Meet the Presenter

NTPN's Technical Assistance workshops are delivered by Debra Mills,
Director of Partnerships, CORD (Center for Occupational Research and Development)

Debra Mills serves CORD as the Director of Partnerships and focuses on transitions between secondary and postsecondary experiences.  She has expertise in curriculum development (4+2), staff development, linkages between secondary and postsecondary institutions and partnerships with business, industry and labor.  Significant accomplishments at CORD include:  the development of standards-based curriculum in manufacturing, construction, and transportation service career clusters at a state level; assisting community colleges (including Vanguard Learning Colleges and CCTI grant awardees) with strategic professional development plans for staff and faculty; building partnerships in communities; and numerous keynote speeches for state education conferences. 

Mills is an experienced classroom teacher (secondary & postsecondary) and a former workforce development grant administrator at the postsecondary level.  As the Tech Prep Director for Danville Area Community College in Danville, Illinois (1992-2000), Mills coordinated three Tech Prep grants, a state STW grant, and a community college workbased-learning grant.  A significant accomplishment has been her involvement with over 100 businesses, including the development of apprenticeships programs at 24 business sites.  Under Mills leadership, the Danville consortium won the American Association of Community College’s Dale Parnell Tech Prep Award and the U.S. Department of Education’s Excellence in Tech Prep Award in 1998.  She has written or contributed to several publications and articles.  Before joining CORD, Mills authored Tech Prep: The Next Generation Planning Guide, which is currently used as a strategic planning reference tool in Tech Prep consortia across the country.

Debra Mills may be reached at (217) 247-9930.

Past Workshops

JULY 2005

• Debra Mills was the trainer for a two-day workshop, Career Coaches & Career Pathways:  Creating More Options for your Students!  on July 26-27, 2005 for the Virginia Community College System.  Dr. Pat Schwallie-Giddis joined Mills on the second day.
• Debra Mills was the trainer for workshop entitled Career Coaches & Career Pathways:  Creating More Options for your Students! on July 26-27, 2005 at Thomas Nelson Community College in Virginia.

SEPTEMBER 2005

• Debra Mills attended the annual National Association for Tech Prep Leadership (NATPL) Board meeting on September 27, 2006 in Orlando, Florida.

OCTOBER 2005

• Debra Mills facilitated a Planning Session Strategic for New River Tech Prep Consortium on October 11, 2005 at Mountain Lake Resort in Virginia.
• Debra Mills facilitated the Career Coaches Planning Group on October 13-14, 2005 in Richmond, Virginia for the Virginia Community College System.
• Debra Mills was a trainer, October 19-20^th at the Pennsylvania Tech Prep Coordinators Conference at State College, PA for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
• Debra Mills was the trainer for a Program Advisory Committees workshop for Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, Minnesota on October 28-29, 2005.   This workshop was part of the Minnesota Program Advisory Committee Project which is a joint venture between the Academic and Student Affairs Division of the Office of the Chancellor and the Minnesota State College Faculty (MSCF).

NOVEMBER 2005

• Debra Mills developed and delivered three events for the Blue Ridge Tech Prep Consortium in Virginia on November 2-3, 2005 (Career Academy discussion @ Staunton; Teenage Brain Workshop @ Rockingham County, and Workforce Opportunities for the 21st Century @ Weyers Cave)
• Debra Mills and Sandi Harwell, Vice-President of Staff Development were keynote presenters at the New York State Tech Prep Conference in Sarasota Springs on November 7, 2006.  In addition, Mills presented “Partnerships and Dual Credit” during a breakout session.
• Debra Mills presented “Partnerships for Career Pathways” and “Effective Advisory Committees” at the Metro Pathways Conference on November 16, 2005 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

DECEMBER 2005

• Debra Mills attended the NTPN Planning Meeting in Dallas, Texas on December 2, 2005.

JANUARY 2006

• Debra Mills was the trainer for a Program Advisory Committees workshop on January 4, 2006 for Northland Technical and Community College in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.  This workshop was part of the Minnesota Program Advisory Committee Project which is a joint venture between the Academic and Student Affairs Division of the Office of the Chancellor and the Minnesota State College Faculty (MSCF).
• Debra Mills was the keynote presenter for a Program Advisory Committees Dinner on January 9, 2006 for Northwest Technical  College in Bemidji, Minnesota.  This event was part of the Minnesota Program Advisory Committee Project which is a joint venture between the Academic and Student Affairs Division of the Office of the Chancellor and the Minnesota State College Faculty (MSCF).
• Debra Mills was the keynote presenter for a Program Advisory Committees Dinner for Minnesota State Community and Technical College (January 11 @ Moorhead Campus; January 12 @ Detroit Lakes Campus). This event was part of the Minnesota Program Advisory Committee Project which is a joint venture between the Academic and Student Affairs Division of the Office of the Chancellor and the Minnesota State College Faculty (MSCF).
• Debra Mills was a trainer for the annual Kentucky Tech Prep Coordinator’s Meeting in Louisville, KY on January 19, 2006.

Upcoming 2006 Workshops

JANUARY 2006

• Debra Mills will be a trainer “Career Pathways: A Map for Every Student!” for Central Southern Tier Tech Prep/CCTI and Elmira City School District at Corning Community College, New York on January 30, 2006.

FEBRUARY 2006

• Debra Mills will be one of the trainers at the State of Iowa Career Pathways Strategic Improvement Coalition (CPSIC) Workshop in Ames, Iowa on February 1-2, 2006.
• Debra Mills will be a trainer for a Career Pathways Pre-conference workshop at the California Conference:  Educating for Careers in Anaheim, California.

MARCH 2006

• Debra Mills will be a presenter at the 7th Annual Golden Crescent Tech-Prep Winter Conference in Victoria, Texas on March 1, 2006.
• Debra Mills will be a presenter at the North Carolina College Tech Prep Conference on March 21, 2006 in Charlotte, NC.
• Debra Mills will be a trainer for a Career Pathways Partnership Workshop on Wednesday, March 29, 2006 for the New River Tech Prep Consortium in Dublin, VA.

APRIL 2006

• Debra Mills will be the keynote speaker at the 2006 CAPER/PEER Counselors’ Institute in Richmond, Virginia on Monday, April 3, 2006.
• Debra Mills will be the trainer at two events for Mitchell Community College, NC (Planning Today=Opportunities Tomorrow for business partners on April 7 and Creating a Solid Foundation for Career through Academics for Secondary and Postsecondary Educators, Parents, & Students on April 8, 2006).
• Debra Mills will be a trainer at the Tech Prep Partnerships:  Opportunities Abound! Workshop for the Alaska Tech Prep Consortium.  Mills will be at Anchorage on April 17, Fairbanks on April 19 and Juneau on April 20.
• Debra Mills will be a trainer for the Fairbanks North Star School District in on April 18, 2006.
• Debra Mills will be a trainer for the Collegeof Lake County, Grayslake, IL on April 27, 2006