Conference 2009: Speakers
NANCY BARRY TXCAPS 2009 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Nancy Barry, a 25-year corporate veteran, walked away from what she describes as "the best job in the world" to share her extensive business experience with others. She firmly believes "soft skills" are the key to success in life and business. Nancy's extensive business experience, contagious enthusiasm, positive energy, and humor make her a dynamic presenter. She will energize, motivate, and inspire your audience.
One of her passions is helping twentysomethings be successful in their careers. Nancy is the author of When Reality Hits: What Employers Want Recent College Graduates to Know. In her book, she shares the secrets to success – mastering the "soft skills" in the workplace. She tells twentysomethings what managers want them to know and don't have time to tell them.
Prior to launching her own company in 2005, Nancy served as vice president of community services for The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV and vice president for The Dallas Morning News Charities, an annual campaign to raise money for the hungry and homeless.
Nancy is a member of numerous professional associations including: National Speakers Association, National Association of Colleges and Employers, and National Association of Female Executives. She is involved in her community and serves on the advisory councils of the Communities Foundation of Texas, Dallas Women's Foundation, and Dallas Center for the Performing Arts.
In 1996, Nancy was named one of the "Top Twenty Under Forty" by the Newspaper Association of America. This honor annually recognizes twenty of the nation's most promising newspaper executives under the age of forty. In 2000, she was named Dallas Mother of the Year by the Dallas Can! Academy. She received the "Our Hero Award" from Special Olympics in 2004 and received the "Mentor Award" from the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center in 2006.
Nancy lives in Dallas, Texas and is the proud mother of two children. Her son, Chris, graduated from Yale University and her daughter, Lauren, is a junior in high school.
SESSION I Presenter
JAMES CORONA, a retired Sergeant First Class US Army 1998, is a graduate from the University of Phoenix with an MBA and Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. He attended the University of Houston where he completed the Diversity Certified Practitioner Program. He is currently employed with Houston Community College as a Diversity Recruiting Manager for the entire district.
James is a native of El Paso, Texas, is married with three Children. He likes to spend his free time writing poetry. He has completed two volumes (not published) titled “Profiles of Valor” and “Profiles of Texas”. He is a singer/songwriter who enjoys jogging and studying American History.
SESSION II - Panelists
Millette Scott, a graduate of Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a Master’s of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling, has over 16 years experience working with people with disabilities. Immediately following graduate school Ms. Scott was hired at the Harmony Center in Baton Rouge Louisiana as a counselor to work with at risk youth. In 1996 she moved to Houston Texas and was hired at Meridian Rehabilitation Services, Inc. to work as a counselor with individuals with mental disabilities. Since that time, she has worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor with Texas Rehabilitation Commission (currently the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services) to assist people with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep employment.
Currently Ms. Scott is a member of the Texas Rehab Action Network (TRAN) a non-profit organization that promotes the public vocational rehabilitation program’s ability to provide employment services to persons with disabilities and disability related solutions to the business community, a member of Chi Sigma Iota (Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society), Angelle’s Project Board, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.
Ms. Scott has volunteered for various organizations in the Houston area including HERE (Housing and Employment Resources Expo for People with disability, White Cane Disability Day, Houston Mayor’s Committee for Employment for People with Disabilities, and Business Interface Network, etc. She is a proud mother of two children-one daughter in college and a son in high school.
Roman Alvarez, EdD, LPC, LMFT, LSOTP has over 20 years of professional experience in human services. He currently serves as full-time Faculty Counselor at HCC-SW. He taught undergraduate psychology courses at HCC and San Jacinto College, graduate psychology courses at UHCL, and graduate counseling courses at PVAMU. He has a part-time private practice in Houston where he provides out-patient treatment services to juvenile sex offenders and private paying clients. He is a Depth Psychotherapist and Ecosystemic Thinker- Practitioner.
SESSION III- Panelists
Adriana Jones, CoPanelist
Michael Henderson, CoPanelist, received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Washburn University of Topeka Kansas, and Master of Science degree from Kansas State University in Human Development. He has worked in Dallas' Workforce Development programs for 31 years and is currently the Director of Career Services and an Adjunct Faculty member at El Centro College in Dallas.
Mike currently serves as Vice-President and Web-master for TXCAPS.
Carolyn M. Davis, a graduate of the University of South Alabama with a Masters Degree in Public Administration and Wiley College where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. She has over 10 years experience in the field of Human Resource Development with emphasis in Recruiting and Salary Administration; and over 7 years working in Career Planning and Job Placement.
Carolyn is currently employed with Houston Community College Southwest as head of the Career Planning and Placement Center. Her area includes: West Loop, Alief/Hayes and Bissonnet, Missouri City/Sienna Plantation, Stafford and Gulfton Campuses. She actively serves as Chairperson of the Career and Planning Committee for HCC District and a member of the Cultural Arts Committee for Southwest College.
Carolyn has adopted Stephen Covey’s Habit 2, of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective people, as her division’s motto…”Start With the End In Mind”. As such, this motto has proven to be apropos to all aspect of success---particularly “Student Success”.
