Introducing COABE's State Advocates for Adult Education Fellowship

In March 2021, COABE selected activists and leaders to champion the cause of adult education WIOA Title II programs. The State Advocates for Adult Education Fellowship (SAAEF) is a hands-on advocacy training program for adult educators, adult learners, and friends of adult education. During the yearlong program, fellows are learning how to work with the media, their communities, and policymakers to create change benefiting adult learners and adult education programs. Final impact reports are in process, and this year’s cohort will move in to the mentorship phase.

Meet the Fellows Meet the Fellow Alumni

Congratulations to the Fellows that have been selected for the 2023 State Advocate for Adult Education Fellowship!

 
Alabama
Stuart Lee
Alabama Association for Public Continuing and Adult Education
 
Arizona
Ana Bedoya
Pima Community College / Arizona Association for Lifelong Learning
 
Arkansas
Wakesha Clay-Williams
Arkansas State University Mid-South Adult Education Center
 
California
Philip Villamor
Huntington Beach Adult School
 
Colorado
Traci Cullins-Clark
The Learning Source
 
Connecticut
Christine Valdez
Middletown Adult Education
 
Delaware
Joyce Warrington
Organization of Adult Alumni & Students in Service
 
District Of Columbia
Luis Chavez
The Family Place Public Charter School
 
Florida
Miranda Cole
Gadsden Technical College
 
Georgia
Debra Tavaras
Atlanta Public Schools
 
Idaho
Sarah Strickley
College of Western Idaho
 
Illinois
Heather Martin
Elgin Community College
 
Indiana
Daniela Mancusi-Shreve
Center of Workforce Innovations
 
Iowa
Abby Zegers
Des Moines Area Community College
 
Kansas
Karen Ulanski-Swank
Paola Adult Education Center
 
Kentucky
Dustin Grooms
Maysville Community & Technical College Adult Education

Louisiana

Errick Baldwin
Northshore Technical Community College

Maine
Cassidy Christine Marsh
Maine School Administrative District #54
 
Massachusetts
Darla Lamanna
Northern Essex Community College
 
Michigan
Marisol Adelmann
Washtenaw Community College
 
Minnesota
Anton Jones
Literacy Minnesota
 
Mississippi
Chelia Thompson
Holmes Community College
 
Missouri
Dana Downs-Kuritz
Independence School District
 
New Hampshire
Tammy Gluck
Exeter Adult Education
 
New Mexico
LD Lovett
The University of New Mexico – Gallup
 
New York
Karen Dispo-De Boos
Literacy Volunteers of Clinton, Essex, and Franklin Counties
 
North Carolina
Nicole Worley
Richmond Community College
 
Ohio
Cori Lupton
Cuyahoga Community College – Ohio Options
 
Oklahoma
Beth Williams
Essential Education
 
Oregon
Genevieve Halkett
Chemeketa Community College
 
Rhode Island
Bonnie Taylor
Genesis Center
 
South Carolina
Donna Hill
Newberry Adult Education and Continuing Education
 
Tennessee
Synnamon Taylor
HopeWorks
 
Texas
Monica Stansberry
Dallas College
 
Utah
Robert Prince
Garfield County Adult Education
 
Vermont
Karen Harker
Vermont Adult Learning
 
Virginia
Marilyn Macdonald
Virginia Association for Adult and Continuing Education
 
Washington
Kerry Urquizo
Centralia College
 
West Virginia
Lucy Lester
Southern Educational Services Cooperative
 
Wyoming
Michelle Smith
Laramie County Community College
 
Thomas Lear
Laramie County Community College

The State Advocate for Adult Education Fellowship (SAAEF) equipped me with the tools that I needed to reach out to my legislator, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. Without the training I received through SAAEF, it is likely that I would have missed my opportunity to also meet her legislative director who spoke to our providers virtually during the pandemic. Furthermore, I could have missed the opportunity to speak with her about financial education on October 14, 2021, a discussion that would open the door for the Multilingual Financial Literacy Act introduced by the Congresswoman during this year’s Adult Education and Family Literacy week. When I first interviewed to join this fellowship, I said that I wanted to know how to put substance into my passion for adult education and literacy to get people to listen and—more importantly—to act. This outcome is proof that the COABE SAAEF experience more than fulfilled that goal!

– Jacqueline Aguilera, TX SAAEF Mentor (Cohort 1)