Workforce Happenings

Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama COO and West Alabama Works Executive Director Donny Jones to the Alabama Committee on Credentialing and Career Pathways (ACCCP). He will serve as an officer on the committee.

“Serving on the ACCCP is an opportunity to help improve the lives of Alabamians across our state by identifying the in-demand occupations and credentials of value that will lead to family-sustaining wages and continued economic growth,” Ivey said in her appointment letter. The ACCCP will target career technical education courses and use industry experts as resources to ensure Alabama’s students can develop a pathway to employment in a competitive field.

Jones will join the committee as a workforce development expert representing Tuscaloosa, Bibb, Hale, Pickens, Greene, Lamar, Sumter, Marengo and Fayette counties. He also serves as part of the governor’s Career Technical Education Task Force and the co-chair of the state workforce board’s Innovation Committee.

“As we’ve learned in our workforce system, West Alabama Works, industry leaders and educators have to come to the table to ensure our children have the best possible opportunities. This committee will help continue to eliminate silos and ensure Alabama has the best chance at a great future, where all of our children can work in in-demand, high-paying fields,” Jones said.

The ACCCP has a two-fold mission (1) to determine, annually, the in-demand, fast-growing, and high-wage jobs available in each of Alabama’s seven workforce regions and the jobs that are in-demand, fast-growing, and high-wage at the state level. (2) The ACCCP will create, annually, a regional (one for each workforce region) and a statewide compendium of valuable credentials, which will organize and make transparent all of the degrees, credentials, and certificates offered in Alabama.

A group of West Alabama’s business leaders will work with ACCCP as members of the Technical Advisory Committees. West Alabama Works nominated these business leaders due to their strong track record in the region’s workforce system.
• Kelley Miller; Business: First South Farm Credit; Cluster: Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
• Eden Lindsey; Business: Harrison Construction; Cluster: Architecture and Construction
• George Edmondson; Business: Seed Creative; Cluster: Arts, Audio/Visual Technology and Communications
• Bobby Bragg; Business: JamisonMoneyFarmer; Cluster: Business, Management and Administration
• Nicole Dubose; Business: Shelton State Community College; Cluster: Education and Training
• Elizabeth Winter; Business: Regions Bank; Cluster: Finance
• Mark Fields; Business: City of Tuscaloosa; Cluster: Government and Public Administration
• Peggy Sease; Business: DCH Health System; Cluster: Health Science
• Toby Wilson; Business: Wilson Hospitality; Cluster: Hospitality and Tourism
• Cory White; Business: WhiteSky Communications; Cluster: Information Technology
• Ron Abernathy; Business: Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office; Cluster: Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security
• Kristine Kinard; Business: GAF; Cluster: Manufacturing
• Terri Brewer; Business: Tuscaloosa County School System; Cluster: Marketing, Sales and Service
• Chuck Karr; Business: University of Alabama College of Engineering; Cluster: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
• Stephanie Lawrence; Business: Mercedes-Benz U.S. International; Cluster: Transportation, Distribution and Logistics

Jones and the other ACCCP officers attended their first training session Jan. 16 in Montgomery.