MINACT Employees Get Healthy Helping Others 2 Communications

MINACT Employees Get Healthy Helping Others
A small team of MINACT corporate staffers participated in the
Light the Night Walk for Leukemia &
Lymphoma and the Metro Jackson
Start Heart Walk this year.
Fourteen MINACT employees
and friends laced up their shoes
for the Light the Night Walk, one of
whom was Walter Turner –– a cancer survivor.
The walk offered an opportunity
for some hearty MINACT volunteers
to walk to raise awareness about
AT RIGHT: MINACT friends and family were all smiles after the “Light the
Night” walk for Leukemia.
2 Communications Pros Join
MINACT’s Corporate Team
Desare C. Frazier and Sandra
Grady are the latest employees to
join MINACT’s Corporate Office in
Jackson, Mississippi.
Frazier, Executive Director of
Communications and Marketing,
has varied communications experience including working as a radio
music announcer, 14 years as an
anchor/reporter at television stations in Utica, New York; Greenville,
South Carolina;
and in Jackson,
Mississippi. She
also has worked
in public affairs
for the U.S. Postal Service and
WTEN TV in Albany, New York.
Frazier has a broadcast journalism
degree from Syracuse University
and a Master’s Degree in political
communication from the State University of New York at Albany. She
received an Emmy for coverage
of Hurricane Katrina and has received numerous awards from the
Associated Press, Mississippi Association of Broadcasters and Jackson
Association of Black Journalists.
Sandra Grady, who joins MINACT
SUMMER 2009
leukemia and lymphoma.
A few weeks later MINACT employees joined corporate partner
Baptist Health Systems for the
American Heart Association’s Walk.
The fundraiser provides better education, screening and preventative
care to fight the disease.
as Executive Director of Business Development, has more than 10 years
experience in advertising. An English major, the Jackson, Mississippi,
native graduated
from Mississippi
College in Clinton,
Mississippi. She
has worked as a
copywriter, copy
editor, researcher
and project coordinator for several Jackson advertising agencies. Most recently, Grady
worked as a freelance copywriter.
Her work on the life of Civil Rights
Leader Medgar Evers is on display
in an exhibit at the Jackson-Evers
International Airport in Mississippi.
THE ART & SCIENCE OF COOKING — Students above are the first to enroll in classes at the Culinary Learning Center
in Gulfport, Mississippi — a program funded by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security for Hospitality Industry
Workforce Training and Development. MINACT developed the six-month training program and recently was awarded a contract to operate the center for another year. Chef Roberto Hasche of Brazil (without hat) developed the curriculum.
PROMOTIONS...
KUDOS for Excellence . . . A
teacher at MINACT’s adopted partner Green Elementary School, Leola
Graham-Johnson, was one of six teachers in Jackson, Mississippi, recognized
recently for classroom excellence. She is
pictured with sponsors Paul Moak (left),
president of Paul Moak Pontiac, and
Tommy Darnell, president of Bancorp
South. MINACT adopted Green Elementary School 25 years ago through the
Jackson Public School District’s Partners
in Education Program.
Quentin N. Burdick JCC was presented the Award of Excellence
at a Corporate Strategy Workshop in St. Paul, MN earlier this
year. Pictured left to right: Bobby
Smith, Burdick JCC Residential
Living director; Lyn Dockter-Pinnick, MINACT VP, Operations;
Dave Ellingson, Burdick JCC Center Director; and, Carol Schmidt,
Deputy Center Director.
8 MINACT News • Summer 2009 • www.minact.com • MINACT, Inc. •5220 Keele Street • Jackson, MS 39206 • 601-362-1631
Delois White,
Center Director
of the St. Louis
Job Corps Center, has been
promoted
to
Vice President
of Operations in
MINACT’s corporate office. She
will oversee the operation of Job
Corps Centers managed by the
company.
White began her career at the
St. Louis Job Corps Center as a
residential counselor in 1984. She
was promoted to increasingly
higher positions including advanced career training coordinator, ACT/GED coordinator, manager of vocations, team manager
and director of programs. She
was named center director in August 2006.
