LIT employee of 22 years receives Employee of the Month recognition for March

3/4/2019

Beaumont – Lamar Institute of Technology’s Administrative Associate for Public Service and Safety Karen Gordon has been working behind the scenes to help secure “millions of dollars in funding” for Workforce Development training, according to Dr. Miranda Phillips, LIT’s Dean of Strategic and Workforce Initiatives.

“Eighty percent of Workforce contacts come from her!” Nominator Dr. Miranda Phillips effused.  Gordon is credited with helping boost Workforce’s non-credit student enrollment to 1,315 students, and contact hours for Quarter 1, 2018 an astonishing 97.7 percent and 96.1 percent, respectively, over Quarter 1, 2017 data.
It’s those substantial numbers and Gordon’s “ability to form key relationships with TDCJ (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)” that prompted Phillips to nominate Gordon for this honor, she said.

Gordon “takes an innovative approach to finding ways to increase training opportunities and has initiated several agreements with TDCJ that have afforded LIT opportunities to extend training in ways that no other community college in the state of Texas has been able to establish,” Phillips said.

“Whoo-hoo,” Gordon exclaimed, when she was told of the award news. “It’s such an honor to be recognized,” she said. All the work done to solicit training funding “I did on my own,” Gordon said. She quipped that was definitely not part of her job description as an administrative associate, but she loves helping out and appreciates the extra recognition.