BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) has selected the first cohort of its Career Coaching Fellowship. Nineteen individuals serving across the Indiana Uplands as school counselors, career coaches, work-based and internship coordinators, teachers, adult educators, and an HR administrator have been selected. The ROI Career Coaching Fellows will begin a 10-month fellowship focused on growing leadership and expertise while developing regionally relevant career connections that will equip Fellows to provide guidance and support to individuals preparing for high opportunity and high wage jobs.
“The Career Coaching Fellowship was developed as the next essential step in a maturing strategy for supporting both individuals and industry through focused talent pathways and workforce pipeline strategies,” said ROI President & CEO, Tina Peterson.
“Response to this opportunity exceeded our expectations and serves to affirm the significance of focused career coaching strategies,” added Peterson. “ROI’s inaugural cohort represents an impressive group of educators and career development professionals within our region. We are pleased that participants will bring diversity of experience to the cohort and feel confident that this group of professionals will grow their capacity to positively impact thousands of K-12 students and adult learners in the Indiana Uplands region.”
ROI Career Coaching Fellowship – Cohort 1
| First Name | Last Name | Organization | Position | Counties |
| Jeri | Brown | Mitchell Community Schools | Preparing for College & Careers Teacher | Lawrence |
| Shelley | Christmas | Loogootee Community Schools | Director of Curriculum & Technology | Martin |
| Ryan | Crenshaw | Brown County Schools | Business Teacher | Brown |
| Amy | Eslinger | Linton-Stockton School Corporation | Career Connections Coach | Greene |
| Erica | Fair | Loogootee Community Schools | High School Counselor | Martin |
| Dennis | Faust | Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation | High School Counselor | Monroe |
| Raychel | Geiser | Vincennes University Adult Education | Career Coach | Daviess, Dubois, Lawrence, Martin, & Orange |
| Andrea | Huff | Barr-Reeve Community Schools | Career/STEM Academy Director | Daviess |
| Apryl | Kidd | Collaboration of Shoals, Mitchell, Orleans Schools | Director of Initiatives | Lawrence, Martin, & Orange |
| Dana | Kunz | Hub 19 & Greater Jasper Schools | Leader of Dubois County Career Coaches & Greater Jasper Career Coach | Dubois |
| Jennifer | Martin | Salem Community Schools | Director of Counseling | Washington |
| Jaime | Miller | Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation | Ready Schools Coordinator | Monroe |
| Jay | Myers | Brown County Schools | Career Connected Learning Teacher | Brown |
| Stacia | Myers | Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation | Business Teacher | Monroe |
| Joann | Novak | Monroe County Community School Corporation / Academy of Science & Entrepreneurship | Business Teacher | Monroe |
| Mary | Priester-Hanks | Monroe County Community School Corporation | Postsecondary Readiness Coordinator | Monroe |
| Andrea | Smith | Monroe County Community School Corporation / Hoosier Hills Career Center | Pathways and Remediation Coordinator | Monroe, Greene, & Owen |
| Courtney | Uland | Artisan Electronics | Human Resources Administrator | Daviess & Greene |
| Brad | Zellner | Orleans Community Schools | Internship Coordinator | Orange |
ROI’s most recent Occupational Needs Assessment indicates that key sector employers in the Indiana Uplands region will add thousands of new jobs in the coming years. Many, if not most, of these jobs will require some form of postsecondary degree or credential. Under the current trajectory, the region will need skilled talent with the credentials necessary to keep up with employer demand in the advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and defense sectors.
ROI’s Career Coaching Fellowship will strengthen the skills of individuals serving in career coaching roles throughout the Indiana Uplands and complement recently developed career pathways in all schools.
“The need for meaningful career connections and articulated pathways towards high opportunity and high wage jobs is now more important than ever,” added Peterson. “Our region’s long-term growth and prosperity will depend on a skilled workforce ready to meet the future demands of employers. There is no better time than now to build a new network of career coaches that can incorporate research-based innovative practices within their organizations. We are excited by the possibility of this program and its potential to increase the number of students/adults pursuing and completing relevant pathways that lead to successful postsecondary opportunities, continued education, or high opportunity employment.”
ROI’s Career Coaching Fellows will participate in monthly professional development programs and connect with regional and state-wide career partners and resources. The inaugural cohort will form an active regional career coaching network, build relationships with employer and community partners, and model delivery of successful evidence-based career coaching within their organizations.
Read more about ROI’s Career Coaching Fellowship.
About Regional Opportunity Initiatives
Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance economic and community prosperity in the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands (Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, and Washington counties). ROI is growing potential and possibility through a focus on advanced industry sectors, regionalism, transformative school and workforce redesign, and placemaking strategies. To learn more about ROI’s programs, visit https://regionalopportunityinc.org/.