LearnX 2020 Session Videos
Opening Plenary: Acknowledging our Present
LearnX 2020 is occurring during an unprecedented time in our history. In our opening session, we will explore our recent past and current events through the lens of The Graduate! Network’s vision that every adult who aspires to earn a college degree has access to the resources and supports they need to succeed.
Speakers
- Matt Sigelman – Burning Glass Technologies, Chief Executive Officer
- Sallie Glickman – The Graduate! Network, Co-Founder & Interim CEO
- Cedric Deadmon – KC Degrees – Mid America Regional Council, Outreach and Advising Project Manager
Toward Greater Equity: What We Know
Speakers
- Courtney Brown – Lumina Foundation, Vice President of Strategic Impact
- Iris Palmer – New America, Senior Advisor for Higher Education and Workforce, Education Policy Program
- Hadass Sheffer – The Graduate! Network, Co-founder and Senior Fellow
Concurrent Sessions: Tool Shops for Practitioners
Enjoy an opportunity to choose 2 tool shop topics that help you, as practitioners, reach your goals in new and innovative ways. Each tool shop will incorporate content, application and individual actions.
Recruiting and Serving Comebackers in the Context of COVID-19
Harness the power of informal networks to create “word-of-mouth” campaigns to recruit Comebackers. Enjoy a sneak peak at Ambassador toolkits from around the Network and workshop ways to customize this approach for your region.
The Importance of Data in Telling Your Story
Join us as we discuss the importance of data collection and using data to tell a story and boost support in your community. We’ll look at ways to present data, including an examination of the Data That Move Us results. For anyone unsure about how to collect data, we’ll also review data
The New Normal: Breaking Down Barriers and Working for Educational Equity
Speakers
- John Colborn – Graduate! Network, Board Chair
- Bill Moses – The Kresge Foundation, Managing Director, Education
- Louis Soares – American Council on Education, Chief Learning and Innovation Officer
- Aaron Thompson – Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, President
When the Difficult Work Becomes Critical: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Our Work
Equity is at the heart of the Graduate! movement, yet we have never collectively explored what that means to us and those we serve at the individual and systems level. Guided by the co-chair of TGN’s Walmart-funded DEI initiative, participants will be invited to share and listen as we explore the ways in which diversity, equity, and inclusion shape our lives, our work, and the paths of Comebackers. Together, we will probe approaches to address these issues and inform the work being done to develop tools and practices for use in our organizations and communities.
Speakers
- Cedric Deadmon – KC Degrees – Mid America Regional Council, Outreach and Advising Project Manager
- Micaela Rios (she/ her/ hers) – The Graduate Network , Texas AARP Project Manager/ DEI Co-Lead
Elevating Comebacker Voices: Bridging the Talent Gap
The Graduate! Network is proud to have nurtured Bridging the Talent Gap, which puts the needs and interests of Comebackers at the center of the discourse with employers and higher education partners. BTTG is also a central strategy some Network communities are effectively leveraging to engage with employers and their workforce systems to advance the interests of Comebackers. Learn about the latest findings and the ways Network leaders are using BTTG.
Speakers
- Jenny Achilles – Trellis Foundation, Director of Partnerships & Programs
- Dan Ash – The Graduate! Network, Bridging The Talent Gap, Research guy
- Joshua Frazier-Sparks – Walmart.org, Senior Manager II, Opportunity
- Dexter Freeman – Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, Vice President of Operations & Administration
- Haley Glover – Lumina Foundation, Strategy Director
- Jessica Nojek – Senior Director, Community Impact, Mission: Graduate
- Anna Osland – One Acadiana, Director of Workforce & Policy Issues
- Bridgett Strickler – The Graduate! Network, Senior Vice President of Network Engagement
Innovation Roundup
A rapid fire session featuring Network innovators showcasing creative ways that their community is engaging and serving Comebackers. Each presenter will have 3 minutes to entice audience participants with their innovation. As part of the session, participants will be able to choose the topic(s) that they want to learn more about during special VIP deep dives after LearnX.
Speakers
- Melissa Young – KY Council on Postsecondary Education, Executive Director of Special Projects
- Michelle Cyrus – Detroit Regional Chamber, Director, Adult College Completion
- Andre Breaux – One Acadiana, formerly the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, VP, Policy Initiatives
- Maggie McGrath – Higher Education Compact of Greater Cleveland, Director
- Charles Williams – AARP, Volunteer, AARPKY Executive Council
- Tina Shreeve – Tennessee Higher Education Commission, Navigate Reconnect Coordinator
- Jeffrey West – Citizens for Educational Excellence, Director
- Toni Reeves – Tennessee Higher Education Com , Navigate Reconnect Regional Director- West Tennessee
Toward Sustainable Communities
Every day, Graduate! communities are working to amplify their impact in support of Comebackers while simultaneously looking for new ways to underwrite their services. This session will highlight strategies community leadership can leverage to generate investments and revenue.
Speakers
- Anita Davis – KC Degrees/Mid-America Regional Council, Workforce Development Program Director for the Mid-America Regional Council
- Karen Lockhart Fegely – City of Philadelphia, Deputy Commerce Director
- Sallie Glickman – The Graduate! Network, Co-Founder & Interim CEO
- Jeanie Heffernan – EVP & CHRO, Human Resources, Independence Blue Cross
- Meg Lindsay – Innovia Foundation, Director Education Programs
- Paul Neumann – Woods, Board Member, retired CEO
- Rodney Prunty – United Way of Central New Mexico, President and CEO
“Fireside” Chat: A Discussion with Our Founding Executive
Speakers
- Sallie Glickman – The Graduate! Network, Co-Founder & Interim CEO
- Hadass Sheffer – The Graduate! Network, Co-founder and Senior Fellow