Nearly 300 stakeholders from across industries gathered for the Innovating Georgia’s Workforce Pipeline Conference Nov. 14-15, 2023 at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Hotel in Athens. With more than 24 breakout sessions and approximately 80 speakers, the sold-out event was an opportunity to learn about promising practices and emerging ideas to boost the state’s workforce.
Sponsored by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the conference brought together partners in workforce development, education, business and economic development.
The conference also provided networking opportunities among attendees, which included economic developers, chamber of commerce leaders and members, K-12 and post-secondary educators, CTAE representatives, and business representatives.
Please note: not all sessions had formal presentations.
Youth Training Bootcamps: Expedited Work Ready Programs to Equip Youth for Entering
the Workforce
Speakers: Matthew Thomas, Deputy Director, Cartersville-Bartow County Department of
Economic Development; Lisa Smart, Executive Director, Berrien County Chamber & Economic
Development Authority; Brenna Taylor, CTAE Director/Assistant Principal, Berrien County
Board of Education; Tristan Spencer, Safety, Training and Compliance Manager, Nots
Logistics, L.L.C.
Building and Sustaining Teacher Externship Programs (Case Study and Workshop)
Speakers: Susan Boatwright, Special Projects Consultant, NEGA WorkSource; Ilka McConnell,
Director, Invest Athens - Athens-Clarke County Economic Development; Wesley Mellina,
Chief Executive Officer, Athens Community Career Academy/Clarke County
Building The Future Workforce: Mohawk’s High School Programs
Speakers: Brandi Hayes, Director of College and Career Programs, Calhoun City Schools;
Laura Wood, Sr Program Manager - Workforce Development, Mohawk Industries
From Exploration and Exposure to Experience
Speakers: Nikia M. Johnson, Workforce Development Specialist, Georgia Power; Joycelyn
White Ed.S , NCC , LAPC, Twiggs County; Nataly Franco, Tool Repair Technician, Georgia
Power; Torin Scruggs, Lineman, Georgia Power
Supporting Your Local CTAE Pathways and K-12 Pipeline
Speakers: Calvin Gray, Industry-Certified Construction Teacher, Cobb Innovation and
Technology Academy; Liz Campbell, Director of Chapter Development, Atlanta Electrical
Contractors Association; Brent Davis, Assistant Superintendent, Inglett & Stubbs Electrical
Construction
Lunch & Speaker: New Pathways to Opportunity and Success
Speaker: Stuart Countess, President and CEO, Kia Georgia, Inc.
Hard Work Pays Off: Building Regional Alignment Between Industry and Education
Speakers: Patrick Ledford, Economic Development Liaison, Georgia Department of Education-
Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education Division; Barbara Wall, Deputy Superintendent
for CTAE, Georgia Department of Education; Marcus Repp, Corporate Director of Food
and Beverage, Noble House Hotels Cooperate
Mission Critical: How the Georgia Association of Manufacturers is Combatting Workforce
Challenges for Manufacturers
Speakers: Stephanie Scearce, Director, Workforce Development, Georgia Association
of Manufacturers; Patrick Lenz, President and COO, Toyo Tires North America Manufacturing
Inc.; John Fluker, CEO, Grenzebach North America
Innovative Approaches Expanding the Workforce Pool and Addressing Employee Scheduling
Needs
Speakers: Carter Stanley, VP of Operations, Southeast (GA, NC, SC), Veryable; Hjalmar
Nieves, Regional Talent Acquisition Manager, Wayfair, LLC.; Drew Epting, Director
of Talent Services, MAU
Alternative Pipelines for Workforce Development: Second Chance Careers
Speakers: Leslie McFarlin, Vice President of Economic Development, North Georgia Technical
College; Adam Fulbright, Business & Industry Training Manager, North Georgia Technical
College; Marshall Sisk, Economic Development Instructor, North Georgia Technical College
Strategies and Resources for Employers to Address Childcare Needs
Speakers: Deedee Johnson, Director, Client Services, Bright Horizons; Bentley Ponder,
Deputy Commissioner, Quality Innovations and Partnerships, Georgia Department of Early
Care and Learning
Empowerment Through Collaboration: Navigating a Path to Lasting Employment
Speakers: Michelle Stanley, Director, Department of Community Supervision; Antonio
Johnson, Director - Reentry, Cognitive Programming, & RSAT, GA Department of Corrections;
Mary Elliott, Reentry Operations Manager, Georgia Department of Community Supervision;