(continued on page 7)
MINACT Awarded Contracts
for Operation Of 2 New Centers
MINACT has been awarded contracts
adding the Hubert H. Humphrey Job
Corps Center in St. Paul, Minnesota,
and the Gulfport Job Corps Center in
Gulfport, Mississippi, to its Job Corps
Center operations. The two contracts
bring the total number of centers operated by MINACT to nine.
Located on the campus of the former Bethel College in St. Paul, the Hubert H. Humphrey center has offered
Job Corps training in six vocational
areas since 1981. The contract for the
center was effective on February 1. The
Gulfport Job Corps Center contract,
effective June 1, will involve MINACT
taking an active role in the reopening of the center, closed due to major
damage during Hurricane Katrina in
August 2005. Extensive renovations
are currently underway.
Several key MINACT staff members
are working diligently to make the
Gulfport Center operational in the
next few months. Look for an update
in a future issue of this publication.
INSIDE:
•Center Highlights (page 3)
• Student Leadership
Conference (pages 4-5 )
• Special Insert featuring the Batesville Job Corps Center
• What’s new at Corporate
(page 8 )
From the President / CEO
F
ull speed ahead! That’s the pace MINACT is moving as we
continue 31 years of excellence in Job Corps Center operation across the country. We are broadening and increasing
our family of Job Corps Centers by providing first class academic
and technical training, while promoting innovative and holistic
approaches to meeting the developmental needs of each student.
On February 1 of this year, the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps
Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, became a part of the MINACT family. We are excited about our plans for the center and extend a
hearty “Welcome” to the center’s students, staff and the community-at-large. The Gulfport Job Corps Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, also has joined the MINACT family, effective June 1. The center has been closed since Hurricane Katrina destroyed the campus
and most of the Gulf Coast in 2005, and its reopening in the next few months will not
only provide training for coastal area youth, but also will play a significant role in helping rebuild and strengthen the infrastructure of the Gulfport community. It does my
heart good to be a part of the rebuilding of this area, located less than three hours from
MINACT’s corporate office. Welcome, Gulfport Job Corps Center!
MINACT has retained operation of the Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Quentin N. Burdick Job Corps Center in Minot, North Dakota, as of
June 1. We are humbled to have the privilege of continuing the work at these facilities.
Our ongoing success is a product of great students, staff, employers, community colleges and universities, as well as community organizations that have embraced Job
Corps’ vision and MINACT. Our students acquire proper certification and credentials
through standards-based education and training to meet their employment objectives.
It is our vision and commitment to “TEAM WORK” that has served MINACT students and
the company so well.
Teamwork is one of the tenets of MINACT’s vision and values. At MINACT, teamwork is
best defined when: T-Together, E-Everyone, A-Accomplishes, M-More. Our team begins
with our students. Every employee rolls up his/her sleeves everyday to ensure students
succeed at each step throughout the Job Corps Center Career Development Services
System. Our pledge is to always seek outstanding outcomes for every participant because when our students succeed, the TEAM and MINACT WIN!
The value of teamwork has been very clearly illustrated thus far in ‘09 with the combined efforts of corporate and center staff. Working as a team, MINACT has been awarded nearly 60 million dollars in new contracts for the first six months of 2009. Now, that’s
real teamwork! Thanks again to each of you for our success!
Booker T. Jones
2 MINACT News • Summer 2009 Center Highlights continued
Benjamin L. Hooks JOB CORPS CENTER /Memphis, TN
Congressman: ‘Support Center’s Work’
A Tennessee Congressman recently encouraged
members of the center’s Community Industry and Community Relations councils to continue the good work
they are doing for the Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks Job Corps
Center in Memphis. Congressman Steve Cohen spoke
about growing up with polio and overcoming his challenges as a youth. He stressed the importance of leadership in today’s society. Cohen, a Democrat, encouraged
the community leaders to continue helping Job Corps students reach their
full potential in the workforce.
Employers, community groups, government agencies and elected officials
serve on the councils.
