11:00 am ET
Workforce Literacy’s ROI for a Fortune 100 Company & Virtual Job Fair for Teachers
Tyson Foods, a global Forbes Fortune 100 company, shared how their local adult education partnerships deliver work-based adult ed programs that address a variety of company objectives and produce a positive return on investment. During this live session attendees learned about these results. This live session also featured a first of its kind virtual job fair segment to identify innovative educators interested in teaching in Tyson Foods’ workforce literacy programs in their local community. Tyson presented an executive summary of the ROI research to this point.
Speakers
1:00 pm ET
Legislative Leadership Champion Awards presented to:
Senator Todd Young, IN
Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake City, UT
Hosted by: Regina Suitt, Public Policy Chair, and President-Elect
2:00 pm ET
Return on Investment Panel and ROI Longitudinal Study
Panel discussion moderated by Dr. Meghan McBride, Adult Learner Alumni to the COABE Board of Directors
ROI longitudinal study launch discussed by Dr. Don Finn, Past President and Sharon Bonney, CEO
Nominees for COABE’s coveted Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year award shared how adult education transformed their lives. During this live session, COABE kicked off the 4 year longitudinal Return on Investment study of adult education.
Speakers
Gudelia Contreras Flores is a first-generation college graduate, a descendant of African and indigenous peoples, born in Veracruz, Mexico. She is the fifth of seven children and proud and humbled to be the first and only to graduate from college. In June of 2021, she graduated with honors from Portland State University with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, a minor in Black Studies, and a certificate in World Language Pedagogy. In September 2021, Gudelia begins a master’s program in Spanish at Portland State.
Her journey to a college degree began over 30 years ago when she immigrated to San Jose, California in 1990. There she began to learn English while working full time and raising her two children. In 2004, Gudelia moved to Oregon, working seasonal and migratory jobs in fish processing. Despite long and brutal hours in the canneries, she earned a Spanish GED in 2012, was able to leave the fisheries, and begin working for small non-profit serving Latino immigrants on the north coast of Oregon. She continued to take classes working towards an associate’s degree, leaning in hard to become proficient in English reading and writing while juggling work and volunteer activities. It took her 5 years to earn a two-year degree and then just 2 years to earn a bachelor’s degree. There were many obstacles to overcome, but once she gained momentum there was no stopping her from achieving her goals. Gudelia is passionate about helping others improve their lives through adult education. The GED was the first key to open the path to higher ed, but there was a lot more work to be done after that, grappling with academic English and the subject matter in college-level courses. Gudelia understands the strong role of adult education and family literacy programs; adult education changes the world through the empowerment of the individual who then empowers their family, the community, and the world.
Lynne Hamblin lives in Grants Pass, OR but grew up in the Seattle area. She had her twins later in life, age 37, and has been a stay-at-home mom for the past 6 years. When they started school, she shifted her priorities, and went back to school as well. She is currently working on a Business Assistant: Business and Information Specialist certificate. Lynne hopes to work in the GED/ABS department of Rogue Community College, were she recently completed her GED and was the student speaker at graduation. Lynne has been entertaining the idea of continuing her education to become a teacher.
Megan Linzy
Megan Linzy works with Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) in Davenport, Iowa, in the Adult Basic Education and Literacy program at the West Davenport Center, where she graduated in 2013 with her General Education Diploma. Since 2013, Megan has gone on to earn her Associates’ Degree in Education and is enrolled at Bellevue University to earn her Bachelors Degree in Adult Basic Education. Megan also volunteers her time advocating for the needs of Adult Basic Education students as one of Iowa’s Adult Basic Education Ambassadors and a member of the Students as Leaders Taskforce through COABE (Coalition on Adult Basic Education).