Program approved for 2.0 STRATEGIC recertification credit hours
WORKFORCE READINESS – OUR FUTURE
Panel discussion of local representatives from Capital Area Workforce Board, Central Texas SHRM Chapters, Texas Business & Education Coalition, Texas Workforce Commission, Communities in Schools of Central Texas, and Right Management, largest career transition firm in the world presenting their views on what is happening and what action they are taking regarding Workforce Readiness in the Austin and Central Texas area.
What is Happening in Your Area?
- Kate McLagan (Moderator), Austin HR Management Association (AHRMA), VP of Workforce Readiness and VP Client Services, Right Management – Kate will share Central Texas trends in outplacement numbers, job landings, and what HR is sharing in terms of forecasting.
- Susan Word, Williamson County HR Management Association (WCHRMA), VP of Workforce Readiness, and Human Resources Director of City of Pflugerville – Susan will discuss her experience in her workforce readiness role, as well as the job scene as a major employer.
- Donna Crenshaw, Business Development Manager, Workforce Solutions – Central Area – Donna will share workforce trends, “Work in Texas” employment information, as well as industry status (growth, downsizing, and new companies).
- Dr. Mary Daigle, Chair, Capital Area Workforce Board and partner of NelsonDaigle Partners – Mary will provide information on how current funds are being allocated and trends that the Board is hearing from industry.
- Ron Lehman, Chair, Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC), former Commissioner of Texas Workforce Commission, and current EVP of Kuder Corporation – Ron will provide an overall employment picture, as well as career development needs for the future Texas workforce.
- Suki Steinhauser, Chief Executive Officer of Communities In Schools of Central Texas – Suki will share that CIS of Central Texas is the leading drop-out prevention program. She will tell us that children cannot learn at their potential when they are in crisis or face significant non-academic needs. Most students who drop out of school are dealing with multiple problems that present barriers to their education: poverty, unattended health needs, hunger, an unemployed parent, domestic violence.
How We Are Approaching These Issues?
- Kate McLagan (Moderator), AHRMA, will discuss the goal of the Workforce Readiness Committee and AHRMA to create partnerships and programs to bridge workforce readiness gaps. She will share expectations of employers regarding professional and job “survival” skills – what they are and how the lack of them impacts the workplace.
- Susan Word, WCHRMA, will provide an overview of Williamson County initiatives with workforce needs and school systems. As an HR hiring manager, Susan will share new and expanding employment opportunities in Central Texas and gaps around filling them.
- Donna Crenshaw, Workforce Solutions – Capital Area, will share how she reaches out to industry to assess change in employment, needs and concerns, as well as how they handle various audiences’ (such as veterans) specific employment needs.
- Dr. Mary Daigle, Capital Area Workforce Board, will talk about demographic, economic, and labor market information as it relates to Central Texas workforce needs/gaps, as well as federal dollars available for retraining.
- Ron Lehman, Chair of TBEC and former Commissioner of Texas Workforce Commission, will discuss demographic, economic, and labor market information as it relates to the State of Texas workforce needs/gaps and he’ll share the gaps in preparing students in school systems throughout Texas for future industry needs.
- Suki Steinhauser, CEO of CIS will discuss that through campus-based programs and special projects, Communities In Schools creates a network of volunteers, social services, businesses, and community resources that work together to break down barriers and help students succeed.
Call to Action!
“If you each committed to one action, what difference could we make? A sample of various goals multiple Central Texas SHRM HR chapters can get involved in:
Action Team 1: Because the earliest years lay the foundation for success in education and life, we have a lot of ground to cover – 40% of incoming kindergarteners are 18 months behind.
(Action is to be on speaker’s bureau to educate business groups, parents, and churches about this gap; work with United Way and Education Service Center; help administer assessments).
Action Team 2: Focuses on closing achievement gaps between different demographic groups, which can be 40 percentage points or more, and improving overall student achievement.
(Action is to serve on speaker’s bureau; expand volunteer programs to increase recruitment; match individuals to volunteer opportunities and track volunteer activities to student outcomes).
