NASWA’s 65^th ANNUAL CONFERENCE

September 17-20, 2001

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Agenda

Monday, September 17

8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETING

Evening RECEPTION

Governor’s Mansion

Tuesday, September 18

8:30 a.m. OPENING PLENARY SESSION

Fernando “Butch” Lecuona, III, President, NASWA and Commissioner, Nebraska Department of Labor

Welcome to Oklahoma

Honorable Jon Brock, President-Elect, NASWA and Executive Director, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission

Opening Remarks

Honorable Frank Keating, Governor of Oklahoma

Not Reagan, Not Clinton: The New Budget Politics of George W. Bush

E.J. Dionne, Columnist, Washington Post & Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. BREAK

Promoting Pathways to Economic Liberty

Honorable Emily S. DeRocco, Assistant Secretary for Employment & Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

National Customer Service Awards

Raymond Uhalde, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment & Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

12:00 noon LUNCHEON IN HONOR OF NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD WINNERS

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PLENARY POLICY FORUMS

Marketing and Branding: New State and Local Opportunities

As more state and local workforce agencies seek to brand and market their one-stop systems, many challenges are faced including finding adequate resources to implement initiatives, gaining system agreement on the strategies to be undertaken and the products to be developed, and finding the time to be proactive rather than reactive. Meanwhile, the Employment and Training Administration has introduced the America's Workforce Network brand and asked that state and local workforce systems utilize it as part of an overall brand strategy. This session will focus on the OPPORTUNITIES available to state and local officials trying to undertake branding and marketing efforts. Hear what is happening in the private sector from a leading national marketing consultant, as well as plans from our federal partner and opportunities to join a state marketing consortium.

Speaker/Moderator:

Alf Nucifora, Nucifora Consulting Group

Panelists:

Eric Johnson, Director, Office of Career Transition, Employment & Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

Darin Mann, Public Relations Director, Louisiana Department of Labor

Michael Wilson, Communications Director, Washington Employment Security Department

3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. BREAK

Unemployment Insurance and Employment Service Reform and the Reed Act

The political and budgetary situation in Washington has changed substantially since the last annual NASWA conference in Salt Lake City, UT. George W. Bush became President. Democrats gained a slim majority in the Senate. Congress passed and President Bush signed a large income tax cut. Now some believe the federal government has spent the budget surplus and there is no room for additional tax cuts or spending increases.

This panel will discuss the political and budgetary context in which Congress will debate what action to take in light of projected Reed Act distributions to state unemployment accounts. Will it take this opportunity to finance Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Employment Service reform? Will it once again find a way to spend unemployment trust funds on other activities? Will it repeal the federal unemployment tax surtax? Will it cut business taxes further? Will it reform the funding of state UI administration and add funds for employment services? Will it expand eligibility and benefits for UI? The panel will address these and other questions as NASWA prepares for what could be a pivotal year for UI and ES reform.

Moderator:

Robert C. Gross, Executive Director, Utah Department of Workforce Services

Panelists:

John Salmon, Washington Counsel, ADP, Inc. and Partner, Dewey Ballantyne

Grace Kilbane, Administrator, Office of Workforce Security, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

Mike Seney, Vice President, Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce

5:00 p.m. ADJOURN

Evening DINNER

National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum

Wednesday, September 19

8:30 a.m. NASWA BUSINESS SESSION

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon CONCURRENT SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

Ridin’ The Range With Your ‘Pardners’ – The Employment Service and WIA Title I Programs: Partners in Performance”

The new ES success measures are aligned with some of the important WIA Title I performance measures, which provides new opportunities to strengthen the critical partnership between One-Stop System partners. This discussion-oriented workshop addresses practical partnership questions.

Moderator:

Melanie Arthur, CESER Consultant

Panelists:

Helen Parker, Assistant Commissioner, Employment Services, Georgia Department of Labor

Glen Robards, Associate Director, Employment and Training Division, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission

Linda Trimpey, Director, Bureau of Employer and Career Services, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry

Beyond The Pony Express – Customer Focused e-Gov Services

Come listen to a panel of experts from member states that have implemented, or are implementing, a specific e-Gov initiative.

Moderator:

Virlena Crosley, Director, Oregon Employment Department

Panelists:

Barbara Jensen, Assistant Director, Oregon Employment Department

Maryann Baykal, CIO and Director, Division of Information Technology, New Jersey Department of Labor

Thomas Bynum, Assistant Commissioner, Information Technology Services Division, Washington Employment Security Department

Jearl E. Reagan I, Chief Information Officer, Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

When Your Stetson Isn’t Enough – Using Labor Market Intelligence for Policy Solutions

Stop by this informative workshop to see how LMI can answer your practical questions, and learn the value of LMI as tool in developing your policy decisions.

