Executive Director of Workforce and Adult Learning

The Prison Education Program (PEP) — Talladega College credit and degree instruction delivered to incarcerated learners under the federally re-established Second Chance Pell / Prison Education Program framework (34 CFR Part 668, Subpart P); and

The Alabama Workforce Ecosystem Initiative — Talladega’s statewide leadership role, anchored by the Provost’s appointment as Alabama’s SACSCOC State Convener for the Workforce Coordinator Network, connecting education, credentials, employers, and workforce systems in service of Alabama’s Success Plus goal of adding 500,000 credential holders to the workforce.

The Executive Director reports to the Provost and Executive Vice President and holds integrated responsibility for recruitment, admissions, advising, curriculum, faculty-facilitator engagement, scheduling, assessment, marketing, community and employer engagement, correctional-facility relationships, credential-of-value alignment, work-based learning and apprenticeship structure, compliance, budget, and reporting across all three pathways. The role is expressly designed to connect the three entities — so that a working adult, a returning citizen, and an employer partner all experience a single, coherent Talladega College pipeline from recruitment to credential to job.

The Executive Director is expected to (1) grow enrollment and completion in Fast Track and the Prison Education Program, (2) expand the College’s approved instructional sites and correctional-partner facilities, (3) advance Talladega College’s statewide leadership through the Alabama Workforce Ecosystem Initiative and the SACSCOC Workforce Coordinator Network, (4) build durable employer, apprenticeship, and workforce-board partnerships (including East AlabamaWorks Region 2), (5) position Talladega College as a recognized voice in adult, correctional, and workforce education nationally, and (6) produce a high-completion, high-employment, credential-of-value pipeline aligned with Alabama Success Plus.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
1. Integrated Executive Leadership of the Three Pathways

• Provide unified executive, academic, and operational leadership for Fast Track, the Prison Education Program (PEP)/Second Chance Pell, and Talladega College’s role in the Alabama Workforce Ecosystem Initiative.
• Develop and execute an annual, integrated Workforce & Adult Learning Pathways plan with measurable recruitment, enrollment, persistence, completion, credential-attainment, and post-completion employment outcomes across all three pathways.
• Ensure full compliance with U.S. Department of Education Prison Education Program regulations (34 CFR Part 668, Subpart P), Title IV / Pell requirements, SACSCOC substantive-change and accreditation expectations, applicable Alabama Community College System / ACHE requirements, Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) partnership agreements, and applicable state workforce and apprenticeship standards.
• Prepare and submit an annual integrated program report to the Provost and an executive summary to the President.
• Achieve at least 95% documented compliance with all federal, state, accreditation, and correctional-partner reporting requirements during each review cycle.

2. Recruitment, Admissions, and Enrollment Growth

• Develop and implement recruitment and retention goals and operational plans for Fast Track, for each approved Prison Education Program site, and for workforce-aligned credential cohorts.
• Advertise the programs, participate in weekly recruiting activities and events, and meet quarterly recruitment goals across all three pathways.
• Coach prospective learners through the admissions process, financial-aid packaging, and orientation; serve as the advisor to all Fast Track students and coordinate advising for all Prison Education students and workforce-cohort participants in partnership with on-site liaisons and employer partners.
• Hold information meetings and follow-up telephone, e-mail, and video correspondence in a timely, documented cadence.
• Grow Fast Track headcount by at least 20% year-over-year; grow Prison Education headcount consistent with approved facility capacity and Department of Education PEP application/approval status; grow workforce-aligned credential enrollment consistent with employer-partner and Success Plus targets.
• Achieve an inquiry-to-enrollment conversion rate of at least 25% for Fast Track and consistent site- and cohort-specific yield targets for Prison Education and workforce cohorts.

3. Facility, Site, and Partner Expansion

• Identify, evaluate, and pursue additional Fast Track instructional sites (community-college partners, employer-based cohorts, church-based/community learning hubs, and online cohorts) that expand access for working adults across Alabama and adjoining regions.
• Identify, evaluate, and pursue additional Prison Education Program instructional sites in partnership with the Alabama Department of Corrections, county correctional facilities, federal facilities where permitted, and reentry providers.
• Identify, evaluate, and formalize workforce partnerships and work-based-learning sites with employers, industry associations, apprenticeship sponsors, and regional workforce boards — particularly in East AlabamaWorks Region 2 — in coordination with the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship and the Alabama Workforce Council.
• Lead the U.S. Department of Education Prison Education Program application process for each new proposed site, including oversight-entity determination, best-interest-of-students review, and SACSCOC substantive-change filings.
• Add or activate at least one (1) new Fast Track cohort site, at least one (1) new Prison Education Program facility, and at least two (2) new employer or workforce partner sites/agreements during each review cycle, subject to approval.

