Welcome message from the Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, Natalie Palugyai.

• Natalie Palugyai, Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency
  Natalie Palugyai was appointed Secretary of the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency by Governor Newsom on July 14, 2021. Secretary Palugyai is the first Latina to serve as California Labor Secretary. In her role, Secretary Palugyai serves as the Governor’s cabinet advisor on labor issues and employment programs for workers and businesses throughout California. Secretary Palugyai oversees the state departments and boards that enforce labor laws, including minimum wage and occupational safety standards, provide state disability and unemployment insurance benefits, fund workforce training and apprenticeship programs, combat wage theft, protect injured workers, and arbitrate public sector contract disputes.

Keynote: Tim Rainey, California Workforce Development Board & Brant Choate, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

This keynote welcomed the attendees, and set the table with a recognition and celebration of the P2E Grant with high level statistics & metrics.   A recognition of systems change made throughout the life of the Corrections Partnership & P2E Grant Initiative with Statewide and Regional Partners.

Keynote Panelists:

• Tim Rainey, Executive Director, California Workforce Development Board
  Tim was appointed by Governor Brown on November 22, 2011. As the Executive Director, Tim leads the CWDB staff in assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California’s workforce development system. Previously, Tim was the director of the Workforce and Economic Development Program (WED) of the California Labor Federation, where he was responsible for policy development at the state and local level, and brokering industry-based training partnerships among unions, employers, community organizations, education, and public workforce agencies. He was also the Policy Director for the California Workforce Association, and a consultant to the Senate Democratic Caucus of the California State Senate. Tim enjoys spending time with his family.
• Brant Choate, Director, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Division of Rehabilitative Programs
  Brant Choate has 28 years’ experience working in the field of educational administration. Since 2003, he worked in the field of adult education managing both California adult schools as well as university programs. He was the Director of Inmate Education for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department from 2011 to 2014. From 2014 to 2017, Brant served as California’s State Superintendent of Correctional Education leading academic, career technical education, and college programs for all 35 state prisons. In 2017, Brant was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown as Director of Rehabilitative Programs for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, leading all in prison and community parole rehabilitative efforts. Brant holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Educational Psychology and a Masters and Doctorate from Saint Mary’s College of California, in Educational Leadership.

Panelist: Joseph Piazza, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Rusty Bechtold, California Prison Industry Authority & Ryan Youtsey, Division of Adult Parole Operations=

This first moderated panel discussed the work and accomplishments of the state task force, including the referral system from DAPO to P2E Grantees, the inclusion of CDCR and CALPIA program information into CAALSKILLS, testing behind the walls, and interviews for state jobs. Implementation of MC3 across all CDCR programs, and building bridges with building trades for hiring.

Keynote Panelists:

• Rusty Bechtold, Assistant General Manager, CALPIA Workforce Development Branch
  Rusty Bechtold is currently the Assistant General Manager for the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) Workforce Development Branch. Mr. Bechtold has more than 26 years of experience in training, teaching and directing career development programs in a correctional environment.

• Ryan Youtsey, Parole Administrator, Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO)
  Mr. Youtsey has over 18 years of experience working with justice involved individuals in both the institutional and community settings. Mr. Youtsey currently oversees community and re-entry programs across California, and has been instrumental in development of the Prison to
  Employment/Corrections‐Workforce Partnership since 2018.

• Joseph Piazza, State Supervisor of Career and Technical Education Programs, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
  Dr. Piazza has been an educational leader and consultant for better than three decades. With degrees from Santa Clara University, Claremont Graduate University and the University of California at Davis, he has developed a professional niche of turnaround management, including strategic planning facilitation and professional development presentations. Dr. Piazza has been a leader in Preschool to Adult Education, working at all levels. After retiring as a Superintendent/ Principal, he returned joined the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to improve the student outcomes for Career and Technical Education (CTE) inmate students. Having worked most of his career with and for marginalized populations, he feels that the work at CDCR CTE is critically important to the people of California as well as the formerly incarcerated. Presently he is responsible for leading the largest CTE program in the nation, and supporting 320 instructors at 34 prisons throughout California providing training in more than twenty trades that lead to industry certifications or state licensing.

Panelists: Kristen Walker, San Diego Workforce Partnership & Alfredo Mendoza, San Joaquin County
Alfredo Mendoza, Administrative Services Manager, DSHR

This second moderated panel discussed the adjustments that grantees had to make to respond to the COIVD-19 pandemic, and economic crisis relative to delivery of services, access to services, changes in employers, and other factors.  Will answered questions generated by the field.

Keynote Panelists:

• Kristen Walker, Sr. Manager of Programs, San Diego Workforce Partnership
  Kristen Walker has been working for the San Diego Workforce Partnership for the past 8 years, and in workforce development since 2008. She specializes in creating customized and intensive programming for our most vulnerable community members to provide support in reaching their training and employment goals.