SHREVEPORT JOB CORPS CENTER / Shreveport, LA
Local Chamber Recognizes Shreveport Deputy CD
Charlotte Jones,
Deputy Center
Director at the
Shreveport Job
Corps Center, has
been recognized
by the Young
Professional
Initiative (YPI) organization. Jones
has been with the Shreveport Center
since December 2004, and was promoted to deputy center director in
March 2007. MINACT saw Jones’ talent and resourcefulness early on from
her work at the Benjamin L. Hooks Job
Corps Center, Gerald R. Ford Job Corps
Center and in her completion of the
Job Corps Executive Management
Program. Jones is passionate about
helping youth reach their potential
and become productive citizens.
The devoted mother of two children received her undergraduate
degree in psychology from Jackson
State University in Jackson, Mississippi,
and an M.S. in management from
Minot State University in Minot, North
Dakota.
YPI is a Shreveport Chamber of
Commerce organization committed
to advancing the city of Shreveport’s
commercial and civic interests through
strategic networking and outreach.
Center Sweeps Skills Competition
For the second year in a row, Shreveport JCC
students have brought home the gold! In
the photo (left to right), Amanda Moreland,
Z’Leakyia Harper, and Annaliecia Merchant
show off their silver, gold, and bronze medals
earned at the Louisiana State Skills USA Championships. The three students swept the “word
processor” division and set a new standard of
excellence in the competition. The Shreveport
team will represent Louisiana at the National Skills USA Championships in
Kansas City, Missouri, this summer.
PROMOTIONS...
continued from front page
The center has become a topperforming facility, ranking number eight out of 122 Job Corps
Centers nationwide. The St. Louis
center has been recognized with
honors and awards from both
the Department of Labor and
MINACT.
Student surveys continually
rank the center far above the national average. “She (White) has
done an outstanding job, and we
are proud to have her on our corporate team,” said MINACT President/CEO Booker T. Jones.
White earned a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology and government from Oberlin College and
has completed work at St. Louis
University on her Masters’ Degree
in public administration. Her promotion took effect June 1.
Reginald Young, Deputy Director at the
St. Louis center, was tapped
to take over as
center director.
Young says his
experience as
director of residential life and
deputy center director has prepared him to continue the work
White started, and to keep the facility a “purpose driven center.”
Young, who began his career
at the St. Louis JCC as a guidance
counselor 12 years ago, says he’s
looking forward to the challenge
as CD. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology with a minor
in criminal justice from Southwest
Missouri State University.
Summer 2009 • MINACT News 7
Center Highlights
Center Highlights
EXCELSIOR SPRINGS JOB CORPS CENTER / Excelsior Springs, MO
QUENTIN N. BURDICK JOB CORPS CENTER / Minot, ND
Culinary Arts Students Cook for Newly Elected Governor
What a treat! Guests at Missouri
Governor Jay Nixon’s inaugural dinner dined on a sumptuous meal
Burdick Students Help Avert Natural Disaster
The heaviest snowfall in recorded
history landed in North Dakota this
past winter. As spring arrived, melting snow caused rivers to swell
which led to widespread flooding.
When the Ward County Emergency
Management Agency sounded the
call for volunteers to help fill 1,500
sandbags and place them along
the Souris and Des Lacs Rivers in
Minot to save a neighborhood, students and staff from the Quentin N.
Burdick Job Corps Center were the
first to volunteer. Once the task was
underway, an additional 100,000
sandbags were needed. Over the
course of 18 days, 160 Burdick students and 25 staff members worked
3,280 hours to help avert a natural
disaster. The Minot daily newspaper Burdick student and staff manpower
wrote an article and printed photos this spring made a major difference in
about the hard work of Burdick stu- local efforts to prevent flooding.
dents.
ST. LOUIS JOB CORPS CENTER / St. Louis, MO
College Scholarship Helps Former Student
James Carpenter is two semesters away from getting
an associate degree in computer engineering, thanks to
a $5,000 a year Stem Scholarship. The scholarship helps
cover his tuition cost at St. Louis Community College at
Florissant and Valley. Nineteen-year old Carpenter obtained his high school diploma from the St. Louis Job
Corps Center in 2007. He plans to continue his education
at a four-year college.
