It's time for the latest NENA E-News!
Your source for news, resources, and advocacy
for your Employment Network (EN).
2025 Conference Recap
What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas for NENA! We are thrilled with the success of the 2025 NENA Annual National Conference. This year, NENA welcomed 188 attendees, including special guests from TPM and our incredible sponsors: SETWorks, Direct Employers, Text-Em-All, BRWE LLC, Occupational Enterprises Incorporated, Workforce Essentials, Full Circle Employment Solutions, Hawkeye Community College, and SSA Ticket Pros—not to mention you, our valued NENA members. Highlights included our fabulous keynote speakers, Catherine Nielsen and Lisa Smartt. These two set the bar high for next year, but you know we’ll try to top it! TPM provided key updates, reminders, and a session on the hot topic of payments. Attendees especially appreciated the chance to ask questions and engage directly with our TPM representatives—a major benefit of coming to the conference. This year, networking stole the show. From the Peer-to-Peer breakout session and the welcome reception to “Flocking to the Flamingos” and building those mini poker hands, opportunities to connect with TTW service providers, subject-matter experts, and partner agencies were everywhere. Of course, Vegas delivered plenty of excitement outside the sessions too. Many of you caught The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere, toured the Stratosphere, or enjoyed world-class people-watching. NENA also hosted a group outing to the High Roller Observation Wheel—wow, what a view! High Roller After-Hours Networking Event Our conference committee worked tirelessly all year to bring this event to life, and we hope you found it both rewarding and informative. We’d love your feedback in the Whova app—let us know what went well and what we can do even better next year. Looking ahead, we remain committed to representing our members and advocating for the continued success of the Ticket to Work program. We encourage you to join NENA’s Interest Areas and get involved whenever you can—our collective voice truly makes a difference. Save the date! The 2026 NENA Conference will take place August 31–September 2 in the Washington, D.C. area. We’ve already set the wheels in motion to make our 16th year the best one yet. Watch your email for details! Thank you for your ongoing support of NENA. Brenna Schaefer  Current and Future NENA Board Members
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NENA Conference: Behind the Scenes
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Fresh off another successful NENA Conference, the board always takes time to reflect on the entire event. From the planning process to the temperature of the breakout rooms, we carefully review what worked well, what could be improved, and what goals we still have for future years. As we went through the feedback we received—both formal evaluations and informal conversations—we thought it might be helpful to give our members a glimpse into the planning that goes into our Annual National Training Conference. Today we are dropping the veil on Registration Fees. What goes into this number? What do Conference Registration fees actually pay for?
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NENA Board Transitions |
As our Board transitions for the year, we would like to take a moment to express our gratitude to the outgoing Board Members for their years of service and dedication.
- Sarah Lyngdal served for eight years, including several years as executive committee secretary.
- Christa Nivens served on the NENA Board for five years, including time on the executive committee as treasurer and later as chair.
- David Leon contributed as a board member for six years.
- Matthew Silverstein served on the NENA Board for four years.
- Portia Matheney served as a board member for two years, including one year as the appointed executive committee director.
Thank you all for your valuable contributions of time, talent, and leadership. Each of you brought unique skills that helped strengthen NENA and advance the Ticket to Work program.
Looking ahead, this next year will be one of growth as we welcome several new Board Members. We are excited to introduce Kirstin Beard, Angela Hunter, Cynthia Worth, and Ashlee Deans to the NENA Board. We look forward to working alongside them and continuing to build on the strong foundation that has been set.
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New Member Spotlight
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Stay Connected
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Bulletin Board
Work Incentives Training Interested in learning more about Work Incentives Planning? Opportunities are available! |
Job Posting: Workforce Development Specialist II New Orleans, Louisiana Manage the TTW caseload, conduct intakes and assessments, engage in job development, search, placement, and ongoing job support. See complete job description at www.lighthouselouisiana.org If interested, please submit resume to Sherry Campbell at scampbell@lighthouselouisiana.org Help Wanted Job Board Does your member organization have an internal position available within your organization that you would like to post in the NENA E-News? As a member courtesy, we will post your opening in our next E-News update one time. Posting requirements: • The posting must be for a specific, EN-related position within your organization (i.e., career specialist, career services provider) • Email admin@nenaticket.org to submit your post • Include the title, location, a brief description (25 words) and contact information on the form. *Those interested in applying should contact the EN directly. NENA will have no further information about any posted positions. |
