial foundation that allows them and their families to escape the chronic unemployment and underemploy-ment they face each year. To be el-igible for NFJP, workers must be low-income, depend primarily on agricultural employment, and pro-vide proof of American citizenship or work authorization. Additional-ly, male applicants must have reg-istered with the Selective Service.

The CWDP is a nationally recognized credential for individuals who have demonstrated they have the skills and competencies required for success in the workforce development industry. The CWDP designation is valid for three years from the date of award. More information about the CWDP can be found at www.nawdp.org.

Congratulations to the individuals above on earning their CWDP.

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UPCOMINGEVENTS JUNE

JUNE 1Board ElectionsEligible voting members can cast their vote for State Director through June 30. More Info

JUNE 25 How Leaders Make Workplace Accountability Cool1:00PM CDT Webinar Registration Online

JUNE 16Leading the Pack: How the Culture of Learning Puts You Ahead1:00 PM CDT Webinar Registration Online

From Manager to Coach: Why It Matters3:00PM CDT Webinar Registration Online JUNE 23

Mastering Strategic Thinking Skills for Maximum Impact in Your Organization

1:00PM CDT Webinar Registration OnlineJUNE 11

NAWDP ADVANTAGE JUNE 20206

COVID-19 Survey: What’s Happening in the AJCs?

In March, NAWDP released a survey regarding the effects the COVID-19 pandemic was having on the operation of the American Job Centers.

The survey results below were comprised of information from 384 respon-dents.

Does your local area need additional funds?

If your AJC is not open to the public, are you

providing virtual services?

Is your American Job Center currently open?

What services are customers currently seeking?

1. UI assistance2. Rapid Response3. Immediate Job Placement4. Immediate Job Training5. Morale Support and Counseling6. Specific Business Services (i.e. internet, printers, fax access)7. Employer Support8. Inverview and job opportunity assistance

1. Everything2. Employment, hiring, retention, training3. Offering remote/virtual services to rural communities without access4. Service delivery: Temporary support needs to be hired to free experienced staff to provide quality services to customers5. Rapid Response Services

What services will suffer with-out supplemental funding?

Tools & ResourcesThe FDIC has created a

new “Receiving Econom-ic Impact Payment” web-page: https://www.fdic.gov/coronavirus/economic-im-pact-payments/index.html. It is designed to encourage unbanked individuals to open a bank account without going into a bank branch, as they receive the economic impact payment. It includes a video and connection to lists of banks that allow on-line account opening, as well as some that allow peo-ple to open an account now and fund it later with the Economic Impact deposit.

The FDIC sees this as an opportunity to motivate un-banked individuals to open a bank account in advance of receiving the economic im-pact check as people in some communities will be prac-ticing social distancing for weeks to come. The IRS also recently linked the FDIC website on their Economic Impact Payments webpage.

continued from page 2 working closely with the hotel and local health officials to make sure that the Symposium will be safe for all the attendees. If there are chang-es to those plans due to COVID-19 we will communicate those with you. NAWDP is also planning several Vir-tual Training Academies. Emails will

be sent as soon as registration opens for those events.

Thank you for all the work you do each and every day. We are here to support you.

Sincerely,

Melissa RobbinsNAWDP CEO