6 MINACT News • Summer 2009 Photo above: Nursing students wear
big shoes. PHOTO BELOW: Student nurse
gives injection.
prepared by culinary arts students
from the Excelsior Springs Job Corps
Center. In preparing the meal, the
culinary team exercised the skills and
techniques learned
and practiced everyday on center. The
group’s efforts were
highlighted in a front
page photo in the
Excelsior Springs Standard newspaper.
Prime opportunities like preparing in-
augural dinners are honors usually
reserved for only the best chefs. Not
many culinary school graduates have
cooking for the governor’s inaugural
gala on their resumes’!
Culinary team members used their
training and worked together to garner this proud distinction for themselves and the Excelsior Springs Job
Corps Center. Congratulations!
The photo at left is of Excelsior Springs
culinary arts students with Missouri
Governor Jay Nixon.
HUBERT H. HUMPHREY JOB CORPS CENTER / St. Paul, MN
GERALD R. FORD JOB CORPS
Students Make Mock Decisions in Reality Event CENTER / Grand Rapids, MI
Nursing Grads Prepare
for State Board Exams
The eight Nursing Students who
graduated from the Quentin N. Burdick
Job Corps Center in May say they know
they have big shoes to fill…and they
are doing a great job at it. The center,
located in Minot, North Dakota, began
offering the nursing program in 2007,
becoming the first Job Corps Center
in the nation to offer the program.
Four of the students graduated with
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) certification and plan to take state board
exams to allow them to begin the RN
program in late August. The other four
completed the requirements of the
Registered Nurse (RN) program and
are expected to complete their state
board exams in July.
“REALITY CENTRAL,” a daylong event “Reality Store,” a Business and Profesheld in June at Hubert H. Humphrey sional Women of Indiana model.
Job Corps Center, transported
students into a simulated
world depicting life after Job
Corps. Each station set up
in the center’s gym called
upon students to make decisions adults make every day.
Students learned that life is
more complex than a new car
and a cool place to live. They
worked their way through decisions ranging from housing,
transportation, groceries and
utilities to furniture, banking,
insurance, credit cards and
more. Students were challenged to figure out how unexpected events like a pregnancy or a raise can affect
budgets and work. The center
used 50 staff members and 20
student volunteers to operate
the program, adapted from
Congressional Honor
Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers (right)
presented Britnie Houston the 2009
Congressional Medal of Merit! An Air
Force hopeful, Britnie has been at the
Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center since
April 2008, and has completed her GED
and business technology vocation. She
is currently working on a second vocational trade in security. The Congressional Medal of Merit award is bestowed
on an outstanding senior from each
high school in Michigan’s Third Congressional District.
Summer 2009 • MINACT News 3
MINACT Job Corps Student Participation
Brings Enthusiasm, Ideas to Conference
Team Building, Stop the Bullying, and Overcoming Challenges were among the 20 workshops
conducted during MINACT’s Student Leadership
Conference, held March 23-27. Eighty-one students and staff from eight MINACT operated Job
Corps Centers took part in the three-day meeting at the Pere Marquette Lodge and Conference
Center in Grafton, Illinois.
Along with workshops, the conference provided activities with the help of the St. Louis Job
Corps Center as the Host Center.
“The conference was a very rewarding and inQuentin N. Burdick Job Corps Center student leaders with Gwendolyn spirational experience for me,” said student parAntoine (far right), Executive Director of Operations.
ticipant Meladie Meir.
Student Carla Jones had similar sentiments.
“I’ve picked up useful information that will help
me be a better leader when I go back to my center,” she said. Another student, John McHenry, Jr.,
commented, “It was a great learning experience.”
Gwendolyn Antoine, Executive Director of Residential Living Services, gave accolades to Robin
Foster, St. Louis Job Corps Center SGA/Leadership Coordinator, for her efforts in helping make
the conference an overwhelming success.
