Trending
“Career and Technical Education is celebrated nationwide during the month of February. The Washington County Career Center joined in the celebration by hosting an Annual Career Fair for the county’s sophomores. In addition, the Washington County Career Center Board of Education honored outstanding contributors to career and technical education as part of the celebration.
During its February meeting, the board recognized Justin Betts, Holly Cunningham, Wendy Ketelsen, and Phil Stephens, for their substantial contributions to the technical education programs at the Career Center – High School and Adult Technical Training.
Justin Betts is a member of the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 168. Betts graduated in 2006 from Monroe Central High School and Swiss Hills Career Center, where he was enrolled in the welding program. Upon graduation, he went straight into the workforce obtaining a welding position with Viking Fabricators. In October 2006, he was admitted into the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 168 and worked in various shops and field sites for the next six years. In 2013, Betts was asked to become the welding instructor for a pilot program at Pioneer Pipe, Inc. where he would be instructing juniors and seniors from the Washington County Career Center’s welding program in their “Student to Apprenticeship” program.
“Justin has been a huge supporter of the apprenticeship program,” comments Keelan McLeish, nominator of Betts and welding instructor at the Career Center. McLeish further adds, “He’s spent countless hours in an instructional setting with Career Center welding students preparing them to enter the Plumbers & Pipefitters Union. Justin’s ability to relate with the student’s is one of the largest reasons for our continued success with this program. I have no doubt that without his commitment and hard work the apprenticeship program wouldn’t have reached the high standards it is recognized for in the industry.” Betts resides with his wife, BJ, and daughter, Lilly, in Lewisville, Ohio.
Holly Cunningham is the guidance counselor for Frontier High and Middle Schools, located in New Matamoras since 2005. Cunningham graduated from Frontier High School in 1990 and Ohio University in 1993. She later pursued a master’s in education with counseling certification from Marietta College, graduating in 2005. In 2008, she received the Counselor of the Year Award from the Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education (OACHE). In addition to her role of counselor, Cunningham is the National Honor Society advisor and Health Professions Affinity Community (HPAC) Club co-advisor. She previously served as Student Council advisor, class advisor, and High Schools That Work (HSTW) site coordinator. Outside of school, she has volunteered in a variety of roles for organizations and teams that benefit area youth.
Lori Smith, Student Placement Coordinator for the Career Center – Adult Technical Training, nominated Cunningham for this honor and comments on her reasons for the nomination. “Holly has taken it upon herself to learn as much as she can about the programs available in Adult Technical Training. She promotes the Career Center – Adult Technical Training to her students just as she would a local college or university and provides opportunities for our staff to speak with the students in both a group and one-on-one setting.” Smith further adds, “It’s very evident that Holly is there to help her students achieve success regardless if that success comes from attending a 4-year, 2-year or trade school, such as ours. I am honored to work with such a caring person as Mrs. Cunningham.” Cunningham resides in Newport with her husband Ryan. They have three sons: CJ, a sophomore at Marietta College; Zach, a junior at Frontier High School; and Evan, a 7th-grader at Frontier Middle School.
Wendy Ketelsen is the Senior Employment & Training Specialist for Washington-Morgan Community Action which is a non-profit social service agency located in Marietta that was incorporated in 1967. The organization is dedicated to helping people help themselves. Ketelsen began working with the agency as a Head Start home-based visitor in 1992 and also worked as a case manager for the summer youth program. In 1994, she was hired in the employment and training department working with the JTPA grant, then WIA and now WIOA where she has assisted adults, dislocated workers, and displaced homemakers into their first job, a more self-sufficient job, and/or training for an in-demand occupation. Ketelsen also works with area companies and their employees when there is a massive layoff or closure. She links individuals to services in the community such as HEAP, Head Start, and other county programs, in order to make their goals easier and more attainable. She is an active committee member with the medical programs at the Career Center and the administrative office programs at Washington State Community College. She leads the Washington County Resource Team, which is a local group that consists of non-profit, education, and government employees who come together monthly to network and gain up-to-date information to better help clients they serve. Ketelsen is very active in her church and is the board president for Sand Hill Child Care.
Ketelsen was nominated by Lori Smith and Patty Halliburton, Financial Aid/Student Services Coordinator at the Career Center. Both Smith and Halliburton comments, “It is a pleasure to be able to work with Wendy. She is a true professional and has dedicated her entire career to assisting those less fortunate and in need. She has gone above and beyond for the Career Center many times in helping our students and she continues to educate herself on the programs available to her clients.” Ketelsen and her husband, Brian, own Ketel 1 Team Wear, LLC. They have two daughters, Abigail and Emily, and one son, Christian.
Phil Stephens is the Adult DW/TAA Case Manager for Workforce West Virginia, located in Parkersburg. Stephens has a bachelor’s in Psychology from Marshall University and a master’s in Justice Leadership with Marshall Graduate School. In October 2006, he was hired on at Workforce West Virginia, Region IV, in the Parkersburg office, providing case management in Pleasants, Ritchie, Washington, and Wood Counties. He assists clients in assessing and developing their own soft skills to best match their occupational goals. One of Stephens’ responsibilities is to match up the needs of the clients with the training providers, such as the Washington County Career Center, which offers those specific training opportunities. He advocates for his clients in various ways and serves as a monitor to assure they are fulfilling the requirements of eligibility and progressing well with their training objectives. Upon completion of training, Stephens then helps clients look for employment which entails researching job postings and enhancing job searches through internet search engines, Job Service, and other employment agencies. In 2008, he took over the role of Region IV Trade Act case manager where he fulfills all the same duties as well as offering many more benefits and services to clients.
Lori Smith and Patty Halliburton nominated Stephens for Honoree and give accolades to his job profession. “Phil has one priority, his client, and his dedication to doing what is in the best interest of his client shows in his interactions with the staff at the Career Center – Adult Technical Training. He encourages his clients (our students) to receive the maximum education possible and is always thinking of the future and what is going to be best for them in the long run.” Stephens comments, “I believe the single most significant role of a case manager is to advocate for the customer and to help them navigate through a system which can be at times quite intimidating. Hopefully, that is what I’ve accomplished at the end of each day.”