What Is the P20 Council?
Click Here to Download our OverviewP20 Action Teams
The Executive Committee for the P20 Council consists of the following:
Greg Lowe – Chair | Dr. Mark Dickerson – Vice Chair | Dr. Laura Leatherwood – Secretary | Deb Tibbetts – Treasurer
Ex Officio members of the Executive Committee from the founding Educational Attainment & Workforce Collaborative: Dr. Joseph Fox, Dr. Michael Dempsey, Dr. John Gossett, Dr. Gene Loflin, Nathan Ramsey, and Dr. Bill Sederburg
Executive Committee agendas and minutes can be found here.
P20 has five action teams focused on implementation measures to close the credentialing gap. Context on our infrastructure’s history and development can be found here.
| Action Teams | ||||
| Communication & Connections | Credentials of Value | Pathways to Enrollment Through FAFSA | Policies & Regulations | Benchmarking (Data/Metrics) |
| Rob Jackson | John Gossett | Will Hoffman | Amy Barry | John Bryant |
| Brittany Brady | Chip Gould | John Mitchell | Kit Cramer | Kimberly van Noort |
| Kelli Brown | Jeff McDaris | Gene Loflin | Mike Hawkins | Jack Cecil |
| Tony Floyd | Nathan Ramsey | Mark Garrett | Jaime Laughter | Mike Meguiar |
| Avril Pinder | Mike Dempsey | |||
| Paul Maurer | Bill Sederburg | |||
AGENDAS & MINUTES CAN BE FOUND VIA THIS LINK.
The P20 Council’s By-Laws can be referenced here.
P20 Council
Collaboration as a P2o Council
In Fall 2021, the Land of Sky Educational Attainment & Workforce Collaborative’s Steering Committee established the P20 Council to move this collaborative work forward. The P20 Council is composed of key stakeholders that foster educational attainment that leads to gainful employment. The idea and structure developed were based on the efforts of workgroups set up by the Steering Committee in 2019, which continued into 2020.
The P2o Mission & Vision
The P20 Council will be the governing body that is responsible for overall implementation, compliance, and reporting to accomplish the project’s goals. The P20 Council, working in conjunction with the Executive Director, makes all decisions related to direction, management, and operations.
The P20 Council’s vision is to implement an educational attainment and workforce collaborative model that is sustainable, and which can be duplicated throughout other counties and states that provide long-term talent management solutions for local employers as they align educational objectives and outcomes to employment competencies.
What Is a P20 Council?
“A P20 Council is a vertical “pipeline” for student advising, counseling, guidance, and information. P-20 Councils promote communication, agreements, and opportunities between school districts, colleges, universities and industries, to facilitate student advancement and certificate and degree program progress from preschool through graduate school and into the workforce.”
– Psychology Today
The P20 Council meets quarterly. Meeting materials can be found below.
January 31, 2022 Meeting Packet & Minutes (Virtual)
May 16, 2022 Meeting Packet & Minutes (In Person)
September 1, 2022 Meeting Packet & Minutes (In Person)
February 2, 2023 Meeting Packet & Minutes (In Person)
April 14, 2023 Meeting Packet & Minutes (In Person)
July 14, 2023 Meeting Packet & Minutes (In Person)
The P2o Goals
Initiatives
Implement initiatives that lead to educational attainment and gainful employment based on networking opportunities identified utilizing the inventory of local and national resources/asset mapping.
Best Practices
Implement “Best Practices” and strategies as identified by workgroups that will facilitate connecting the dots along the attainment “pipeline.”
Policy
Establish policy recommendations to assist stakeholders at various points along the attainment “pipeline” to align strategies from Pre-K to gainful employment.
Impact Model
Develop a collective impact model of educational attainment that leads to gainful employment that is sustainable beyond 2030, is financially secure, and has an established governing structure.
Emily Nicholson
Meet our Executive Director
Emily Nicholson is a native of Northeastern NC and was raised by two tireless community advocates. She graduated as Valedictorian from the Political Science department at NC State University and obtained a graduate degree from East Carolina University.
Emily previously served as the Assistant Director for the Northeastern Workforce Development Board where she helped enhance the skills and preparedness of the emerging and existing labor pool in a 10-county region to meet the immediate and future demands of employers of the region.
As a former high school and community college educator and mom of three young daughters, Emily understands the important intersections between education and workforce development and is passionate about applying an equity lens towards the Collaborative’s efforts.
