2023 Apprenticeship TN Conference

WILLIAM E. ARNOLD, JR.

Director,
State of Tennessee

William E. Arnold, Jr., Ed. D., has more than 20 years of experience in public service, higher education and community engagement.

In 2013, he was wrongfully convicted of crimes that he did not commit. After serving nearly seven years in the state penitentiary, his conviction was unanimously overturned by an Appellate Court in 2020.

Today, Dr. Arnold uses his professional training and recent life experiences to create and maintain a platform that assists justice involved individuals overcome barriers to employment and to reduce recidivism. Dr. Arnold does this as the director of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Tennessee Office of Reentry (TOOR).

Since 2021, this office has stood out as the nation’s first state funded, comprehensive, non-Department of Corrections–related office of reentry. In this role, he has led numerous discussions, programs and trainings on the growing need for criminal justice reform, personal risk management and broader, more substantive reentry efforts. These talks have led him to have DEI conversations with See Change Institute, Tennessee Corrections Institute, Jobs for the Future, University of Cincinnati, and the National Skills Coalition.

A servant leader and Ted Talk Alum, Dr. Arnold is a Tennessee native who seeks to improve the lives of all Tennesseans through his work.

ZACK DIME

Workforce Programs Specialist,
State of Tennessee

Zack Dime is the Workforce Programs Specialist with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

In this role, Zack is responsible for assisting adult education providers across the state to develop, design, and implement workforce development initiatives.

JONATHAN DOUGHERTY

License Manager/Education Director, 
Amteck

Jonathan Dougherty is the Education Director/License Manager who works with Amteck LLC to administrate and execute all tasks within the apprenticeship program and takes care of license issues for the company. This includes obtaining licenses and training employees to become licensed in multiple states.

Specific to Kentucky, Jonathan’s roles and titles include: Current Chair of the Bluegrass Area Workforce Board; Former Chair of KY Apprenticeship Council; Member of KY Workforce and Education Council; Advisor to CTE in KY and the TRACK Program; Master trainer with IEC (Lexington); Master trainer with ABC (Lexington); Teacher of Exam Preps and Pre-Apprenticeship programs in KY; Contractor, Master, and Inactive Inspector; and 35+ years in the trade, 25+ years teaching the NEC.

Outside of Kentucky, Jonathan’s experiences and achievements include: holding over 100 licenses as Contractor/Master or Qualifier across the nation (holding licenses in 48 states, not licensed in HI and RI); being a member of NWTN Workforce Board; having No. 1 State Certified Pre-Apprenticeship program in TN; representing a company (Amteck) working in 40 states; researching state laws constantly due to working in the multiple states; teaching Exam Preps for his employees for any state exam they wish to take; and teaching NEC based trainings for his employees across the USA.

JAY BAKER

Assistant Commissioner,
State of Tennessee

Jay Baker is the Assistant Commissioner for the Adult Education Division of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Jay started with the Department in July 2015 as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Adult Education Division and was later promoted to Assistant Administrator, then to Assistant Commissioner in September 2020. Before joining the Department, Baker was a site manager and an instructor for the Tennessee College of Applied Technology’s adult education program in Nashville.

Jay is currently a member of the Tennessee Workforce Development Board. He is also a member of the National Association of State Directors of Adult Education.

A graduate of Brigham Young University, with a degree in psychology, Jay also holds a Master of Education degree from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. He is working toward his Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Memphis.

MARSHEKA DUNN 

Business Service Analyst,
State of Tennessee

Marsheka Dunn serves as the Business Service Analyst for the Tennessee Office of Reentry.

Her former role was with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development where she supervised the support staff of Benefit Payment Control. She spent four years working with the Department of Human Services in which she contributed to the Department’s productivity goal and promoted self-sufficiency to improve the lives of Tennesseans. Apart from improving the lives of Tennesseans, she was child support’s champion for Health and Wellness and the champion for Employee Engagement.

Marsheka is a graduate of Mission Possible Emerging Leaders Academy and Change Agent Institute. Her educational background includes a graduate certificate in Public Policy at Tennessee State University, a M.Ed in Higher Educational Administration and Supervision from Middle Tennessee State University, and a B.A. in Foreign Language and Literature with a concentration in Spanish from the University of Memphis.

