EICC’s Muscatine Community College worked with local school districts to create shared College and Career Counselor positions, providing students with support for transitioning to College and career opportunities. Learn about the impact these counselors have had as they implement a relationship-based counseling approach to helping students find their next path. Presenters will share their perspectives on creating and supporting the relationship and how the position benefits the College and the high school. Iowa Department of Education is also supporting this important effort with state-wide grants for new College and Career Counselors across the state.

Dr. Naomi DeWinter, EICC Vice Chancellor for Student Development and President, Muscatine Community College

Dr. Jeremy Pickard, Dean of Instruction, Muscatine Community College

Mike Van Sickle, Superintendent, Louisa-Muscatine Community School District

Donna Knox

This session will introduce concepts related to diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice. Presenters will share ideas for creating campus climates that are welcoming and help everyone succeed and why that’s critical to the success of Community Colleges and the state. This will include ideas for training, policies, physical spaces, and more.

Roy Salcedo, Director of Equity and Inclusion, Iowa Association of Community College Trustees

Revathi Truong, Associate Dean of Inclusion, Western Iowa Tech Community College

Laurie Wolf

Grassroots advocacy is key to the success of many policy and funding initiatives at the local, state, and national level, but many don’t know what it really means or how they can be effective. In this session, we will discuss the importance of local relationships, stories, and outreach and give Community College advocates ideas for making a difference in policy-making. This will include an overview of IACCT’s grassroots efforts as well as other ideas for engagement.

Emily Shields, Executive Director, Iowa Association of Community College Trustees

Join the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Iowa in an opportunity to learn about mental health conditions through personal stories and an informative presentation. This presentation is designed to help end the shame, stigma, and silence that often surround the topic of mental health. This session will shed light on various aspects of mental health conditions including why mental health is as important as physical health and how to recognize the warning signs of a condition in yourself or others. Throughout the session, both presenters will speak on behalf of their own lived experience to demystify the process of coping with mental health challenges.

Gina Skinner-Thebo, Lead Presenter

Colby Gochanour, Young Adult Presenter

Monica Clark