Chris Holman speaks with Edythe Copeland, CEO of Capital Area Michigan Works! Lansing and Carrie Rosingana, COO and Equal Opportunity Officer of Capital Area Michigan Works!
Carrie will take over as CEO of CAMW! beginning July 1, 2020. This pair of interviews covers Edee's career, priorities, and advice for Carrie. Then Carrie shares her career path, goals and vision, and Edee also shares her proudest moment from that career.
To hear Edee, Carrie and Chris discuss this topic, please click play on the PodCast below!
In this discussion, here's much of what they cover:
Can you give me a glimpse into your (Edee's) career?
I was hired in 1997 as a planner for CAMW! after leading employment and training programs for at-risk youth in the Flint Public School district. Within three years, I earned a promotion to administrative leadership as the agency’s chief operating officer. In 2012, I became president and in 2013 I became the first woman chief executive of the agency. Throughout my career, I’ve prioritized forging partnerships with businesses looking for training and assistance, as well as developing a deep bond with area educators to help students find their paths and open different career opportunity doors. I’ve served on various boards, including the Lansing Economic Area Partnership and the Great Lakes Employment & Training Association.
What have your (Edee's) priorities been as the CEO of CAMW!?
I’ve always looked at things with a view of “what are we doing well” and “what can we do better.” I made it a priority to really be a part of the community and be involved in any way I could. The more people I could interact with brought a larger understanding of what the community needed. We couldn’t do this on our own. We needed the input from our community to create a vision for a better Lansing, a better area. We’re here for all people, so we need to listen to all people. I’ve always said that if you get the education or the certification, there’s a job, a career out there for you and I’ve made it a priority to help get people to that place. All I wanted to do, and all I’ve done my adult life, is to try and help people better themselves.
I love to talk to young people, especially young girls, about what they can accomplish in life. They don’t have the opportunity to see people like them in a leadership role, and if I can inspire a young woman or a young man to take the next step in their careers, that’s exactly what I wanted to do. It’s been an honor to be a part of CAMW!. The friendships, memories and relationships are what I’ll take with me and truly treasure. I’ve learned so much and I’m looking forward to staying involved with the community through mentoring and volunteering.
What advice do you (Edee) have for Carrie as she steps into the role of CEO?
I hope Carrie surpasses the vision she will set for CAMW!. Carrie will be a phenomenal CEO as she is intuitive and a visionary leader, yet she’s approachable and an excellent listener. She has the ability to bring folks to a consensus without realizing what she’s done. Carrie is going to bring her own sophistication and vision to Capital Area Michigan Works!. The most important advice I gave her is to remain true to herself and the organization’s goals. Make decisions to move the system forward and to remember that communication is important so that everybody on the inside is moving in the same direction. Being the CEO of this agency makes you a part of something bigger and means that people are counting on you for their livelihoods, and I have no doubt that Carrie is ready for this. I know she will continue to keep CAMW! in the forefront and will take the agency to greater heights.
Can you (Carrie) tell us a little bit about how your career has led you to where you are now?
I’ve worked in workforce development since 2007. I started at Peckham, Inc. as a career coach and case manager within the Michigan Works! system, before becoming the quality assurance officer and then the chief compliance officer at CAMW!. Since August 2015, I’ve served as CAMW!’s chief operating officer and equal opportunity officer. I’ve put diversity and inclusion practices into place throughout the agency. It’s really been a career ladder, and I’ve been involved in a lot of the pathways that provide perspectives from the frontlines to the administrative staff. We have a dynamic team, and I’m thankful to work with people who inspire me.
What are your goals as the incoming CEO of Capital Area Michigan Works!?
My first goal as incoming CEO is to take time to meet with each of CAMW!’s current board members, staff and regional partners. Given the current impact of COVID-19, these meetings may need to be held virtually, but I strongly believe that relationship building is key to the strength of CAMW!. It's important to me to first listen to gain a better understanding of what has worked well for CAMW! to date and to then determine where there are opportunities to strategically innovate and collaborate in the future. We have to maintain the relationships that we’ve built over the years to build our strength and partnerships in the community. Like Edee said, we don’t do this alone. It takes a network of people who believe in what we’re doing and are willing to embrace the opportunity to help people and our employers improve their lives and their businesses. Family and community are also so important to me, and my parents really instilled those values of leading by example. They were my earliest role models for what being dedicated to public service looked like, and I have carried these characteristics with me every step of my career, and I will continue to carry those characteristics as the CEO of CAMW!.
