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Economic and Workforce Development

Workforce Training and Development M.S. Alumni

	Elizabeth Beckham Master's Degree Obtained: 2005 Bachelor's Degree: Software Engineering Technology, The University of Southern Mississippi Elizabeth is currently the Safety Training Manager at Turner Industries Group, LLC. She is certified as an Occupational Safety Specialist (COSS) from the National Safety Council. The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certified her as a “Master Trainer” and she also received the Certified Knowledge Manager certification from KMPro. When asked about her thoughts on the program, Elizabeth said: “I like the range of topics included in the curriculum. The content that I have found most applicable in my career are ISD, HRD theory and research, evaluation methodology, and survey design. I enjoyed the certificate program since it was a recap of all of the skills provided in the regular program.”
	Catherine Campbell Currently enrolled in Human Capital Development Ph.D. program at The University of Southern Mississippi. Master's Degree Obtained: 2004 Bachelor's Degree: Chemistry, Mississippi State University Cathy Campbell has extensive experience as a training and development professional with Chevron Corporation. She has designed and implemented key initiatives for leadership development, accountability through performance management, employee development, multi-source feedback, and diversity. Cathy is the Learning and Development Area Team Leader for Chevron’s largest manufacturing facility. Cathy earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry and mathematics and held various technical positions in addition to positions in human resource development. She is a Certified Training Professional by the Jack and Patti Phillips Workplace Learning and Performance Institute at The University of Southern Mississippi. As a member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), Cathy was a speaker at the 2001 ASTD International Conference in the area of organizational development.
	Robert Dunnam Master's Degree Obtained: 2007 Bachelor's Degree: Office Systems and Technologies- Mississippi State University Robert now works at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College where he serves as the Director of Admissions and Enrollment Services. Robert recalls his strongest memory of the program: “My strongest memory of the program is our first in person session in Long Beach occurred the weekend before Hurricane Katrina. The world of most of my classmates and professors was turned upside down. It was a compressed semester but we managed. Drs. Gaudet and Annulis were helpful, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with. I intentionally use the phrase work with because they were more like colleagues than professors, which was a new experience for me.”
	Michelle Fleming Master's Degree Obtained: 2011 Bachelor's Degree: Business Administration- The University of Southern Mississippi Michelle is a Student Services Coordinator at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast. Her mastery project, Working on Wellness (WOW!), was to develop a worksite wellness program for USM Gulf Coast. Michelle was the 2010-2011 class of Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities for USM Gulf Coast.
	John Kmiec Ph.D.: Human Capital Development- The University of Southern Mississippi- 2010 Master's Degree Obtained: 2006 Bachelor’s Degree: Human Resource Management- Faulkner University Dr. Kmiec serves as research associate at the Jack and Patti Phillips Workplace Learning and Performance Institute at The University of Southern Mississippi. He is a 27 year veteran of the United States Air Force, having retired in the highest enlisted grade of Chief Master Sergeant. John has broad experience training, educating, evaluating and developing human capital resources in order to improve work processes, products, services, productivity and performance. John’s performance improvement accolades include the United States Air Force Chief of Staff Team Quality Award and the Rochester Institute of Technology/USA-Today Quality Cup. He is a Phillips Return-On-Investment Certified Professional and an American Society for Training and Development Mississippi Chapter Gulf Coast Lighthouse Unit board member. As a graduate student, John was recognized as the 2009 Outstanding Graduate Student in the USM College of Science and Technology and one of the Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities in 2010.
	Heidi Jenkins Master's Degree Obtained: 2012 Bachelor's Degree: Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management- Michigan State University Heidi is currently employed with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College as a Workforce Development Trainer.
	Darrell Lewis Master's Degree Obtained: 2008 Bachelor's Degree: Education- Louisiana State University Darrel Lewis serves as the Operations Training Manger for the Brock Group, a specialty construction contractor headquartered in Houston, TX with locations throughout North and South America, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Canada. Darrel is responsible for developing, designing, facilitating, and evaluating various training programs, ranging from Management/Leadership to Craft Development, for Brock's 15,000-plus employees. Darrell is certified as a “Professional in Human Resources.” (PHR)
	Lindsey Lewis Ph.D.: Human Capital Development- The University of Southern Mississippi- 2011 Master's Degree Obtained: 2007 Bachelor’s Degree: Speech Communications- The University of Southern Mississippi Dr. Lewis is the Workforce and Economic Development Specialist for the Pearl River Community College Workforce Education. She also serves as an adjunct Speech Communications instructor. Lindsey was selected for the 2009 Leadership Pinebelt Class and currently serves on the programs steering committee. She is also a certified DiSC trainer and has completed the USM Training and Development Certificate program. Lindsey is Vice-President of Professional Development for the Pinebelt ASTD Chapter and is director of the Pearl River County Distinguished Young Woman program.
	Tracey McDade Master's Degree Obtained: 2012 Bachelor’s Degree: International Studies- Wheeling Jesuit University Tracey is currently employed with First Bank and Trust in New Orleans as Manager, Organizational Development. Prior to joining the bank, Tracey has worked in the field of workforce development as both an in-house and external consultant for a variety of private and not-for-profit organizations. In those positions, she was responsible for designing and implementing a full range of corporate HR and professional development programs in such areas as leadership development, communication, diversity, team-building, onboarding, IT and other professional development workshops. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, serves as a board member of the New Orleans Chapter of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD).
	Janea McDonald Currently enrolled in Human Capital Development Ph.D. program at The University of Southern Mississippi. Master's Degree Obtained: 2008 Bachelor’s Degree: Human Resource Management- University of South Alabama Janea McDonald is currently the CEO of Edge Consulting, LLC, a human capital consulting firm. Janea has over 15 years of human resource related experience. She is a certified HR professional (PHR) through the Society for Human Resource Management as well as a certified training professional through the Jack and Patti Phillips Workplace Learning and Performance Institute at The University of Southern Mississippi. In addition to her position with Edge, Janea also teaches at William Carey University and serves as a graduate assistant in the human capital development department of Southern Miss. She is currently a board member with the Lighthouse Chapter of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD).
	Mark Olin Master's Degree Obtained: 2005 Bachelor’s Degree: Environmental Science, United States Military Academy (Westpoint), 1994 Additional Education: U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Mark is currently employed by the United States Army as an Operations Officer of the United States Army in Europe. Mark is a career Army officer and has served eighteen years including tours in Germany, Korea, Kuwait and Iraq. Here are Mark’s thoughts on the program: “As a specialist in training, I found the course refreshing and brilliantly executed. It opened my eyes to whole new aspects of how to further develop, train, and most importantly, educate our human capital. Though my current profession has not forced me to use many of the technical aspects of the course, the knowledge gained has allowed me to more effectively lead, train, and build cohesive teams and organizations. I have nothing but the highest praise for Doctors Gaudet and Annulis along with all the other faculty. The knowledge, skills, and abilities you develop in this course will make a positive difference in any profession, occupation, or business--understanding and enhancing the human dynamics and performance in your organization.”
	Kristen Williams Master's Degree Obtained: 2012 Bachelor’s Degree: Public Relations- The University of Southern Mississippi Kristen is originally from Brooklyn, New York and now serves as the regional trainer at Hancock Bank. She is also a certified Leading Virtual Classroom Instructor.