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Cherokee Nation reports new Job Corps director, federal review and local rank for Talking Leaves center
Summary
Executive Director Diane Kelly reported that the Talking Leaves Job Corps Center hired a new director, said the center remained open while many centers were ordered to send students home, and described an ongoing federal review and litigation over national Job Corps changes.
Executive Director Diane Kelly told the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council that the Talking Leaves Job Corps Center has a new director and is preparing for federal reviews and possible program changes.
Kelly said Jill Zimmer has joined Talking Leaves as the center director after working at a larger center in Guthrie, Oklahoma. “She’s got close to 17 years in the Job Corps business,” Kelly said. Kelly invited council members to visit the center and noted recurring graduation and outreach events, including a fiber-optics and business-technology graduation, a September GED graduation at Northeastern State University, and a Talking Leaves graduation on Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. Kelly said Dr. Corey Bunch, the chief of staff, and Principal Chief Chuck Hoskins Jr. are scheduled speakers for upcoming commencements.
Kelly described a national directive and local response: “On May 29, we were told that all the Job Corps centers were gonna close,” she said, and she described a rapid operational response in June. Kelly said Talking Leaves was one of the centers that stayed open. She said legal and legislative actions are underway: a Senate Appropriations Committee vote drew a 26–3 margin in committee to remove a provision from a larger bill, and Kelly said House leadership indicated the issue was likely to be considered again after Labor Day. She also said the Nation is involved in a lawsuit and that a judge wants to see negotiations; Kelly said Department of Labor and the Justice Department have signaled interest in settling and are meeting with stakeholders this week.
Kelly said national Job Corps reviewers have identified Talking Leaves among centers for follow-up and that the center was ranked 20th out of 119 Job Corps centers in a recent evaluation. She said Guthrie — the larger center from which Zimmer came — has about 600 students and higher ranking numbers reported in the meeting.
Kelly and Zimmer described work to align the center with federal priorities and local needs. Zimmer said she was “very happy to be here” and praised the center’s current operations, adding she and staff are preparing to implement changes the government expects. Kelly said staff have been coordinating daily with legal counsel, Department of Labor contacts, contracting officers and the National Job Corps Association.
Council members asked for contact and calendar details for the new director. Councilor Sasha Black Fox Qualls asked Kelly to provide Zimmer’s contact information and event invitations for dissemination to council staff; Kelly agreed to do so. Councilor Kendra McGaty thanked Kelly for increased outreach to northern parts of the reservation.
Kelly described planning for an interim review period she said would run from Oct. 1 through December, during which Job Corps officials will outline expectations. She said Talking Leaves and other smaller centers may be better positioned to adapt to reforms, and that leaders are exploring partnerships with unions and apprenticeships to respond to a local shortage of skilled trades workers.
No formal action or vote on the Job Corps items was taken by the council during the meeting.
Ending: Council members were invited to visit Talking Leaves for tours and graduations; Kelly said weekly tours are offered on Thursdays at 10 a.m. for prospective students and families.