Action Team 3: In order to have a world-class economy, we must have the best-prepared graduates. Right now, fewer than half of Central Texas students are considered “college ready” upon graduation.
(Action: Central Texas to work together as a community to prepare children to succeed; by developing and promoting industry collaboration to provide career relevance to core subjects and to develop skills critical to success in both college and career. Identify and promote business skills and high-need occupations to students while they are in secondary and higher education. Provide outreach to recruit significantly higher numbers of community volunteers into schools as mentors, tutors, and coaches).
Action Team 4: Central Texas to work together as a community to prepare children to succeed by developing and promoting industry collaboration to provide career relevance to core subjects and to develop skills critical to success in both college and career.
(Action is to identify and promote business skills and high-need occupations to students while they are in secondary and higher education. Provide outreach to recruit significantly higher numbers of community volunteers into schools as mentors, tutors and coaches).
CALL TO ACTION – CENTRAL TEXAS NEEDS YOU – VOLUNTEER!!
CONTACT KATE McLAGAN AT vpworkforcereadiness@austinhumanresource.org
BIOS OF PANEL PARTICIPANTS
KATE McLAGAN
Kate McLagan is Vice President of Client Services Right Management – Austin and San Antonio, Texas. She also serves as VP Workforce Readiness for the Austin Human Resource Management Association. She specializes in the areas of leadership coaching, change management, communication skills, performance management, career management, conflict, team building, presentation skills, and acquisitions and integrations.
Kate has been certified by Right Management as an Executive Coach. She has designed and delivered programs in leadership/management practices, career consulting, change, conflict resolution, and succession planning. She guides individuals to make fundamental shifts that result in measurable behavior changes and she teaches them how to master interpersonal effectiveness skills ensuring stronger alliances with others. She is responsible for the rollout of new firm initiatives due to her executive presence and ability to understand business issues and drivers.
Kate has more than 20 years of business experience in various leadership and consulting roles domestically and internationally. In addition to holding numerous senior management and business owner positions in the U.S. and S.E. Asia, Kate is recognized for her business experience, combined with formal coach training. Kate has significant experience in the high tech industry providing services in leadership development, change management, corporate training, executive coaching, and career management execution.
Kate holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado. She also holds certifications for the Birkman, Insights, Firo B, and 360 Compass assessments.
SUSAN WORD
Susan is Human Resources Director for the City of Pflugerville and is an active member of the Williamson County Human Resource Management Association where she has served on the board for the past six years and is currently serving as Immediate Past President. She also serves as a District Director for SHRM Texas State Council. She is a member of the Texas Municipal Human Resources Association, International Public Management Association for Human Resources, and the Society for Human Resource Management.
In 1981, Susan was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army and rose to the rank of Captain. For seven years she served in Alabama, Virginia, West Germany, and Texas as a helicopter pilot, maintenance officer, and maintenance test pilot.
In 1989, Susan embarked on her next career in the high tech industry. She moved through the ranks of semiconductor manufacturing and held positions ranging from Lead Operator to Manufacturing Manager with Fortune 500 Companies (Texas Instruments and Motorola), as well as start-up companies (Ross Technology and BridgePoint Technical Manufacturing). At BridgePoint (1998-2000) Susan acted as both the Manufacturing Manager and Human Resources Manager. Susan has been the Human Resources Director for the City of Pflugerville since 2001.
Susan received her Master’s degree in Human Resource Development Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin in May of 2001. She received her Senior Professional Human Resources Certification (SPHR) in June 2004.
DONNA CRENSHAW
Ms. Crenshaw is the Business Development Manager for Workforce Solutions – Capital Area Workforce Board, the leadership and governing body for the regional workforce system. Workforce Solutions is responsible for the planning, oversight, and evaluation of workforce development activities in the Austin/Travis County area.
Working with city and state officials, local Chambers, and economic development organizations, Donna has lead efforts to encourage and facilitate economic growth in Travis County. She helped create and implement the Current Worker Training program at Workforce Solutions. She is the Board’s primary contact for Skills Development Funds grant from the Texas Workforce Commission and represents Workforce Solutions in local workforce initiatives and partnerships.
