More than 1,000 people—the most ever—attended CAEL’s annual conference, held Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 in New Orleans and online. The record-breaking conference and its many highlights, which included the unveiling of CAEL’s CPL Provider Network, was a fitting capstone to CAEL’s year-long 50th anniversary celebrations. Of course, no mention of CAEL’s conference highlights would be complete without our annual award winners. Below is a recap of their inspirational stories.
Community Impact Award: Greater New Orleans, Inc.
This year, CAEL awarded our second annual Community Impact Award. CAEL established its newest award to recognize an outstanding organization that positively impacts the lives of adult learners and workers in the CAEL conference host region.
New Orleans hosted a very special conference: CAEL’s 50th. But Greater New Orleans, Inc. goes even further back: It was founded in 1913 as the New Orleans Progressive Union with the vision to support the region’s economic growth and prosperity for businesses and residents.
In 2004, the organization became known as Greater New Orleans, Inc., the regional economic development nonprofit organization serving the ten-parish region of Southeast Louisiana. Its mission is to create a region with a thriving economy and excellent quality of life—for everyone. CAEL applauds its commitment to sustaining a robust, accessible and growing middle class in Southeast Louisiana
Morris T. Keeton Award: Jimmy McClellan
CAEL enshrined the Morris T. Keeton Award in 1989 to honor our founding president. Every year since, we have presented the award to recipients who exemplify and foster the values that Dr. Keeton championed through their work, commitment and ideals.
Jimmy McClellan, the Associate Director for the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, embodies the innovative spirit and dedication to educational improvement that this prestigious award celebrates.
Jimmy’s talents have advanced experiential learning and expanded access to postsecondary education for adult learners, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds in urban-serving research institutions. Launched in June 2023 under Jimmy’s visionary leadership, the Urban Adult Learner Institute (UALI) has become a transformative initiative within the higher education community. Its open-access model maximizes its impact, supporting adult learners across the country.
Jimmy’s commitment to experiential learning is evident in the UALI’s innovative structure, which offers both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities to meet adult learners where they are. Under Jimmy’s leadership, the UALI has already engaged more than 150 individuals from more than 60 institutions and organizations nationwide. In addition to his work with the UALI, Jimmy’s ongoing pursuit of a Ph.D. in education policy and leadership illustrates his commitment to the field. His dissertation, which explores the transitions adult learners face as they navigate college life, highlights his deep understanding of and dedication to addressing the unique challenges these students encounter.
Adult Learner Impact Award: Southern New Hampshire University
The Adult Learner Impact Award recognizes excellence in meeting the needs of adult learners among CAEL member institutions and other organizations. Experiential learning has always been an integral part of the education experience, particularly in health care degree programs. However, hands-on learning or clinical placement within students’ communities can be challenging amid the growth of online learning. To meet these challenges, SNHU introduced Higher Education and Real-World Training (HEaRT), a free, innovative, asynchronous experiential learning opportunity for SNHU and Global Education Movement learners. GEM learners are refugees in seven camps across Africa and the Middle East. They face incredible economic and geographic barriers while pursuing their bachelor’s degree, utilizing HEaRT as an internship required for degree completion.
HEaRT takes place within SNHU’s learning management system using a faculty mentor to participant ratio of 1:100, which creates a scalable, sustainable learning opportunity that is both cost-effective for the university and supportive for participants.
SNHU’s extensive relationships with leading employers have enhanced HEaRT with numerous industry partnerships, incorporating real-world problems within challenges that learners complete. This approach has helped HEaRT expand beyond its health care roots to include business and social sciences.
Through HEaRT, 251 certificates and 1,654 digital badges have been awarded to learners. Additionally, HEaRT has satisfied internship requirements for nearly 800 GEM students, removing barriers to a critical but often inaccessible opportunity. HEaRT also provides students with the potential to save money on their coursework. Its no-cost, optional learning experiences can result in credit awarded through the LEA process for a small fee. To date, 360 course credits have been awarded, resulting in more than $214,000 in student savings.
Pamela Tate Rise Award: Dr. Fabiola Riobé
The Pamela Tate Rise Award honors the legacy of Pamela Tate, who served as CAEL’s president and CEO from 1990 until her retirement in 2018. The eponymous award evokes Tate’s tireless commitment to linking learning and work in ways that enhance wellbeing for adult learners and the nation’s workforce.
Dr. Fabiola Riobé’s work is a showcase of seamless connections between education and employment and the impact they can deliver for adult learners and workers. As the inaugural Vice President of Educational Innovation and Global Programming at Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC), Dr. Riobé has made monumental strides in connecting educational pathways with workforce demands.
Under Dr. Riobé’s guidance, KCKCC launched groundbreaking initiatives that exemplify her ability to merge learning with meaningful employment opportunities. Her efforts in spearheading apprenticeship programs are a prime example. These programs are meticulously designed to allow participants to earn while they learn, addressing the critical need for education that does not come at the expense of financial stability.
Dr. Riobé’s support of adult learners and workers transcends her local community. She expanded KCKCC’s global reach by leveraging her extensive network, notably through a partnership tour in Peru. There, she and the college president engaged with local businesses and educational institutions, advocating for public-private partnerships aimed at closing skills gaps and boosting employability. This program, specifically targeting adult learners, has been so impactful that it is now under consideration by Peru’s Ministry of Education for national scalability.
Additionally, Dr. Riobé’s empathetic leadership and relationship-building prowess have forged significant new partnerships with key organizations. These collaborations have resulted in innovative education pathways that directly respond to the workforce needs of the community, showcasing her strategic vision and her profound impact on both individual lives and the broader educational landscape.
Learner of the Year Award: Charletta Thomas
The Learner of the Year Award highlights learners who have successfully navigated complex pathways to meet their educational goals. What makes Charletta Thomas’s story so special is not only her own success as an adult learner but her determination to help others follow in her footsteps. Thirty-four years ago, Charletta was a young mother needing a second job to support her family. She took a job with McDonald’s, not knowing she was also setting out on a rewarding educational pathway. Charletta would be promoted repeatedly, first to shift leader, eventually as a supervisor overseeing multiple stores.
Then, she was rewarded with the position she’s most passionate about: training supervisor, the role she holds today. She’s also an ambassador for Archways to Opportunity with MacLaff Inc., which owns and operates 45 McDonald’s restaurants in Louisiana. When Archways to Opportunity launched in 2015, Charletta was enthusiastic to have even more options to support her coworkers’ education and training. She encouraged everyone to try out the offerings. One of her coworkers would return the favor.
Her coworker had been homeschooled and unable to obtain her diploma because she lacked accredited courses. Through Archways to Opportunity, she earned her high school diploma. Inspired by her success, Charletta enrolled at Colorado Technical University at the age of 54. In 2019, she graduated with her bachelor’s in business administration. She continued her studies and earned her MBA in 2021.
Now, she tells her story every week during training and orientation sessions with new crew and managers. She talks about how Archways to Opportunity is helping people obtain credentials ranging from high school diplomas to graduate degrees.
CAEL is always looking to celebrate our members’ success stories, whether through our annual award program or through the content we publish.
To share yours or a colleague’s, email us at marketing@cael.org.
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