Clelia has been devoted to workforce development for more than 15 years. She started her career in workforce as a front-line staff member who provided career coaching. After completing her master’s degree, she received a promotion to management.
Clelia discovered her passion for working with black and brown communities and individuals who face multiple barriers to employment. Her concentration in mental health equipped her with the skills to work with individuals and refer them to resources. Clelia implemented strategies to engage with youth and families to support young people and help them access mental health services. She understands the obstacles faced by black and brown communities and has invested both professionally and personally to learn and align her job with partners who can support her goals and interests in gaining access to resources.
Throughout this time, she has dedicated herself to serving the community and its residents, especially opportunity youth between the ages of 16 and 24. Clelia has developed systems to engage youth in programs, increase the participation of justice-involved youth in workforce programs, and connect with schools to increase referrals for dropout youth and help them enroll in GED servic
es. Her passion for working with youth extends to developing business relationships with employers who can mentor youth and provide unique work experiences.
Clelia goes above and beyond to serve young people who need a helping hand to succeed. She has trained and shared her knowledge and compassion with the people she works with to ensure that everyone has access to services and that youth are connected with resources. In the past year, she has worked to connect 50 young people with summer internships, helped 30 youth to complete their GED, connected 32 youth to paid internships, and worked with the community to connect youth to jobs.
In her current role as a Co-Director of Central States SER, she continues to increase her focus to gain more visibility and work with other organizations who share an interest in serving. Through her work, Clelia has the opportunity to serve others and help pave the way for young people to access opportunities and achieve their goals. She is actively involved in developing innovative ways to assist young people.
