FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 13, 2017

Public Information Office

Contact: Nedra Rodriguez, Director

Telephone: 910-323-3421

E-mail: nrodriguez@co.cumberland.nc.us

Workforce Development Board Honors Clients and Partners

FAYETTEVILLE – The Cumberland County Workforce Development Board presented awards to program

participants and partners during its annual Recognition Luncheon held yesterday at Cape Fear Botanical

Garden.

Workforce Development offers programs for youth, adults and dislocated workers at the Cumberland County

NCWorks Career Center with the goal of increasing employment and training opportunities for the County’s

citizens, as well as enhancing their productivity and competitiveness in the workplace.

Award categories and recipients are:

Outstanding Young Adults – Tiquell Allbrooks, William Johnson and Daniel Thompson

Outstanding Adults – Christine Diamond, Elaine Johnson and Marion Person

Outstanding Employer – Mears Construction Company

Outstanding Workforce Development Partnership – Nursing and Allied Career Pathway, Cumberland

County Public Library and Information Center, Cumberland County Public Schools Career and Technical

Education

Outstanding Workforce Development Professional – Gerald Peterson

Outstanding Workforce Development Board Member – Charlene Cross

Tiquell Allbrooks came to the NCWorks Career Center seeking career and internship opportunities. Allbrooks

participated in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Summer Project with the City of Fayetteville’s

Engineering and Infrastructure unit. Allbrooks is studying Culinary Arts at Fayetteville Technical Community

College. Allbrooks also works part-time at Sears and is a soldier in the North Carolina Army National Guard.

William Johnson enrolled in Workforce Development’s NextGen Youth Program and achieved every

objective, including receiving exceptional evaluations for two work experience opportunities. Johnson

graduated from Douglas Byrd High School and is currently pursuing a degree in video game design at FTCC,

where he maintains a 3.2 grade point average. Johnson is employed at Walmart.

Daniel Thompson is a single father and ex-offender who came to NCWorks seeking a career transition.

Thompson participated in career-readiness workshops and went on to obtain three certifications in Heating,

Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) from FTCC. Thompson later obtained his commercial driver’s

license through the Roadmaster CDL training program and is now a professional truck driver with Covenant

Transportation.

Christine Diamond was unemployed without income when she sought help from the NCWorks Career Center.

Johnson remembered how much she enjoyed driving trucks in the Army and decided to pursue her commercial

driver’s license. Despite multiple family crises, Johnson successfully completed the CDL program at Miller-

Motte College and is now a professional truck driver.

Elaine Johnson was struggling financially and applied for nearly 50 jobs without success before approaching

the NCWorks Career Center. Johnson fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher after graduating with honors

from the FTCC Early Childhood Education Program. Johnson was on the Dean’s List and President’s List at

FTCC. She is now a teacher at Red Top Learning and Youth Center.

Marion Person worked at the Walmart Distribution Center in Hope Mills for 16 years before severe health

issues forced her to resign. Person had previous experience working in formal men’s clothing and applied for a

job with Ashby’s Menswear of Fayetteville. Person became a sales manager and brought ides to expand the

store’s marketing to high school prom customers and exiting military members. The plan contributed to

Ashby’s highest sales volume in five years.

Mears Construction Company partners with FTCC and Workforce Development for a program which recruits

military veterans and trains them for management careers in the gas distribution industry. The fourth class is

currently training since the program began in October. Mears is based in Kansas City, Mo., and is an operating

unit of the Fortune 500 company Quanta Services.

The Nursing and Allied Health Career Pathway was certified by the NCWorks Commission on Feb. 8 after

meeting the state’s requirements for certification. Healthcare employers represented include Cape Fear Valley

Health System, Veteran’s Administration, Womack Army Hospital, Maxim Healthcare, FirstHealth of the

Carolinas, and St. Joseph of the Pines. Education systems represented in the pathway are the public schools of

Cumberland, Hoke and Moore counties, FTCC, Sandhills Community College, Fayetteville State University,

Methodist University and Southern Regional-Area Health Education Center.

The Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center is made up of eight library branches

offering job search help, resume help and interview coaching. The library also sponsors a job fair every fall and

sponsors the Internet Job Café at the annual March to Work Job Fair.

Cumberland County Schools Career and Technical Education develops opportunities for school students

through Career Readiness Certification and the Science, Technology, Engineering, Math Summer Youth

Internship Program co-sponsored by the City of Fayetteville and Public Works Commission.

