Call to Order/Roll Call
Chair Susan Ryan called the meeting to order at 7:31.
Members Present
Jane Clark
Joe Cassidy
Kevin Bass
Mary Keating
Susan Ryan
Others Present
Jamie Brown
Members Absent
Tiffany Rotondo
Public Comment
- There was no public comment.
Approval of the July 26, 2025, minutes
- Approval of the July 26, 2025, Executive Committee minutesÂ
- Motion to approve by Member BassÂ
- Second by Member CassidyÂ
- Member Keating indicated she is not listed on the attendance, Jamie will make the edit Â
- All ayes, motion APPROVEDÂ
- Minutes can be reviewed here
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Required MOU Changes
Jamie indicated that the MOU has been approved with technical changes. The required changes are around TAA language, identification of the One Stop Operator and signatory authority. Once the changes are approved by the Executive Committee, they will be sent to DCEO for final approval. Â
- Motion to approve MOU changes by Member KeatingÂ
- Second by Member BassÂ
- All ayes, MOTION APPROVEDÂ
Youth Contracts Approval
The RFP process has concluded and there are three organizations that have been identified to extend contracts to: Â
- Parents Alliance Employment Project (in school and out of school youth) $591,928Â
- Wheaton-Warrenville CUSD 200-Â $200,000Â
- Leaders in Transformational Education-Â $120,000Â
Jamie described each program and its objectives. Member Clark asked how the new vendors will be monitored for performance, Jamie stated that the new vendors are having onboarding meetings with the workNet youth manager and will receive as much training necessary to ensure successful outcomes for the youth served. Â
- Motion to approve youth contracts by Member ClarkÂ
- Second by Member KeatingÂ
- All ayes, MOTION APPROVEDÂ
Foundation Expenditures
There are still monies remaining in the foundation account. Recently monies have been utilized for rent assistance, background check fees and car repairs. Currently Joe and Susan are the required approvers of the funds.Â
PY 25 Expenditures
Jamie presented the expenditures for the month of July. There has been interest in a new Mechanical Maintenance Program at Symbol which accounts for 40K in vouchers. 30K in vouchers were written to COD for the CDL program. Â
Illinois Workforce Partnership (IWP) Strategic Planning
Jamie reminded the group that she and Lisa are part of IWP, an association made up of Board Staff and Title 1B Directors from the 22 local areas in the state. For the past year, IWP has been doing strategic planning to determine the focus of the association for the coming years. The group agrees that the association needs a clear direction to be viewed as a subject matter expert in Illinois and beyond. There has been discussion around contracting an Executive Director, advocacy and communication, governance and professional development. Member Cassidy inquired about the structure if an Executive Director was to be hired. Jamie indicated that a decision has not been made yet. Member Keating suggested possibly partnering with another state association – she suggested looking into the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies.  Discussions will continue and Jamie will update the group as needed.Â
Federal Updates
There is still no federal budget. Last Friday the Senate voted down both the Republican backed and Democratic backed Continuing Resolutions which would fund the government until November. The members are on recess this week and will return to the Capitol on September 29 and have until midnight on September 30 to reach an agreement to fund the government. Since workNet is funded with federal dollars, a shutdown could disrupt operations significantly. Â
Jamie will continue to keep the group appraised of any new information.Â
Old Business
There was no old business.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:10.
