CLIMB Convening 2024
Sustaining Mental and Behavioral Healthcare Careers
May 14, 2024 | The Campbell House, Lexington
The first-ever CLIMB-Health Convening features the new postsecondary education initiatives supporting Kentucky’s Recovery and Reentry populations, keynotes from state leaders shaping the work that allows all adults to contribute to an economically stable Kentucky, and numerous networking opportunities among and with industry, government, and postsecondary education partners.
Download the Conference Program here.
| Time | Session | Materials |
|---|---|---|
|
7:30-8:30 a.m |
NETWORKING BREAKFAST
|
N/A |
|
8:30-8:45 a.m. |
WELCOME REMARKS Associate Vice President, Workforce & Economic Initiatives, Council on Postsecondary Education |
N/A |
|
8:45-9:15 a.m. |
RECOVERY READY: CHANGING THE TRAJECTORY OF POSTSECONDARY AND THE STATE THROUGH CLIMB-HEALTH President, Council on Postsecondary Education |
N/A |
| 9:15-9:45 a.m. |
TOGETHER WE CLIMB Secretary, Cabinet for Health and Family Services |
N/A |
| 9:45-10:00 a.m. | COFFEE BREAK | N/A |
| 10:00-11:00 a.m. |
ENGAGING KENTUCKY'S LIVED EXPERIENCE WORKFORCE Commissioner, Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) |
|
| 11:00-11:05 a.m. | STRETCH BREAK | |
| 11:05-11:45 a.m. |
ENHANCING CAREER LADDERS IN MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: THE CLIMB-HEALTH INITIATIVE Senior Fellow, Healthcare Workforce Initiatives, Council on Postsecondary Education |
|
| 11:45-12:05 p.m. |
INITIATIVE SPOTLIGHTS: KCTCS CLIMB-COLLEGES |
Slides |
| 12:05-1:30 p.m. |
LUNCHEON AND KEYNOTE: THE COMMITMENT OF KCTCS TO THE FUTURE OF THE COMMONWEALTH President, Kentucky Community and Technical College System |
N/A |
| 1:30-1:45 p.m. | NETWORKING BREAK | N/A |
| 1:45-2:30 p.m. |
PREVALENCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR Senior Fellow, Healthcare Workforce Initiatives, Council on Postsecondary Education |
|
| 2:30-3:30 p.m. |
CELEBRATING EARLY SUCCESS AT OUR CLIMB-HEALTH COLLEGES Moderated by Carl Wilson, CPE Rachelle Burchett, Chief Workforce and Marketing Officer, Big Sandy CTC Sherri Clark, Dean of Community, Workforce and Economic Development, Southeast Kentucky CTC Cindy Fiorella, Vice President of Workforce Solutions, Owensboro CTC Jason Simon, Workforce Solutions’ Director of Innovation and AMTEC, Owensboro CTC |
N/A |
| 3:30-3:45 p.m. |
CLOSING REMARKS AND ADJOURNMENT Associate Vice President, Workforce & Economic Initiatives, Council on Postsecondary Education |
N/A |
| 3:45-4:30 p.m. |
NETWORKING AND VISITING EXHIBITS
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SPEAKER BIOS
RACHELLE BURCHETT is the Chief Workforce and Marketing Officer at Big Sandy Community and Technical College. She is a devoted wife, proud mother of three, and adoring Granny to two amazing little girls and one sweet boy. She brings invaluable expertise to her role and drives initiatives that shape the future of education and workforce development. She is also a keynote speaker and a transformative communication and leadership trainer. Beyond her professional achievements, Rachelle brings a deeply personal perspective to her advocacy work. Having navigated the challenges of addiction with her son, she is passionate about recovery and supporting individuals on their journey to success. Rachelle's lived experiences fuel her dedication to making a meaningful impact in the lives of others, inspiring hope, and transformation at every turn.
SHERRI CLARK is the Dean of Community, Workforce and Economic Development at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. In this role, she leads Workforce Solutions, a division whose main objective is to provide customized training for business and industry. The division also oversees targeted workforce grants and initiatives—including an award of nearly $500K from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to fund the Essential Skills HUB project, and an award of $1.7 million from US Department of Labor to fund the GEO Project. The HUB will expand training to provide participants in recovery the opportunity to gain digital skills and certifications. The GEO Project: Generating Energy Optimization, a grant in collaboration with SKCTC academics, will provide training to enhance the critical renewable energy sector-based career pathways of electrical technology, automotive technology, and transportation. In addition, Clark leads Adult Education, Mine Training, the Mountain Training Network, and the Ready to Work program.
