A Spotlight on our New Job Center Manager, Camille McKenzie and what’s new in our Centers

Camille comes to WorkSource Montgomery with over 10 years of experience in workforce development. After graduating from Howard University, she began her career working with students with special needs and realized the importance of job training for those who may not find traditional 4-year degrees suitable for themselves.

Camille has developed and operated programs to work with veterans, returning citizens, individuals with disabilities, homeless and TANF populations. Camille is a Certified Employment Specialist Professional (CESP), trained in Customized Employment and Solution Focused Brief Therapy, which helps when interacting with customers. Camille is very active in community groups and enjoys staying abreast of new developments that help lead to viable employment for residents of all backgrounds.

Q: Camille, tell us about the projects you have started working on in your new role here in Montgomery County.

A: I am working to bring more training opportunities and further our staff development. Our team will strive toward becoming more knowledgeable and more skilled at serving our businesses and job seekers. We are moving towards more industry focused activities and staff training. This will give job seekers an opportunity to consult with staff who are educated in their desired career field, as well as access to job fairs focused on long-term careers in their industry.

I want to ensure there is more accountability across the board. I have started creating and distributing weekly newsletters to spotlight members of our team and share upcoming events with all staff and our American Job Center partners. These newsletters will play a key role in keeping our large staff at both centers in- the-know and working together more effectively.

We want to expand our services. We are opening our satellite office in the East County Regional Service Center. Our activities will start there in December (a schedule will be available on our website). What’s great is that we’ve already established a presence in East County through our pop-up centers.

Q: Tell us about these pop-ups and the exciting new partnership with local libraries.

A: The pop-ups are a part of our new initiative called HIRE (Helping Individuals Reach Employment) with Montgomery County Libraries. During these sessions, we take our services out to community libraries and meet one-on-one with customers. We also refer these customers to our partner organizations that would be able to offer additional assistance and also refer them into our American Job Centers for more follow-up.

Q: What are you most excited about moving forward for our centers?

A: I am excited about the expansion of our satellite centers in East County. Our goal is to offer services to a broader range of customers and to be able to meet people in their community to give them the assistance they need.