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Employee of the Month – May 2025

Employee of the Month — May 2025

May 1, 2025

Name: Kecia J. Jones

Job Title: Receptionist/Administrative Assistant

How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do? I have worked here four and a half years. I receive and transfer phone calls from our main phone line. I greet and direct visitors to the appropriate personnel, receive packages, weigh and postmark mail, receive and deliver mail and other related duties as assigned.

What did you want to be when you grew up?  When I was younger my mom told me I always talked about being a paralegal.

What do you hope to accomplish within the next year? To learn a new skill or try something new.

Who is your hero and why? My parents are the people who I admire the most. They raised my three brothers and me to have principles, morals and to have respect for others. They prided themselves on being educated, dependable, and hard working. Although they were sometimes stern, they still loved and provided for us. They also gave to the community by shaping young minds because they both were educators for over 30 years. They are deceased now, but I think about them often.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? Go sightseeing on Rodeo Drive in California and buy anything I want.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? My Daddy gave the best advice. He would say, “Get what you want, but want what you get!”

What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? I went to Disney one year and rode on this ride called the “Haunted Mansion.” This ride took you way up on an elevator and then it dropped down and it scared me nearly to death.

Who knows you the best? My children Hadrian and Hadara Jones.

What would you do if you won the lottery? Pay off debt, invest and travel.

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Senior Employment Success

Senior Employment Success

April 2, 2025

Meet Michael Leslie. Or, you may call him “Mr. Mike” like most everyone does at TARCOG.

On Tuesday, April 1, Mr. Mike, 66, was recognized at a TARCOG staff meeting for graduating from a 10-week Digital Certification Program (DCP) by the Center for Workforce Inclusion. 

“My biggest challenge was being nervous and the fact that I had not been to school for more than 40 years,” Mr. Mike shared with his co-workers during a heartfelt and emotional thanks to all of his TARCOG family that he’s gotten know and who have supported him since he enrolled in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) on Nov. 27, 2023.

Mr. Mike was immediately assigned to TARCOG as a car fleet assistant, said John Sanders, program manager. The program is for those 55 and older and provides paid job training opportunities in which people may learn new skills or enhance existing ones, with the goal of finding employment opportunities.

John said he chose Mr. Mike for the DCP because he expressed an interest in learning more about how to use a computer.

“The program is extremely valuable to our participants as most employers want someone with computer knowledge and skills,” John said. “DCP gives participants one-on-one personal training, and that assistance continues even after graduation.”

Mr. Mike said his digital navigator used his knowledge of automobiles to help him better relate to computer technology.

“When my digital navigator offered me the analogy of the outside of the car being the hardware and under the hood being the software, it clicked for me,” Mr. Mike said. “The tools inside the car manage the user experience – and the same thing applies to computers.”

He said once he learned the vocabulary associated with hardware and software, including the menus he needed to create his experience, he earned 10 certifications throughout the course from internet basics, career search skills and using email to social media, and learning the Microsoft Office Suite.

According to its website, the DCP was created to prepare older workers for the modern workplace while combating ageism. Digital skills are required in 92 percent of jobs. However, one of the most pervasive ageist stereotypes is technological illiteracy among older adults. A digital certification provides job seekers with in-demand skills and a means to showcase those skills to potential employers.

Upon graduation, Mr. Mike and others who complete the DCP get to keep the new laptop, mouse, headset, flash drive and a notebook that was used to access the on-line digital learning platform during classes. He also gets a hot spot with 12 months of pre-paid internet to ensure ongoing connectivity. He will have continued access to additional opportunities like resume development, mock interviews and career coaching.

John said SCSEP is funded by the Center for Workforce Inclusion and Alabama Department of Senior Services. Anyone interested in participating may contact him at 256-830-0818.

From left, TARCOG Executive Director Michelle Gilliam Jordan, SCSEP Employee Michael Leslie and SCSEP Program Manager John Sanders at the TARCOG April Staff Meeting.

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Employee of the Month — April 2025

Employee of the Month — April 2025

April 1, 2025

Name: Jelisa Simon

Title: Registered Nurse Case Manager

How long have you been at TARCOG and what do you do?   I am a Registered Nurse Case Manager, and I have been with TARCOG for 2 months.

What did you want to be when you grew up?  I have always wanted to be in the field of service. I later learned that being a nurse was my calling.

What do you hope to accomplish within the next year? In a little over a year, I hope to become a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

Who is your hero and why? My hero is my grandmother. She was smart, kind, strong, resilient, hard-working, and she never complained. All of these qualities are hard to find in one person.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? Go on a trip with my entire family.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you? If you are going to pray, don’t worry. If you are going to worry, don’t pray.

What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? I’m not really the daring type but going back to school after saying I was done—especially with how busy I already am—was definitely a bold move for me.

Who knows you the best? My husband, Cordalero.

What would you do if you won the lottery? I wouldn’t tell anyone, but there would be signs!

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