Joseph Obermeyer, Assistant Chief, Georgia Department of Community Supervision; Danny
Rivera, Reentry Coordinator, Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison; Kevin
Skidmore, Owner, Four Forty Trucking
WIOA & WorkSource Georgia: A Guide to Federal Workforce Development Programs & Funding
in Georgia
Speakers: Brandon Ona, Director of Business Services, Technical College System of
Georgia; Rossany Rios, Director of Grants and Strategic Populations, TCSG; Brett Lacy,
Deputy Director, Select Fulton
Strengthen Your Teams by Leveraging the Talents of Veterans and Military Spouses
Speakers: Elena Comperatore, Director, Client Service Delivery, Hire Heroes USA; Brandon
Owens, Business Development & Partnership Manager, Hire Heroes USA; Gabe Soltero,
Program Manager, Home Depot
Plenary #2: The State of Georgia's Workforce
Speakers: Rebecca M. Hunt, Public Service Faculty, Carl Vinson Institute of Government
- UGA; Greg Wilson, Assistant Director, Carl Vinson Institute of Government - UGA
Plenary #3: Leveraging Skills-Based Practices to Solve Workforce Challenges
Speaker: William Turner, Chief Program Officer, Markle Foundation
Strategies for Talent Attraction and Promotion
Speaker: Symeria Palmer, Account Director, Lifestyle Public Relations, Development
Counsellors International
Youth Workforce Development: Programs that Prepare the Next Generation
Speakers: Laura Russ, PhD, Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, Albany Area Chamber
of Commerce Foundation; Melissa Dark, President & CEO, Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County
Chamber of Commerce & Georgia FLEX; Barbara Rivera Holmes, President & CEO, Albany
Area Chamber of Commerce & Albany Area Chamber Foundation
Labor Market Data Use Cases
Speakers: Rebecca M. Hunt, Public Service Faculty, Carl Vinson Institute of Government
- UGA; Marion Phillips, Research Supervisor, Georgia Power Community & Economic Development;
Valery Lowe, Director of College & Career Development, Forsyth County Schools
The Challenge and Opportunity of Criminal Records and Workforce Development
Speakers: Wade Askew, Policy Manager, Georgia Justice Project; Daniela Perry, Vice
President, Georgia Chamber Foundation, Georgia Chamber of Commerce; Shella Goodson,
HR Business Partner, ABB - ATHENS; Amelia Nickerson, CEO, First Step Staffing
Plenary #4: Strategies from the Field-Promising Practices Implemented by Georgia Businesses
Speakers: Brian Cooksey, Director - Workforce Development, Shaw Industries Group,
Inc.; Jeremy Whitaker, Director of Training & Recruitment, C.W. Matthews Contracting
Co., Inc.; Tracy Suber, VP Education, Phoebe Putney Health System
Apprenticeship Georgia: Utilizing the TCSG Registered Apprenticeship Program for Workforce
Development
Speakers: Danny Mitchell, Apprenticeship Program Manager, TCSG - OWD; Steve Olive,
Owner/President, Oasis Aviation Maintenance Inc; Monty Green, Program Manager, IT
Apprentice Program, Elevance Health, Inc.
Second Chance Hiring: Partnering with Accountability Courts
Speakers: Rachel Meyer, Data and Research Program Manager, Council of Accountability
Court Judges; Charles Clement, Executive Director of Operations, Primo Fire Protection;
Jennifer Tillery, Director of Accountability Courts, Superior Court of Cobb County
Entrepreneurship Support is Workforce Development
Speakers: Vanessa Wagner, Marketing Program Manager, Georgia Power Community & Economic
Development; Skip Mounts, Dean, School of Business and Public Administration and the
Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship, College of Coastal Georgia; Kiakala Ntemo, Economic
Development Manager, City of Brunswick
Innovative Talent Pipeline Development with YouScience Brightpath
Speakers: Matthew Thomas, Deputy Director, Cartersville-Bartow County Department of
Economic Development; Stephanie Scearce, Director, Workforce Development, Georgia
Association of Manufacturers; Cayla O'Leary, Director of Employer Engagement, YouScience
What AI Means for Your Community and How to Plan for It
Speakers: Sallie Holloway, Director of AI and Computer Science, Gwinnett County Public
Schools; Leigh Hopkins, Sr. Project Manager, Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute;
Steven Lee, Product Manager, McKinsey & Company
Sponsors included Amazon, Georgia Power, Georgia Realtors, Kia, Shaw Industries and Worksource Georgia. Additional support is provided by Atlanta Gas Light, Atlanta Electrical Contractors Association, Electric Cities of Georgia, Goodwill of North Georgia, Jackson EMC, MAU Workforce Solutions.