P20 Council Delegates for 2023-2024
- Amy Barry, Executive Director, Buncombe Partnership for Children
- Lynn Bowles, Executive Director, Madison County Smart Start
- Ivry Cheeks, Career and Technical Education Director, Asheville City Schools
- Samantha Cole, Workforce Partnership Manager, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
- Karen Eilers, Director of Career Development, Montreat College
- Lisa Fletcher, Superintendent, Transylvania County Schools
- Kevan Frazier, Executive Director, Western Carolina University at Biltmore Park
- Norris Gentry, High School Career Coach, Madison County Schools
- Mike Hawkins, President, Pisgah Enterprises
- Will Hoffman, Superintendent, Madison County Schools
- Rob Jackson, Superintendent, Buncombe County Schools
- Jamie Justus, Vice President, Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development
- Josh Kersey, Senior HR Manager, Biltmore Farms
- Jaime Laughter, Manager, Transylvania County
- Gene Loflin, Associate Vice President of Instructional Services, A-B Tech CC
- Emily Martin, Director of Industry Relations, Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development
- Jorie Matijevich, Vice President of Human Resources, HCA – North Carolina Division
- Maylen Mendez, HR Site Leader, Pratt & Whitney Asheville
- John Mitchell, County Manager, Henderson County
- Rachael Nygaard, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Buncombe County
- Tracy Parkinson, Executive Vice President and Provost, Mars Hill University
- Rich Price, Executive Director of Economic Development and Regional Partnerships, Western Carolina University
- Nathan Ramsey, Executive Director, Land of Sky Regional Council
- Scott Rhodes, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, Henderson County Schools
- Cindy Smale, Director of Human Resources, UNC Health Pardee
- David Stegall, Chief of Staff, Blue Ridge CC
- Amy Strickland, Chief of Staff, UNC Asheville
- Deb Tibbetts, Smart Start of Transylvania County
- Jan Webster, Director, WRESA
- Danielle Wittekind, President, WNC Human Resources Association
P20 Council Trustees (Inaugural Cohort of Delegates for 2022-2023)
- Amy Barry, Executive Director, Buncombe Partnership for Children
- Brittany Brady, President, Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development
- Dr. Kelli Brown, Chancellor, Western Carolina University
- Dr. John Bryant, Vice President, Workforce Development and Community Affairs, UNC Health Pardee
- Jack Cecil, President, Biltmore Farms
- Kit Cramer, President & CEO, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
- Dr. Mike Dempsey, Dean and Director, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Center for Graduate Studies at Asheville
- Dr. Mark Dickerson, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources, Asheville City Schools
- Tony Floyd, President, Mars Hill University
- Dr. Joseph Fox, President & CEO, Fox Management Consulting Enterprises
- Mark Garrett, Superintendent, Henderson County Schools
- Dr. John Gossett, President, A-B Tech CC
- Chip Gould, President, Cason Companies
- Mike Hawkins, President, Pisgah Enterprises
- Dr. Will Hoffman, Superintendent, Madison County Schools
- Rob Jackson, Superintendent, Buncombe County Schools
- Jaime Laughter, Manager, Transylvania County
- Laura Leatherwood, President, Blue Ridge CC
- Gene Loflin, Associate Vice President of Instructional Services, A-B Tech CC
- Greg Lowe, President, HCA – North Carolina Division
- Dr. Paul Maurer, President, Montreat College
- Dr. Jeff McDaris, Superintendent, Transylvania County Schools
- Michael Meguiar, Vice President of Global Operations, Thermo Fisher Scientific
- John Mitchell, County Manager, Henderson County
- Avril Pinder, County Manager, Buncombe County
- Nathan Ramsey, Executive Director, Land of Sky Regional Council
- Dr. Bill Sederburg, Chair, WNC Broadband Project
- Carol Steen, President, WNC Human Resources Association
- Deb Tibbetts, Smart Start of Transylvania County
- Dr. Kimberly van Noort, Interim Chancellor, UNC Asheville
Our History
2018
myFutureNC
In 2018, North Carolina’s thought leaders in education, business, faith-based and nonprofit communities, representatives from the North Carolina General Assembly, and the Governor’s Office established the myFutureNC Commission. After conducting a statewide conversation about economic competitiveness, workforce development, and educational attainment, the Commission set goals, and the initiative was later signed into law by Governor Roy Cooper.
Mid 2019
Land of Sky Educational Attainment and Workforce Collaborative is established.
The Land of Sky Educational Attainment and Workforce Collaborative, the “Collaborative,” was established in mid-2019 as a pilot program to lead a four-county region toward fulfilling its portion of the state’s overall myFutureNC goal of 2 million credentialed state residents by 2030.
Nov 2019
Developed Steering Committee
The Collaborative assembled educational and business thought leaders, including representatives from public and private four-year universities, community colleges, K-12 public school systems, economic development coalitions, and businesses. These thought leaders met in November 2019 to begin the process of moving the Collaborative forward. In addition, a Steering Committee was developed to continue the work.
2021
LOS Educational Attainment and Workfoce Collaborative’s Steering Committee established the P20 Council.
In Fall 2021, the Land of Sky Educational Attainment & Workforce Collaborative’s Steering Committee established the P20 Council to move this collaborative work forward. The P20 Council is composed of key stakeholders that foster educational attainment that leads to gainful employment. The idea and structure developed were based on the efforts of workgroups set up by the Steering Committee in 2019, which continued into 2020.
2023
LOS P20 Council released its inaugural policy agenda.
In June of 2023, Land of Sky P20 Council released its inaugural policy agenda, which represents the first opportunity for collective advocacy specific to the collaborative’s four strategic goals for addressing the chronic funding barriers that impede growth in all aspects of the education-to-workforce pipeline in our four-county region.