Education Continued: Adult Education Programs

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Description:

Between holding down a job, caring for their families, and managing a household, adult residents have very little time left to participate in the programs of a Neighborhood Networks center. So, how does the center staff encourage adult residents to carve some time out of their busy schedules to attend center programs? By offering programs that enable adult residents to achieve greater self-sufficiency and improve the quality of life for themselves and their families. From General Educational Development (GED) and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to adult literacy, this session discusses how centers can create customized workforce development programs that will allow adult residents to achieve greater success through continued education. Participants will also receive information about adult education and workforce development training resources that provide support services.

Presenters:

Meg Nugent
Director
Nashville Adult Literacy Council
Phone: (615) 298-8060

Suzanne Wendt
Resident Services Regional Director
American Housing Foundation
Phone: (480) 241-7265

Meg Nugent has been the executive director of the Nashville Adult Literacy Council (NALC) since 2000. NALC teaches basic reading to U.S.-born adults and English to adult immigrants via volunteer tutors and specialized classes in the community. In the past year, NALC served 1,300 adult learners and worked with 500 volunteer tutors. Prior to joining NALC, Ms. Nugent was the executive director of the Tennessee Literacy Coalition, a state-focused nonprofit organization that supports adult literacy programs. She has extensive experience in project development, implementation, evaluation/reporting, and grantwriting/fundraising. Since 1990, she has taught adult learners, both in basic literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL). She also has an extensive background in teaching volunteer tutors, paid teachers, and program supervisors, and developing conferences and workshops. Ms. Nugent earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Miami University in Ohio.

Suzanne Wendt has been a resident services regional director with American Housing Foundation (AHF) for the past two and a half years. Founded as a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in 1989, AHF owns and operates more than 12,500 residential units, making it one of the nation's largest entities primarily dedicated to the workforce housing market. Ms. Wendt coordinates resident service programs in Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas. Prior to joining AHF, Ms. Wendt was a classroom educator.

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