OTC director vacates post

Dawn Busick, executive director of the Ozarks Technical Community College Center for Workforce Development, will vacate her post to work as project manager for a $20 million statewide grant initiative, effective Jan. 1.

The initiative, dubbed MoHealthWins, targets unemployed adult learners who are seeking new careers and is expected to create an estimated 4,600 health care jobs. The Missouri Community College Association collaborated with the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the state’s work force investment boards to apply for the grant, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Since OTC is serving as the statewide administrator of grant, Busick will remain an OTC employee, but she will no longer perform her executive director duties and will work out of Jefferson City, said OTC spokesman Joel Doepker.

As project manager of MoHealthWINS, Busick will manage the fund to make sure the grant money is being used correctly, Doepker said. The initiative calls for Missouri’s 12 community college systems and Linn State Technical College to retrain unemployed Missourians for jobs in the health care industry.

Busick could not be reached for comment this morning, but in a Dec. 20 news release, she said the position represents a natural progression for her.

"The opportunity to expand my lifelong work efforts in the field of education, work force development and economic development with the MoHealthWins project is exciting," Busick said in the release. "I have longed to work on a project that will involve statewide collaboration, thinking outside of the box in educational and work force delivery models with a common goal to better serve one of Missouri's leading industry sectors with a skilled work force talent pipeline."

Doepker said OTC will not be filling her vacated position. Instead, Center for Workforce Development employees Sherry Coker and Dana Patterson will report directly to OTC Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Cliff Davis on the work force development and community enrichment aspects of the center.

Busick joined OTC in March 2009 and has more than 28 years of experience in the government sector.[[In-content Ad]]