Student Conference...
(continued from page 4)
Batesville Job Corps Center student leaders with Gwendo- Excelsior Springs Job Corps Center student leaders with
lyn Antoine (far right), Executive Director of Operations.
Antoine.
St. Louis Job Corps Center student leaders with Antoine.
Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center student leaders with Antoine.
Shreveport Job Corps Center student leaders with Antoine.
Benjamin L. Hooks Job Corps Center student leaders with Antoine.
Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center student leaders with
Antoine.
Students at the leadership conference spent time
brainstorming ideas for making Job Corps work even
better for participants.
Students participated in a number of “Trust”
activities.
4 MINACT News • Summer 2009 Summer 2009 • MINACT News 5
Center Spotlight
Summer 2009
Batesville Job Corps Center
Batesville area business and civic leaders provided their unique perspectives at a Women’s History Month celebration at
the Batesville JCC.
Women’s History Month Celebrated
The Batesville Job Corps Center
welcomed a group of outstanding ladies from the Batesville business and
cultural communities to speak to an
enthusiastic audience of 75 female
students in celebration of Women’s
History Month. The event was coordinated by Vernetta Price, STARS
(Speakers, Tutors, Achievers, Retention and Success) Coordinator and
Brenda Black, the center’s Commu-
nity Relations Council President. The
diverse group of speakers from the
community echoed the same message: never give up. With “Conquer
your Obstacles to Succeed” as its theme,
the program featured speakers who
provided students with real world
perspectives of success through perseverance and determination.
Speakers noted that a simple walk
around the campus would reveal
examples of successful women. One
example is Batesville Job Corps Center Director Cordella Smith, who was
among six honorees featured in a
special section of the Panolian newspaper, Six Success Stories: A Salute to
Panola’s Working Women.
Smith is a highly visible and accessible role model to emulate, as pointed
out at the forum.
Counselor Annie Hillard
(above left), is a STARS
tutor who regularly
helps students prepare
for the GED test. She is an
employee of Batesville
Elementary School.
Teachers from Batesville Middle School train Batesville Job Corps Center students as proctors
for the Mississippi state accountability tests. Batesville Job Corps Center students have served as
proctors for the past five years.
The Batesville JCC choir performed for National
Global Youth Service Day and Earth Day at the
University of Mississippi. The next photo was taken
at the Batesville JCC Open House and is of Center
Director Cordella Smith (center) with students and
Sandra Grady (far left), MINACT Executive Director
of Business Development.
Batesville JCC Open House Invites
Community to Explore Offerings
The Batesville Job Corps Center
in Batesville, Mississippi, opened
its campus on May 29 to curious
visitors, dignitaries and community
leaders. Warm smiles and cheerful
welcomes from students and staff
alike greeted guests as they entered
the campus for a personal tour of the
facilities. Tables set with delectable
foods prepared by the center’s culinary students gave the community a
“taste” of the creative cooking talent
available in ‘their own backyard’.
Center Director Cordella Smith
beamed as her team of students
and instructors shared their experiences and observations with visitors
touring the complex. The freshly cut
green grass and well maintained
buildings served as the perfect back-
drop for a beautiful, but hot, day at
the center.
Congressman Travis Childers, who
visited the center the day before the
open house, was impressed with his
tour of the facility. Representative
Childers saw first-hand the Batesville
Job Corps Center’s rigorous vocational and academic programs. The
center is in Congressman Childers’
district.
The student leaders selected to
conduct tours spoke passionately
about their time on center and how
their Job Corps experiences have
changed their lives forever.
Students awed guests with an
exhibition of skills that ranged from
welding, framing a structure, patient care, to material handling. The
students’ expertise
and skillful execution of their various
vocations was fascinating to watch
for visitors and rewarding for their
teachers.
The commitment of the instructors
was evident when they spoke about
how much personal satisfaction they
receive from helping students discover their untapped potential and
reach their goals.
Positive center culture and pride in
the Job Corps program were evident
throughout the entire open house
experience.