• Alfredo Mendoza, Administrative Services Manager, DSHR
  Since 2006, Alfredo has been working regionally with the San Joaquin Valley and Associated Counties with regional youth and adult grants such as the California Gang Reduction and Intervention Program (CalGRIP), the California Green Jobs Corps, the Multi-Sector National Emergency Grant (some wanted to call that one the OMG-NEG), and on two Regional Workforce Development Plans. He participates on Regional committees led by the Regional Organizer in Stanislaus County, and is the Administrative Services Manager in San Joaquin County.

Panelists: : Alfredo Mendoza, San Joaquin County, Dave Thoeny, Mother Lode Workforce Development Board, Amy Frost, Mother Lode Workforce Development Board

This third moderated panel discussed the successes and challenges of regional partnerships between grantees, local boards, and local partners.

Keynote Panelists:

• Dave Thoeny, Executive Director, Mother Lode Workforce Development Board
  Dave is the Executive Director of the Mother Lode Workforce Development Board and the Central Sierra Economic Development District. Previously, he held leadership roles in the high-tech industry including product management, business development, and mergers/acquisitions. He started his career in the sciences doing geophysical exploration, CAD/CAM engineering, and molecular modeling. Dave combines his background as an innovator and business developer to drive Workforce Development solutions in California’s Middle Sierra Region. He has a business degree from the University of Southern California and resides in Sonora, CA.

• Amy Frost, Deputy Director, Mother Lode Workforce Development Board
  Amy brings twelve years of comprehensive Workforce Development experience to the executive team at the Mother Lode Workforce Development Board, including Case Management, Program Development, Grant Writing, Fiscal Oversight, and overall Operations Management. As a visionary member of the “Mighty Mother Lode”, Amy has been instrumental in creating a Pilot Project as part of the Regional Partnerships Session.

• Alfredo Mendoza, Administrative Services Manager, DSHR
  Since 2006, Alfredo has been working regionally with the San Joaquin Valley and Associated Counties with regional youth and adult grants such as the California Gang Reduction and Intervention Program (CalGRIP), the California Green Jobs Corps, the Multi-Sector National Emergency Grant (some wanted to call that one the OMG-NEG), and on two Regional Workforce Development Plans. He participates on Regional committees led by the Regional Organizer in Stanislaus County, and is the Administrative Services Manager in San Joaquin County.

Panelists: Dave Thoney, Mother Lode & Michael Trogan, South Bay Workforce Investment Board

This fourth moderated panel focused on achievements & deliverables achieved by grantees that had System-Wide impact. We then shared successes made by the field.

Keynote Panelists:

• Dave Thoeny, Executive Director, Mother Lode Workforce Development Board
  Dave is the Executive Director of the Mother Lode Workforce Development Board and the Central Sierra Economic Development District. Previously, he held leadership roles in the high-tech industry including product management, business development, and mergers/acquisitions. He started his career in the sciences doing geophysical exploration, CAD/CAM engineering, and molecular modeling. Dave combines his background as an innovator and business developer to drive Workforce Development solutions in California’s Middle Sierra Region. He has a business degree from the University of Southern California and resides in Sonora, CA.

• Michael Trogan, Special Projects and Development Manager, South Bay Workforce Investment Board

Moderators: Joe & Travis California Workforce Development Board

Success Story Testimonials by the participants themselves.

Windy Ortiz
To be introduced by Deona Dorsey from San Diego Workforce

Eric Kile
To be introduced by James Hanson from Mother Lode Workforce Development Board

Keynote Panelists:

• Deona Dorsey, Program Specialist, San Diego Workforce Partnership
  Deona Dorsey has over 15 years working in human services. In her role as a Program Specialist for the San Diego Workforce Partnership, she can live in her passion of helping others through workforce services and community advocacy.

• James Hanson, Job Developer, Mother Lode Workforce Development Board
  James Hanson has over 4 years of experience in Case Management and provides direct services to the customers at Mother Lode Job Training. James uses his experience to assist individuals from all backgrounds and socioeconomic standings to reach their fullest potential.

Moderator: Curtis Notsinneh, California Workforce Development Board

Where do we go from here?  Updates on the Prison to Employment Grant Initiative.

Q&A to CWDB

Keynote Panelists:

• Curtis Notsinneh, Chief Deputy Director, California Workforce Development Board
  Curtis was appointed by Governor Brown on December 21, 2018. As the Chief Deputy Director he is the chief of staff and oversees the daily operations of CWDB staff operating in four branches. He also serves as the Tribal Liaison for the Labor and Workforce Development Agency. Prior to his appointment, Curtis began his work at CWDB as the corrections workforce partnership manager to improve labor market outcomes for formerly incarcerated and justice involved individuals in California. Previously, Curtis served as director of public affairs for a federally recognized tribal government, and held multiple positions, including policy director, as staff to members of the California State Assembly with more than a dozen years of legislative service. He serves on several public and private boards, and remains active and civically-engaged in the community. Curtis is fourth generation Japanese American, and is also an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation. In his free time he enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, traveling, fishing, and cooking.

Joe, Travis & Angela, California Workforce Development Board

Thank you’s to Attendees, Panelists & Partners.