Marsheka enjoys dancing, jogging, and spending time with her family.

TIFFANY PHILLIPS

Industry Engagement Specialist,
Rutherford County Schools

Currently serving as Rutherford County School's Industry Engagement Specialist, Tiffany Phillips has worked in Career & Technical Education for 19 years. As a classroom teacher, she served in a small K-12 school as well as in a large comprehensive high school, providing her a unique perspective from both school settings.

In her current role, Tiffany has led the way in Work-Based Learning, collaborating with employers, educators, and administrative staff both in K-12 and post-secondary education in the Middle Tennessee area. New programs created under Tiffany's leadership include the district's first Pre-Apprenticeship programs as well as unprecedented Work-Based Learning opportunities with the Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly plant, Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford, TWB Company, and WW Solutions. These programs provide students the ability to gain real-world work skills in industries previously restricted to students under 18.

KATRINA RUCKER

Vice President of Human Resources,
Roscoe Brown

Katrina has worked for Roscoe Brown as its VP of HR for five years. Katrina was challenged to build out a HR department that focused on employees and employee engagement. Katrina was in Corporate America for over 25 years with State Farm and Aramark. In her roles, she led teams that focused on Employee Relations, Retention, and Leadership Development. Katrina has been instrumental in the creation of Roscoe Brown’s first-ever Apprenticeship Program, which has recently been renamed as Spark Academy. Roscoe Brown’s focus is growing the number of people in the trades and teaching those who want to learn valuable skills that will last a lifetime.

Katrina is originally from Kentucky, GO Big Blue, and moved to Murfreesboro in 1996. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Steve, for 32 years. She has one daughter, Candice, who was married in May. Katrina enjoys reading, time at home, and spending time with her four fur-babies.

CHRISI GILLIAM EGGERT

Coordinator,
SCHS Student Career Development Center

Chrisi Gilliam Eggert is a 1988 graduate of Red Bank High School and a 1993 graduate of UT Chattanooga with a degree in Secondary Education. She has spent her career in the Sequatchie County Schools District, first as an at-risk-youth and adult education teacher, then as a twelfth-grade ELA instructor. She is currently the Coordinator of the Student Career Development Center, a program created through funding of the Innovative High Schools Model grant.

Chrisi works with local business and industry and higher education to create pathways for student success. Chrisi also serves on the Youth Council of the Southeast Tennessee Development District.

She is married to her amazing and supportive husband, Paul, has two children, two step-children, and a backyard of puppies.

PAM GITTA

Apprenticeship Manager,
Economic & Workforce Development,
Chattanooga State Community College

Pam Gitta started managing registered apprenticeships in 2017, first at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, and at Chattanooga State Community College since 2019.

Her expertise is writing programs tailored to the needs of her employers, whether they’re small businesses or multinational corporations.

Pam holds an MA in English from California State University at Long Beach.  

TREY SHOEMAKER

Manager, Plant HR,
Komatsu

Trey Shoemaker is the Human Resources Manager for Komatsu America Corp., Chattanooga Manufacturing Operation. He has over 12 years of experience in multiple areas of Human Resources in the manufacturing industry, including talent acquisition, training and development, human resources management, and workforce planning.

Trey holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from UT Chattanooga and a Master’s Degree in Sport Psychology from UT Knoxville. He has also obtained his Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR) certification.

Throughout his career, Trey has been successful in leading positive change and creating strong organizational cultures. His experience in multiple disciplines of manufacturing provides him with a diverse perspective of the challenges that the industry faces today. He looks forward to continuing to engage with industry and community leaders to work toward creating positive solutions for a sustainable future.

CARRI SMITH

HR Manager,
Valmont Industries

Carri Smith joined the Valmont Industries team as Human Resource Manager for the Jasper, Tenn., location in September 2012. Valmont Industries, Inc. is a global leader in providing products that support critical infrastructure, essential for economic and agricultural growth.

Carri knows the value of tapping into every available workforce pool as well as working with the education sector. She serves on various state and local boards for educational and community organizations.