West Plains, MO, April 1, 2025 – The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) today announced the newly elected Regional Directors to serve on the NAWDP Board of Directors for a three-year term starting on July 1, 2025.

“The Board of Directors are an integral part of NAWDP’s strategic planning,” said Melissa Robbins, Chief Executive Officer for NAWDP. “We are grateful for their insight and their commitment to advancing workforce development as we strive to serve workforce development professionals across the nation.”

The individuals below have been elected by NAWDP’s membership to represent the following regions:

Region 1 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virgin Islands)

  • Sandy Mackie Chief Program Officer, Capital Workforce Partners

Region 2 (Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia)

  • Kirkland Murray PCEO, Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation

Region 3 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee)

  • Rebecca Miller Executive Director, Eastern Kentucky Employment Program (EKCEP)

Region 4 (Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming)

  • Kelly Folks Director of Employment and Training Division, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment

Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin

  • Region 5’s election resulted in a tie between candidates Natasha Allen and Shannon Johnson.  A runoff election will be held to determine the Region 5 Director. 

Region 6 (Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau)

  • Ashley Espinoza Executive Director, Lane Workforce Partnership

NAWDP’s Board of Directors represents an extensive community of more than 5,000 workforce development professionals from across the nation. For more information about NAWDP’s programs, Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) certification, and membership, visit www.nawdp.org.