The snow began falling across the Northeast on February 9th, ushering in a massive blizzard that dumped from one-to-three+ feet of snow from Maine to New Jersey, and every state in between. Connecticut was one of those “in between” states that got pummeled…as did the travel plans of two CTWorks’ One-Stop Career Center staff expected to make presentations at the 2013 Spring SETA (Southeast Employment and Training Association) Conference held February 10th-13th in Orlando, Florida. Joseph Seymour, KRA Trainer/Subject Matter Expert, and Karen Cirincione, KRA Career Agent, were scheduled to present workshops on February 11th and 12th , respectively, and were understandably disheartened when flights out of New Haven were grounded.
However, a combination of technology and teamwork converged to save the day, and to give the SETA participants what they signed up for. As is common practice, Cirincione and Seymour had e-mailed their PowerPoint Presentations (PPP) to the SETA organizers before the Conference began, so the files were available for other KRA staff to present on behalf of their creators. Don Scott, KRA Senior Vice President for Workforce Operations, presented Seymour’s Put the POWER Back into Your PowerPoint Presentations, which provided helpful, ready-to-use hints for designing PPPs with much more impact. There’s the Farm, But Where’s The Beef ? was full of exciting and fresh ideas for maximizing front-line staff performance, and was presented for Cirincione by KRA teammate Maxine Suka, Program Manager, San Diego Metro Region One-Stop Career Centers. LaVar Watkins, KRA Business and Employer Services Manager, also from the San Diego operation, was on hand February 12th to deliver his workshop, ABC² Framework, which opened participants’ eyes to a more effective system for delivering Business and Employer Services.
When asked for comment on the workshops, Suka replied, “All the presentations went very, very well. It was definitely KRA teamwork that got the presentations done under the circumstances of the ‘Blizzard of 2013’! Joseph and I are hoping for good weather in DC…and Connecticut…for the March NAWB Conference*, as we are co-presenting our Help, I’m Drowning in the Alphabet Soup: Making People the Priority in Our Programs workshop. But, if the weather doesn’t cooperate, we know our KRA teammates will come to the rescue! Luckily, Joseph will get to present his “Power” workshop himself at the May NAWDP Annual Conference**, and Juliana Castillo and Diana Wong from our program will be presenting Case Management: Staff, Clients, and LinkedIn? Oh My! We are all looking forward to sharing our experiences and viewpoints with other members of our workforce development family.”
*National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) Conference, March 9-12, Washington, DC.
**National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) Conference, May 19-22, Minneapolis, MN.
Dr. Boone’s 20+ years’ experience in the industry is extensive and her expertise in private-, public-, and non-profit sector workforce-services organizations is unparalleled, particularly in the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan area.