CINDY FIORELLA is the Vice President of Workforce Solutions at Owensboro Community and Technical College. Fiorella leads OCTC’s Workforce Solutions division which provides customized business and industry training, workforce assessment services, adult basic education, as well as related programs and services targeted to at risk populations. The division is the largest and most comprehensive unit within the KCTCS and is comprised of more than 40 workforce development professionals. OCTC’s Workforce Solutions is recognized for its innovative public/private industry collaborations employing “work and learn” delivery modalities, as well as its significant portfolio of technology-enhanced learning solutions.
ERIC FRIEDLANDER has served as secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services since 2020. As Cabinet secretary, Friedlander leads a $17.5 billion Cabinet that serves every Kentucky citizen in some capacity through its 93 agencies, departments, branches and functions, including the departments for Public Health; Medicaid Services; Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities; Community Based Services; and Aging and Independent Living and Office of the Inspector General; Serve Kentucky; and World Languages Association-certified translations and American Sign Language. Committed to major social services and population health policies and programs that aim to transform the health and well-being of Kentuckians, he is a champion of all citizens and the more than 8,000 Cabinet employees.
DR. KATIE MARKS serves as the Commissioner for the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. As a behavioral scientist, Dr. Marks supports the departmental mission of promoting health and well-being by facilitating recovery for people whose lives have been affected by mental illness and substance use; supporting people with intellectual or other developmental disabilities; and building resilience for all. Dr. Marks previously served as the project director for the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort (KORE); bringing expertise focused on state, community, and organizational-level strategies as well as policies that support recovery from the overdose epidemic. Dr. Marks received a doctorate in Experimental Psychology from the University of Kentucky and a graduate certificate in Clinical and Translational Science.
DR. RYAN QUARLES is the fourth president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the first native Kentuckian to lead the system of 16 community and technical colleges and 70 campuses. Quarles comes to KCTCS with a long history in statewide public service. He was first elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2010 where he served until his election as Kentucky’s state commissioner of agriculture in 2016. In that role, he led the state’s second largest executive branch agency through 2023, serving two terms. On a national front, he was president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in 2020-2021. His earlier work experience includes serving as associate general counsel at Georgetown College and working in private practice.
JASON SIMON serves as OCTC’s Workforce Solutions’ Director of Innovation and AMTEC (Advanced Manufacturing Education Collaborative), a nationwide learning collaborative of industry and education partners. Simon is responsible for leading AMTEC product development and expansion efforts for companies such as Boeing, Toyota, and Nissan. Additionally, Simon leads Workforce Solutions’ FlexTrain Initiative which offers innovative computer-based training courses encompassing more than 100,000 professional development, career certifications, and regulatory training offerings. Under Simon’s leadership, the FlexTrain team provides instructional design, learning management system/hosting services and Help Desk support for multi-state educational and industry partners.
DR. LESLIE SIZEMORE boasts three decades of healthcare and administrative expertise and currently holds the position of Associate Vice President for Workforce and Economic Initiatives at Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education. In addition to being a licensed occupational therapist, she spearheads several critical initiatives within the CPE and plays a pivotal role in shaping and monitoring policies that impact workforce development and education. Dr. Sizemore also owns and operates TheraCare, Inc., a private practice occupational and physical therapy staffing company serving Southeastern Kentucky. She lends her expertise to various advisory bodies, including the SEKY Advisory Council for Volunteers of America, the Professional Advisory Council for the Laurel County Center for Innovation, and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Institutional Review Board. Dr. Sizemore continues to live in Southeastern Kentucky and travels the state to coordinate education and industry partnerships collectively dedicated to building a robust Kentucky workforce.
DR. AARON THOMPSON is a passionate advocate for higher education. As a first-generation college student from rural Clay County, Kentucky, he experienced first-hand the transformative power of a college credential. As President of CPE, he works to ensure all Kentuckians have an equal opportunity to improve their lives through postsecondary education. Before taking the helm of CPE, Thompson served as interim president of Kentucky State University; CPE executive vice president and provost; and faculty member and administrator at Eastern Kentucky University. He has extensive leadership experience within the private and non-profit sectors and is a highly sought-after national speaker. Dr. Thompson has authored or co-authored numerous books and peer-reviewed publications on diversity, cultural competence, first-year experience programs, retention, and student success, among other topics. In 2019, he was inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
CARL WILSON is a Senior Fellow of Healthcare Workforce Initiatives at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and a seasoned healthcare workforce leader with a proven track record in management, project leadership, and program development. His expertise extends from academic pathways to innovative workforce initiatives. Carl brings a unique perspective with a background spanning academia, government, and the private sector. Holding a master’s degree in Contract Management from the Florida Institute of Technology, his career has been defined by effective leadership and a commitment to building more robust, more resilient healthcare workforces. In addition to his extensive professional experience, Carl is a retired Chief Petty Officer from the United States Naval Reserves. His military leadership background further exemplifies his dedication to excellence and commitment to those who serve.
Last Updated: 5/14/2024