Congressman Travis Childers (D-MS), far left, visited the Batesville JCC on May 28, the day before the center’s Open House.
He met with (l to r) SGA President Timothy McGee, CD Cordella
Smith and Center Ambassador Willie Westmoreland.
STARS Charting a New Horizon at Batesville
Smith: 28 Years of Service and Counting
A familiar face at the Batesville Job Corps Center is now Center Director of the Mississippi facility. Cordella Smith was promoted to the position in February 2009. Smith says, she is thrilled with the opportunity
to lead the center she has worked at for 28 years. Smith began her
career with Job Corps as a residential advisor in 1981. She has worked
as a guidance counselor, vocation counselor, manager of counseling,
and manager of career development/transition and deputy center
director.
Over the years, Smith says the campus has developed a culture of
respect and she is proud of that. “When you walk onto the Batesville Job Corps campus, visitors notice how respectful students
and staff are to each other as well as to guests.” She tells students, “Give respect, don’t wait on it.” It is a theme that reflects
MINACT’s focus on customer service, which states everyone is a
customer, whether it is a student, a staff member or the publicat-large.
Smith is also proud of the study guides staff members have developed to help GED students. Students are praised for the portions of the exam
that they pass. The areas where students have problems are pinpointed and turned into a
study guide to help them prepare more effectively for the re-test.
Smith’s ultimate goal is to ensure that students see their Job Corps training as a means for
developing a lifelong career — not just a job. “We want to make sure that everything we do
in the first 60 days gets them to the point where they can confidently say that they have a
specific career goal in mind and are taking advantage of the resources provided by Job Corps
to help them achieve it.”
“I am very proud of Cordella Smith’s commitment to student-centered learning and advancement of the Job Corps Programs,” says MINACT President/CEO Booker T. Jones.
Smith has a Bachelor’s Degree from Livingston College, a Master’s Degree in educational
psychology and special education from the University of Mississippi and a Doctor of Christian
education psychology from the Carolina University of Theology in Manassas, Virginia. Smith
replaces Dean Kindle who joined the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center’s administration
in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The Batesville Job
Corps Center is the first
in the nation to be built from
the ground up to serve as a
Job Corps center. MINACT has
operated the center since its
inception in 1980.
Students at the Batesville Job
Corps Center are learning to chart
a new course for their lives through
the STARS (Speakers, Tutors, Achievers, Retention and Success) Program.
“It makes a big difference because
students can feel frustrated in the
first 90 days at Job Corps,” says STARS
Program Coordinator Vernetta Price.
Speakers, mentors and tutors work
with students to refresh their math
and reading skills so they can improve their performance on the Test
of Adult Basic Education commonly
called the TABE.
National and local speakers visit
the Batesville campus routinely to
encourage students by sharing how
they overcame challenges.
Examples of speaker topics are Self
Esteem Empowerment, Building Steps
for the Future, and Short-Term Disability: Managing Money.
“I have 15 community partners
who work with our students, and
that is working,” Price pointed out.
“STARS helps keep young people
committed to Job Corps.”
Mentors and tutors give the 70
students in the Batesville program
guidance and encouragement with
academic and technical training, to
help them achieve career success
standards.
Twenty-Five Job Corps Centers
across the country offer the STARS
program. The Gerald R. Ford Job
Corps Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is another MINACT-operated
center that provides the program.
The STARS Program began in 2006,
as the brainchild of the National
Director of Job Corps, Dr. Esther R.
Johnson. She believed the STARS
program would increase retention,
academic achievement and graduation from Job Corps.
Ole Miss social work students (standing) talk to Batesville JCC students about
“Self-Esteem Empowerment.”
Batesville Bancorp South Bank President John Rigdon provides students with insight about managing their money and establishing credit.
Michael Johansson (center), International Program Director at Ole Miss,
and two of his students spoke at a
Leadership Banquet on center.
Lillian Herring, STARS Peer Student,
conducts a workshop on improving
self-image. Participants were Center
Transition Readiness students.