Moderator:

Wendy Keating, Employment Service Director, Montana Department of Labor & Industry

Panelists:

Gregory C. Weeks, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Labor Market and Economic Analysis, Washington State Employment Security Department

Phillip George, Director, Labor Market Center, South Dakota Department of Labor

Jay Mousa, Research Director, Research and Statistics Office, Minnesota Department of Economic Security

From the Ponderosa To The Big City – Effective Outreach at the National Level

Walk away from this workshop with actual strategies that focus on the benefits of working together to better champion your cause in Washington, DC.

Moderator:

Richard Running, Director, Iowa Workforce Development

Panelists:

Sarah Brenna, Policy Analyst, Utah Department of Workforce Services

Craig Donley, Chief, Governmental Affairs Division, Alabama Department of Industrial Relations

Kimberly Markham, Legislative Liaison, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Bob Simoneau, Bureau Chief, Office of Workforce Development, Montana Department of Labor and Industry

12:00 noon LUNCH

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CONCURRENT SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

Real Life Rodeo – Improved Customer Service Using the Internet

Learn about serving customers over the Internet from two states that have substantial experience.

Moderator:

Roger Madsen, Director, Idaho Department of Labor

Panelists:

David Canady, Director, Unemployment Insurance Division, North Carolina Employment Security Commission

Martha Edwards, Unemployment Insurance Support Manager, North Carolina Employment Security Commission

Ellen Miller, Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation

Rich Chiostri, Project Manager, Information Technology Support Center (ITSC), College Park, Maryland

Changes At The O.K. Corral – Reorganizing to Deliver Workforce Services

As state agencies strategically align to effectively deliver workforce services, some valuable lessons have been learned along the way. Come hear about a variety of approaches that our experts have tried and tested.

Moderator/Panelist:

Garey Forster, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Labor

Panelists:

Pam Miller, Assistant Administrator, Division of Employment Resources, Wyoming Department of Employment

Tom McGurk, Director, Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation

Neil Ridley, Policy Analyst, National Governors’ Association

Countin’ Your Cattle The New Fangled Way – Performance Reporting: Are You Taking Advantage of All Tools Available?

Come hear ideas on how to best utilize wage records and other information for performance reporting, and learn of future opportunities for additional performance reporting duties.

Moderator:

Maria Colavito Esq., CESER Contractor

Panelists:

Gay Gilbert, Chief, Division of U.S. Employment Service/ALMIS, Office of Workforce Security, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

Duane Whitfield, Program Director, Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program

Timothy Harmon, Manager, Performance Standards and Assessment, Job Training Division, Illinois Department of Employment Security

Surprise Stagecoach Delivery – So . . . What’s in Those O*NET Boxes?

This workshop will unveil tools you can use with your customers in identifying their work-related interests, and what your customers consider important on the job.

Moderator:

Rebecca Gamez, Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Panelist:

Richard D. Maher, Partner, Maher & Maher

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. BREAK

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. CONCURRENT SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS

Who Shot The Sheriff? UI and ES Reform: Questions & Answers

A follow-up to the plenary UI/ES session, this session affords you the opportunity to interact with seasoned practitioners who have been working on UI and ES reform for many years.

Panelists:

Cheryl Atkinson, Director, Office of Income Security, Office of Workforce Security, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

Rich Hobbie, Unemployment Insurance Director, NASWA

Doug Holmes, UC Program Counsel, Ohio Department of Job & Family Services

Dawn Watson, Deputy Secretary, Louisiana Department of Labor

‘Round The Campfire – WIA Best Practices

This expertly facilitated, open discussion centers on “best practices” of member states as they provide solutions to current issues in the WIA environment.

Moderators:

Steve Gold, Commissioner, Vermont Department of Employment and Training

John Palmer, Deputy Director, Michigan Department of Career Development

Panelists:

NASWA Employment & Training Committee

Keeping Rustlers Off Your Ranch – Security in the Information Age

Join a multi-faceted discussion that includes practical information for you on IT issues and security.

Moderator:

Ellen Miller, Assistant Secretary, Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation

Panelists:

John C. Sharkey, Chief, Division of Data and Systems Support, Office of Workforce Services, U.S. Department of Labor

Connie Laws, Information Technology Director, Utah Department of Workforce Services

Lane Lambert, Deloitte Consulting

Evening BALL PARK RECEPTION

Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ball Park

Thursday, September 20

8:30 a.m. PLENARY BREAKFAST

Presenting NASWA’s National Award Winners

10:00 a.m. CLOSING