Carolyn is the current President of TXCAPS and chairs the Conference Committee.
SESSION IV -- Panelists
Dr. Bernadine Duncan is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Leadership and Counseling Department at Prairie View A & M University; where she teaches among others courses career counseling, theories, professional orientation, human growth and development, and cross-cultural counseling. She has spent a large portion of her professional life in the field of psychotherapy beginning at Texas A&M University as a Counseling Psychologist after receiving her doctoral degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Duncan maintained a private practice, in downtown Houston, for over fifteen years. In addition, she has given numerous presentations and workshops on a variety of topics in mental health, male/female relationships, diversity, and multiculturalism. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a National Certified Counselor, and a licensed supervisor for LPC’s. She strongly believes in giving back and lifting up those in need.
Mary Page has been employed with Houston Community College for the past 18 years as a Counselor and Adjunct Faculty. During her tenure at HCC, she has served as Counseling Chair, Director of Student Assessment and Advising; and is currently Faculty Senate President. As Faculty Senate President, she acts a faculty liaison to the Board of Trustees and the Administration.
Mary has held many leadership roles and is an active member in Texas Community College Association where she served as Chairperson of the Convention, Membership and Legislative Committees. Currently, she is a member of the Executive Board for the Junior/Community College Student Personnel Association of Texas
Mary is a graduate of the University of Houston—Clear Lake where she received a Masters of Arts in Psychology and Counseling. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Francis Marion College---Florence, South Carolina.
SESSION V – Panelists
Timothy Lopas has over 18 years experience in management, with emphasis on workforce operations, project management, labor market projections, career advisement, job placement, employer networking, customer service and working with youth. He is currently employed as the Office Manager with the North Shore Workforce Solutions in Houston, Texas.
Nina Smith is a paralegal for Taylor P.C. law firm handling civil litigation cases. She previously served as a Recruiting Specialist and special project coordinator for Wheeler Avenue 5 C's Moving Forward located in Houston, Texas. Moving Forward is a Department of Labor "Prison Reentry Initiative" designed to help ex-offenders successfully reintegrate into society. Nina coordinates job search prepatory classes, local WorkSource office training, as well as transportation for the participants in the program. In addition to those duties she is responsible for job placement services; identifying employers with permanent and temporary employment opportunities and establishing corporate and non-profit employer relations. Nina works to increase the support and advocacy of the prison reentry component.
Outside of the marketing, public relations, and vocational training direction she provides Moving Forward, Nina owns her own customer service provisions company; Connect the Dots Unlimited. She has successfully hosted large dinner events for civic and evangelical organizations across the Houston area.
With a passion for children, Nina volunteers with the children’s ministry for all seasonal programs (Easter, Christmas, Harvest Time and Vacation Bible School) and she also offers her multi-talents to the WABC Thanksgiving Feast serving the Homeless and less fortunate men and women in the community.
She is a mother of two children, Marilyn and Darryl II and is a member of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church (WABC) where she participates in the Women's Guild – Executive Committee Member, WABC Jail & Prison Ministry, Former WABC Hand bell performer, Cub Scout Den Leader, Jr. Scout Den Mom, volunteers with children's ministry and currently serving as a State Delegate for Democratic National Committee, Deputy Field Organizer for Barack Obama and Deputy for Voters Registration.
Her former employment history includes working for corporate entities as Continental Airlines and State Farm Insurance Company.
Ginger Hunter is a Certified Workforce Professional and a Certified Human Resource Specialist with over 20 years experience with Employment Services. She has worked in various areas in Workforce services, including assisting customers with securing employment, facilitating workshops, working with youth, administering aptitude and assessment tests, job developing, career counseling and supervising.
She obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science with a minor in Sociology from University of Houston.
SESSION VI -- Presenter
TBA
SESSION VII -- Presenter
Mr. Richard C. Froeschle currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Labor Market and Career Information (LMCI) department of the Texas Workforce Commission. He previously served as the Director of the Career Development Resources (CDR) department of the Texas Workforce Commission, a position he held between May 1990 and September 2003. He also served as a labor market economist with the Texas State Occupational Information Coordinating Committee (SOICC) and the Texas Department of Community Affairs. Prior to his work with Texas State government, Mr. Froeschle conducted in-service training with the National Labor Market Information Training Institute at the University of North Texas in the areas of strategic planning and regional economic analysis for CETA and JTPA employment and training programs.
Mr. Froeschle has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Texas @ Austin and a Masters degree in Manpower and Industrial Relations from the University of North Texas, where he also taught microeconomics, labor market analysis and regional planning for three years.
His writings include two books, Where the Jobs Are and Connecting the Dots, a dozen monographs, and many related essays and briefs all focused on the application of labor market and career information in education and workforce planning and economic development.
His professional specialties and interests are in the fields of regional economic analysis and the development and interpretation of labor market information; both of which have occupied his career for the past 27 years.
Last modified: September 28, 2009