Prior to her present position, Ms. Crenshaw worked as Director of Communications for the Tarrant County Workforce Board, was Vice President of Development for the Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and has over 20 years of experience in marketing/public relations.
DR. MARY DAIGLE
NelsonDaigle Partners
Mary has provided executive coaching and organizational development consulting to companies located in the Southwestern US and Mexico such as Dell, AMD, Seton Family of Hospitals, Texas Instruments, Applied Materials, Temple Inland, 3M, and several financial and legal firms. A licensed psychotherapist, Mary has worked with a variety of corporations including the Fortune 500, entrepreneurial ventures and government agencies. She has made numerous presentations to both national and international audiences. Her areas of expertise include enhancing communication skills, building effective teams, developing high performance teams, and leading with influence.
A recognized community leader, Mary has served five terms on the Board of Directors of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce; served as an advisory board member for the Financial Executives International (FEI), and as Chair of the Community Action Network. A member of Leadership Austin, Mary is currently Board Chair for Workforce Solutions-Capital Area (Travis County).
RON LEHMAN
Ron Lehman is the Chair of the Texas Business and Education Coalition, the former Commissioner Representing Employers at the Texas Workforce Commission, a former IBM Technical Education Manager for North America and Executive-On-Loan for Re-Inventing Education, and most recently Executive Vice-President of the Kuder Corporation, the nation’s leading provider of academic and career planning solutions for students, adults, and businesses.
He also serves on several boards, including the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center, and is involved in several new business start-up ventures.
Ron began his IBM career in 1967 as a member of the start-up teams for two IBM plants in Austin, Texas. He’s held leadership and management roles in manufacturing, personnel, finance, engineering, customer engineering, management development, and technical education in Austin and New York. In 1981, he led the recruiting, hiring, and training programs for the second plant in Austin. In 1983, he was appointed engineering and manufacturing technical education manager for IBM North America, responsible for the technical education of more than 70,000 engineers, managers, and manufacturing staff at 31 locations.
In July, 1998, Ron was appointed Commissioner Representing Employers by Governor Bush and reappointed by Governor Rick Perry in February, 2003. He took his role as the advocate for employers very seriously and led the adoption of policies that elevated employers to that of primary customers of the state’s workforce system. He met annually with over 8,000 employers to listen to their business and workforce challenges. He was executive sponsor for the implementation of the WorkInTexas.com job matching system that gained over 260,000 employer subscribers and resulted in the hiring of over 1.5 million workers.
In 2003, he was recognized by the National Federation of Independent Business for his advocacy and support to employers in Texas. In Fall, 2008, he became Executive Vice-President of the Kuder Corporation, the leading supplier of research-based academic and career planning solutions for students, adults, and companies.
Lehman holds a Bachelor’s degree in management from St. Edward’s University and is a graduate of The President’s Class—Advanced Business Institute, Harvard University and the Systems Approach to Education, Corporate Learning Institute, Vanderbilt University.
SUKI STEINHAUSER
Suki Steinhauser is the Chief Executive Officer of Communities In Schools of Central Texas. Suki joined Communities In Schools in 1994 and prior to becoming the CEO, she served as the agency’s Director of Projects where she oversaw the expansion of the agency’s programming and budget.
Suki is active in the nonprofit community where she has used her experience and business acumen to improve the lives of disenfranchised youth and families. She has worked in the area of community development, served as the President of the Board of Directors of Austin Habitat for Humanity, and currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the Seedling Foundation and as Secretary of CIS of Texas.
Suki has a B.A. from Syracuse University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a graduate of the 2007 Leadership Austin Essential class and was featured in the Austin Business Journal’s annual Profiles in Power.
Suki’s nonprofit career began after being inspired to serve others as a Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland, Africa where she taught math for three years. This spirit of service is shared by her husband, Chester and their children, Annie and Nick.
Filed under: AHRMA Monthly Meetings, AHRMA Workforce Readiness Committee
