Wednesday,January 17, 2007
Workforce Development
A panel discussion with representatives of Vermont colleges and universities. Learn what they're doing to prepare students for software related jobs, and what they're doing now to help employers connect with young talent.
Michael Ancel
Career Services
University of Vermont
Craig Damon
Chair, IT & Software Engineering
Vermont Technical College
Melissa Hersh
Director, Workforce Development Center
Champlain College, Center for Online & Continuing Education
Allan Rodgers
Executive Director
Vermont Workforce & Business Development Network
BIOS
Michael Ancel is Assistant Director of the University of Vermont’s Career Services Department. Ancel is responsible for developing and maintaining the university’s relationship with business employers and for helping students and graduates prepare for careers. Ancel holds an MBA in Finance and has broad experience in management, finance, domestic and international business development and consulting.
Craig A. Damon is the Program Coordinator for the Software Engineering and Information Technology programs at Vermont Technical College and serves as co-chair of the VTC Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Department. Software Engineering and Information Technology are new programs being developed with the assistance of an NSF Workforce Development grant. Dr. Damon also currently serves as the lead technologist and architect for the startup PIEMatrix Corporation (Burlington, VT) and serves as an advisor to the startup Tertl Studios (Montpelier, VT). He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to coming to VTC, Craig spent six years on the Computer Science faculty at UVM and worked 15 years in a wide range of roles in industry, including founding two of the first object database companies .
Melissa Hersh is the director of the Champlain College Workforce Development Center. The Center is part of the College’s Online and Continuing Education Division. She joined Champlain College in January 2006 after nineteen years as the director of education and training at the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce in Burlington, Vermont. Melissa has extensive experience in education reform and workforce development.
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As Director of the Vermont State Colleges Workforce & Business Development Network, Allan Rodgers is responsible for the business support entities of the Vermont State Colleges: Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC), Technology Extension Division, IBM Consortium. The Network provides education and training to 19,000 Vermonters in over 2,000 companies or start-ups. Provide oversight for 50 full-time staff and 50 part time trainer and consultants. Allan is also a consultant/trainer in areas of strategic planning and organizational development and was President of Vermont Technical College prior to his current position.