Gerald Peterson is a career advisor at the NCWorks Career Center. The Hoke County native’s reputation to go

above and beyond for clients has made him a personally sought out member of the NCWorks Career Center by

people seeking help with finding a job or receiving job training.

Charlene Cross is an apprenticeship consultant who has served on the Workforce Development Board since

2012. Cross has been a part of many workforce and economic development initiatives that aim to identify and

resolve the challenges businesses face in the pursuit and preservation of skilled employees. Cross is chair of the

Workforce Development Board’s Youth Council.

American Legion Award

In addition to the regular awards presentation, the Cumberland County NCWorks Career Center received the

American Legion Annual National Employment Service Award. Board member Josephus Thompson accepted

the award on behalf of the Cumberland County office from Assistant Director of Veterans Services for the N.C.

Division of Workforce Solutions Archie Barrow. The award recognizes the efforts to ensure the economic well-

being of veterans in the community.

Barrow also recognized Victor Glover and Dwight Butler. Glover received the American Legion Disabled

Veterans Outreach Program Award earlier this year. Glover served 22 years in the Army and was a human

resources manager in the 82nd Airborne Division. Butler is the 2016 American Legion Disabled Veterans

Outreach Program Award recipient. Butler served 27 and a half years in the Navy and retired as captain.

The Workforce Development Board is appointed and governed by the Cumberland County Board of

Commissioners. The Cumberland County NCWorks Career Center is located at 414 Ray Avenue. For more

information, visit co.cumberland.nc.us/workforce or call 910-323-3421.

ResCare Workforce Youth Career Advisor Sonya Thompson, left, accepts the Outstanding Young Adult award for Tiquell Allbrooks, who was not able to attend the Workforce Development Recognition luncheon July 12. Also pictured is Workforce Development Board Chair David McCune.

William Johnson, right, accepts the award for Outstanding Young Adult from Demetrius Slaton, a youth career advisor with ResCare Workforce Services.

ResCare Workforce Services Youth Career Advisor Abigail Murray-Nikkel accepts the Outstanding Youth Adult award for Daniel Thompson, who was not able to attend the Workforce Development Recognition luncheon July 12.

Elaine Johnson, left, is presented the Outstanding Adult award by Career Advisor Shanka Baldwin.

Career Advisor Janice Anderson accepts the Outstanding Adult award for Marion Person, who was not able to attend the Workforce Development Recognition luncheon July 12. Also pictured is Workforce Development Board Chair David McCune.

Dan Sturge, center left, and Kermit Brown, center right, of Mears Construction, accept the award for Outstanding Employer from ResCare Workforce Services Business Services Coordinator Eldon Meacham, left, and Workforce Development Board Chair David McCune.

Awards for Outstanding Partnership were presented to Nursing and Allied Career Pathway, Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center and Cumberland County Public Schools Career and Technical Education. Pictured from left are Dr. Dion Clark, Taneka Williams (Cumberland County Schools), Fayetteville Technical Community College President Dr. Larry Keen, Workforce Development Director Nedra Rodriguez, Methodist University Health Care Administration Chair Dr. Warren McDonald, Career Pathways Facilitator Scott Panagrosso, Workforce Development Board member Joy Miller, Shunda Keys and Teresa Yellowdy-Haley, both of Cape Fear Valley Health.

Cumberland County Library Director Jody Risacher accepts Outstanding Partnership award for the library from Workforce Development Director Nedra Rodriguez.

Workforce Development Director Nedra Rodriguez, right, presents an Outstanding Partnership Award to Cumberland County Schools Career and Technical Education. From left, accepting the award are Carson Phipps, Nore Brantley and Taneka Williams.

Workforce Development Career Advisor Gerald Peterson accepts the Outstanding Workforce Professional award from Workforce Development Director Nedra Rodriguez.

Workforce Development Board member Josephus Thompson, right, accepts the American Legion Annual National Employment Service Award on behalf of the Cumberland County NCWorks Career Center from North Carolina Division of Workforce Solutions Assistant Director of Veterans Services Archie Barrow. The award recognizes the efforts to ensure the economic well-being of veterans in the community.

Workforce Development Board member Charlene Cross, left, receives the award for Outstanding Board Member for Board Chair David McCune.

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