4. Curriculum, Faculty-Facilitators, and Academic Quality

• Recruit faculty-facilitators for Fast Track in cooperation with the appropriate department heads and the Business Dean, and for Prison Education Program in cooperation with the applicable academic departments; recruit workforce and industry instructors and mentors in cooperation with employer partners and department heads.
• Supervise the revision and development of the adult-learner and workforce curriculum in cooperation with faculty-facilitators and department heads, ensuring alignment with Talladega College degree requirements, SACSCOC standards, adult-learning best practices (competency framing, prior-learning assessment, credit for military and workforce credentials where applicable), credentials-of-value criteria, and AI-ready curriculum standards under the Alabama Workforce Ecosystem Initiative.
• Supervise the evaluation of curriculum and instruction, assuring quality control across all cohorts, sites, and modalities (online, on-ground, correctional-facility delivery, and employer-site delivery).
• Ensure course materials, textbooks, and technology used inside correctional facilities comply with ADOC/facility policy, security protocols, and PEP requirements.
• Achieve program-wide course completion rate of at least 85% and program-wide cohort GPA of at least 2.75 across all three pathways.

5. Marketing, Communications, and Community Engagement

• Develop and execute a unified Workforce & Adult Learning Pathways marketing plan that (a) recruits into FastTrack, (b) supports appropriate reentry- and family-audience communications for the Prison Education Program in coordination with ADOC and Communications, and (c) tells the opportunity-centered public story of Talladega’s statewide workforce leadership.
• Coordinate all promotional literature, digital campaigns, employer outreach, and information sessions across the three pathways in coordination with the Office of Communications.
• Represent the pathways to campus and community groups, employers, workforce boards, community-based organizations, correctional-education stakeholders, and reentry providers.
• Generate at least twenty-four (24) earned-media or feature placements per review cycle (across the three pathways combined) in coordination with Communications.
• Deliver at least twenty (20) recruitment or awareness events per review cycle across community, employer, workforce, and correctional-partner venues.

6. Scheduling, Program Operations, and Student Support

• Schedule all classes planned for the year across the three pathways and manage cohort calendars, facility access windows, employer-site logistics, and instructor assignments.
• Conduct an advising session at least once per semester with each Fast Track student and coordinate documented advising touchpoints for each Prison Education student and workforce-cohort participant.
• Hold regular and as-needed video conferences with faculty and students in Fast Track and appropriate check-ins with faculty-facilitators serving the Prison Education Program and workforce cohorts.
• Oversee and assist personnel in the Workforce & Adult Learning Pathways office.
• Achieve a student-satisfaction score of at least 4.3 / 5.0 across all three pathways (annual survey).

7. Alabama Workforce Ecosystem Leadership and External Partnerships

• Serve as Talladega College’s operational lead for the Alabama Workforce Ecosystem Initiative and support the Provost’s role as SACSCOC State Convener for the Workforce Coordinator Network, coordinating the Alabama Higher-Ed Workforce Alliance, JobsEQ-informed institutional alignment, credentials-of-value and AI-ready curriculum work, and the Alabama Workforce Dashboard.
• Cultivate and maintain formal partnerships with local, regional, state, and national associations relevant to adult, correctional, and workforce education, including but not limited to the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), the Correctional Education Association, the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), the Alabama Department of Corrections, the Alabama Community College System, the Alabama Workforce Council, AlabamaWorks!, East AlabamaWorks Region 2, the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship, the Alabama Reentry Network, and applicable regional workforce development boards.
• Represent Talladega College at national, regional, state, and local convenings on adult learning, degree completion, correctional education, reentry, workforce development, and apprenticeship.
• Deliver at least four (4) documented external presentations, conference papers, or panel appearances per review cycle.
• Establish or renew at least three (3) formal partnership agreements (MOU / MOA / articulation / apprenticeship agreement) per review cycle.

8. Best-Practices Programming and Convening

• Design and host on-campus Workforce & Adult Learning best-practices sessions that bring together faculty, staff, correctional-education partners, employers, apprenticeship sponsors, reentry providers, and peer institutions to advance the field and position Talladega College as a convening institution.
• Deliver at least two (2) on-campus best-practices sessions per review cycle, each with documented learning outcomes, participant evaluations, and follow-up publications or resources.
• Publish an annual Workforce & Adult Learning Pathways Best-Practices Brief summarizing convening outcomes and lessons learned.

9. Data, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement

• Work collaboratively with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research to provide and analyze data and submit reports as requested, including data feeding the public Alabama Workforce Dashboard where appropriate.
• Prepare monthly reports for the Provost on program recruitment and retention profiles, and produce disaggregated dashboards covering inquiry-to-enrollment, persistence, credit-hour production, course completion, GPA, graduation, credential attainment, and post-completion outcomes (employment, wage gain, further education, and reduced recidivism where measurable).
• Maintain ongoing collaboration with the Faculty Manager.
• Deliver monthly recruitment/enrollment/credential-attainment dashboards to the Provost with 100% on-time submission.

