Customized Training & Workshops

Coordinating this course was quite a learning experience for a novice to agriculture and the complex relationships in Sullivan County related to it......

While working for Family Resources I volunteered on the Diversity Committee. One way for me to stay aware regarding my own personal biases is for me to encourage others to examine theirs....

Presentations

When I first started the position as a Family Life Educator I was stunned that I would be doing presentations on any topic that was requested, little did I know how much it would expand my general knowledge and maximize my ability to think on my feet.

Educational Promotion/Outreach and Orientations

This orientation was part of an initiative to increase participation in a mandate for more teachers at Head Start to earn associates degrees w/ a core of competencies in Early Childhood Education.

Summits, Conferences and Major Events

Sullivan County NonProfit Summit 2011- I certainly didn't get involved with the summit for recognition, but it is really nice to be appreciated!

Song of Songs Film Debut -This was a full size movie poster that we papered St. Petersburg with.....it was so much fun to have a budget. I coordinated our vision for this piece with the makers of the film, and the graphic design professionals who created the poster.

Early Intervention Conference - This conference was the first on of its kind in the state, responding to changes in Part H legislation pertaining to special needs children. Other counties were asked to have this type of event, but we were the first!

Strategic Planning, Administration & Supervision

I coordinated college staff, faculty, adjuncts and outside presenters to promote SUNY Sullivan  educational programs such as: Clean & Green Learning Opportunities (Academic & Continuing Education) I think the presenters learned as much from each other, as the community members that  came to hear them.

Every presentation that was delivered out of the Family Life Education department required both a pre and post test. I personally completed over 300 presentations a year,  this generated a huge amount of data to compile and report. Our team was very pleased to receive nothing but positive words from the umbrella agency responsible for funding Family Service Centers.

I had the good fortune to facilitate the planning process and write the strategic plan for the Career Services Department. I also participated in the strategic planning process for the agency and facilitated team building at regular meetings and the annual retreat.

I created and spearheaded a close partnership with St. Petersburg College significantly increasing participation in general education and Early Childhood Education course work in accord with a mandate from National Head Start. I succeeded in this challenge where others had tried but fallen short. Among many strategies, it was most gratifying to be the one to say, "I am sure you can pass College Algebra, I struggled, but I did it."

The Career Development Committee was an integral piece of encouraging and providing resources for staff to become life long learners, working toward certifications and degrees. As the Career Services Administrator I was responsible for its facilitation.

Advisement, Counseling, Case Management

Working very closely with the the other,  "Employability" Skill Trainers at WORKNET, we rewrote the county's orientation guide for individuals that would be receiving TANF or Food Stamps, (as well as education benefits if they were lucky. ) We changed the document from legalize, to straight forward talk about expectations and responsibilities, in exchange for those much needed benefits. We also created a curriculum for the employability skill classes by cherry picking our favorite sources and a curriculum that had been developed to use with folks exiting the legal system. We also provided individualized guidance to help people with their career direction, resumes, applications and job search strategies.  A whole lot of informal information and referral happened in between...... I requested that the three local housing authorities create a flow chart so that I could understand where to send my customers for housing assistance, which became an important handout.

The program before WORKNET was called PINELLAS WORKS. The part that I led had been known as, "job club,  a relatively passive place to be, but Lockheed Martin's contract with my employer indicated that each participant complete 3 modules of curriculum to continue to receive bennefits. Since this was an open entry, open exist situation; I set up small group and individualized study.  About one person a day would find employment and graduate out of the group, and almost every day someone new would arrive. When I knew everyone was in for the day, I did short instructional presentations on  job search strategies and related skills. I counseled and coached the participants to complement their pencil and paper activities. Before I knew it, they were really helping each other complete required modules, solve problems of daily living and get jobs.

This is a photograph of Barbara Neimann an Occupational Therapist and a client receiving Early Intervention Services. I was the service coordinator for the client and his family. I participated in facilitating the changes in the way services to children with special needs were delivered, in accordance with part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Act. This position took me into the homes of the residents of Sullivan County.  I became very close to many of the families I served.  I enjoyed feeling that I was helping children get a good start in life, rather than having to intervene once at-risk behaviors were developed.  This boy's mother later became a case manager, she told me me that she so appreciated the way I worked with her family, that she modeled her style after me.

Marketing, Outreach & Educational Programs

This collaboration between SUNY Sullivan and  Cornell Cooperative Extension was so worth the time and effort. We discovered in the process of planning this class that open conversation among all the agricultural interests in the county needed to be cultivated as much as livestock, vegetables and fruits. Luckily, the Sullivan County Agriculture Summit held in November of 2011, grew this little seed along with many others into what looks like will be, quite a future crop.

 Time to teach is always welcome.

I was hired to do community relations, but we all quickly realized that start-ups mean stretching..... I learned so much about traditional and social marketing ......by doing.... in collaboration with seasoned professionals contracted to bring their field of expertise to achieving our, grant driven, program outcomes.

Being  project lead for the two-county debut of a documentary film called Song of Songs about romantic commitment was one of the most interesting and rewarding projects of my career.  Much of the planning for this two day event happened by conference call.....the film director and producer from California and the relationship education program in Pinellas Park, Florida. This project debuted the film, but in many ways was also a debut for the newly assembled program staff.

 While working as community educator I had the chance to take my understanding of employment transition to the next level and present for professionals receiving services from Drake Beam Morin a nationally recognized career outplacement service. I created and presented OPPORTUNITIES IN TRANSITION, which I also delivered to the Professional Placement Network of Worknet as an employee of Family Service Centers. The Note below is thanks from Gina Petito, currently DBM's Souteastern Regional Manger.

While working for WORKNET PINELLAS,  I had an opportunity to impact many lives for the better. (I also repeated the employability skill training sessions so many times that I was able to perfect the timing in my jokes)

Embracing diversity is one of the career themes that has served me well. I participated for two summers as a teacher/counselor in a Residential Cultural Exchange and English Education program for teenage girls from Kinjo Japan.  Japanese teenage girls at that time, were known for their reticence. As part of their English language learning, I structured a fashion show so that each student acted as an  M.C. for another student.  This fun approach helped the girls deal with their " pronunciation and social shyness" in a safe way, while expanding meaningful vocabulary because most of them loved clothes and shopping. (top right photo: fashions on the wall and role play, to be ready for the show....)