10. Budget, Compliance, and Stewardship

• Manage the annual operating budgets for Fast Track, the Prison Education Program, and workforce partnership operations within +/- 3% of approved plan; deliver monthly budget-variance reports to the Provost and Business Office.
• Ensure 100% compliance with Title IV / Pell disbursement, PEP oversight-entity, SACSCOC, ADOC, applicable workforce/apprenticeship, and applicable federal and state requirements — with zero (0) unresolved audit exceptions.
• Pursue grants, sponsored programming, employer investment, and philanthropic support in coordination with Institutional Advancement to sustain and expand all three pathways.

11. Other Duties as Assigned

• Perform other duties as assigned by the Provost and Executive Vice President in support of the College’s mission and strategic plan.

Performance Expectations

• Measurable growth in Fast Track and Prison Education Program enrollment, persistence, and completion, plus growth in workforce-aligned credential attainment and employer partnerships.
• Successful expansion of approved Fast Track sites, Prison Education Program facilities, and employer/workforce partner sites.
• Recognized presence and leadership in local, regional, state, and national associations serving adult, correctional, and workforce education — including operational leadership of the Alabama Workforce Ecosystem Initiative.
• Effective marketing that produces documented inquiry, event, and yield growth across the three pathways.
• High-quality, high-impact best-practices sessions hosted on the Talladega College campus.
• Full compliance with U.S. Department of Education PEP regulations, Title IV requirements, SACSCOC standards, ADOC partnership agreements, applicable workforce/apprenticeship standards, and applicable state regulations.
• Sound budget management, personnel supervision, and student-centered advising.

Minimum and Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Master’s degree required in adult education, higher education administration, business, workforce development, human resource development, criminal justice, social work, or a closely related field; doctorate preferred.
• Experience: At least five (5) years of progressive experience in adult, degree-completion, continuing education, workforce development, or correctional-education programming, including at least three (3) years of supervisory or program-director experience.
• Program Development: Demonstrated experience developing, launching, or scaling cohort-based adult programs, prison-education programs, employer-facing workforce programs, apprenticeship structures, or comparable non-traditional academic operations.
• Regulatory & Workforce Knowledge: Working knowledge of U.S. Department of Education Prison Education Program regulations (34 CFR Part 668, Subpart P), Title IV / Pell administration, SACSCOC substantive change, credentials-of-value frameworks, WIOA and Registered Apprenticeship structure, and applicable Alabama workforce regulations.
• Correctional Partnership: Experience working effectively within correctional facilities and with correctional-education stakeholders is strongly preferred.
• Employer & Workforce Partnership: Demonstrated ability to build employer relationships, negotiate MOUs, structure work-based learning, and engage regional workforce boards and industry associations.
• Recruitment and Marketing: Demonstrated ability to plan and execute recruitment campaigns and to convert leads to enrolled, financially cleared, and persisting students.
• Communication: Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, presentation, and public-relations skills.
• Technology: Proficiency in Student Information Systems, learning management systems, CRM/recruitment tracking, labor-market data tools (e.g., JobsEQ), and data-reporting tools.
• Supervision: Demonstrated ability to recruit, supervise, and motivate faculty-facilitators, coordinators, employer-facing staff, and support staff.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Skills in organizational management, supervision, and program promotion across academic, correctional, and employer settings.
• Sound administrative skills, well-developed management skills, and strong interpersonal skills, including excellent leadership and teamwork abilities. Proven ability to recruit and motivate personnel in order to balance strength with growth across three integrated pathways.
• Ability to build durable relationships with employers, workforce boards, community-based organizations, correctional partners, apprenticeship sponsors, and peer institutions.
• Ability to analyze enrollment, persistence, completion, budget, labor-market, and outcomes data and translate findings into action.
• Ability and willingness to travel to correctional facilities, community sites, employers, workforce convenings, and conferences; ability to work evenings and weekends as required by cohort schedules and events.
• Ability to pass background checks and clearances required for entry into correctional facilities.

Additional Expectations
This position is expected to model the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, accountability, responsiveness, student-centered leadership, and commitment to the mission of Talladega College. Because this role carries significant regulatory, correctional-partner, employer-facing, and statewide-leadership responsibilities, the Executive Director must be prepared to represent the College with distinction to students, families, employers, correctional officials, workforce agencies, funders, and the visiting public.

Application Process
Applications are being accepted immediately. The College will accept and review applications until the position is filled. Qualified candidates should forward a letter of interest and resume, Talladega College application, and at least three (3) professional references to: hr@talladega.edu , or by mail to the Human Resources Office, Talladega College, 627 Battle Street West, Talladega, AL 35160.

TALLADEGA COLLEGE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER