TampaBay-Job-Links Fifth Year Anniversary Celebration

October 19, 2016

Genie Cohen CEO, International Association of Jewish Vocational Services

Genie Cohen, Chief Executive Officer of the International Association of Jewish Vocational Services (IAJVS), a not-for-profit association linking 29 workforce development agencies in the United States, Canada, and Israel, will be a special guest at the TampaBay-Job-Links (TBJL) Fifth Year Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, October 22, 2016. According to co-chairs, Kay Jacobs and Sharon Stein, the event will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Sharon and Bernie Stein. The fundraising event will celebrate TBJL’s success in preparing those unemployed in our community for an effective job search. In addition, TBJL will honor three of its volunteers—Andy Hirsch, Mark Schneider, and Michael Lillibridge—for their outstanding contributions to the growth and development of the organization.

Andy Hirsch Senior Vice President, Baird Wealth Management

Andy Hirsch is a founding board member of TBJL and its Treasurer. He is also the Senior Vice-President of the Hirsch Group at Robert W. Baird & Co. where he works with individuals, family owned businesses, and publicly traded companies, guiding them to establish and achieve their investment goals. At TBJL he has provided business and financial leadership and has personally taken numerous candidates under his wing, mentoring and connecting them to opportunities in the community.

Mark Schneider Chief Technology Officer, WeVue

Mark Schneider, the chief technology officer at WeVue and the founder of SOE Software Corporation, is an attorney and CPA. He currently serves on the School Board of Hillsborough County’s Citizen Advisory Committee, which was established for the purpose of involving Hillsborough County citizens in the challenges of public education. Schneider has served on the TBJL Board since 2011 and has provided business, financial,  legal, and IT guidance and support.

E. Michael Lillibridge, Ph.D Founder, PeopleMap System

Dr. Michael Lillibridge, a licensed psychologist, marriage and family therapist, board certified coach, as well as founder and president of the PeopleMap Company, maintains an executive coaching practice. His PeopleMap Company has certified trainers throughout the United States and Canada—training over 450,000 people in thousands of companies in North America. He co-developed the PeopleMap Personality Questionnaire that identifies communication strengths and weaknesses. At TBJL, Lilibidge trained the staff to utilize this assessment tool and allowed access to the questionnaire, which has improved candidate communication skills and job-search success.

“We are grateful to Andy, Mark, and Dr. Lillibridge for their invaluable contributions, and we are honored to have Genie Cohen, who has lead IAJVS for the past 18 years, join us for our Fifth Anniversary Celebration,” said Executive Director, Sheila Solomon Rudd.

“Under Genie’s leadership, IAJVS has provided support to develop and educate the staff of TampaBay-Job-Links and our 28 sister agencies worldwide.” Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, IAJVS researches funding opportunities, develops collaborative programs, and serves as the voice of the Jewish vocational network both nationally and internationally.

Since its inception in 2011, TBJL staff, board, and numerous volunteers have helped professionals in career transition become self-sufficient members of the local community. TBJL works with diverse populations including boomers who were displaced from their industries, women re-entering the workforce after a hiatus, recent college graduates who have not gotten a foothold in a career, and military veterans transitioning to the civilian workforce.

The majority of TBJL’s clients lack knowledge about current effective job-search strategies and cannot afford to pay professional rates for career consultation. Over the last 3 years, consistently more than 80% of TBJL candidates have landed employment. From January, 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, those clients who now have jobs have added wages amounting to over $1,369,000 to the Tampa Bay economy. Since 2012, career strategists have conducted 1,949 individual coaching sessions and presented 351 workshops with an attendance of 2,431.

To honor these accomplishments and more, the co-chairs and the host committee ask that other community members join them on October 22nd for this celebratory and fundraising event. A reservation can be made for a minimum of $125 per person by calling TBJL at 813-344-0200 or can be sent to the TBJL office at 4100 W. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 206; Tampa, FL 33609. Contributions will help to insure that TampaBay-Job-Links is able to fulfill its mission to empower individuals to attain self-sufficiency through job-search and career coaching, educational programs, and community engagement –that TBJL can continue to transform lives one job at a time!

For more information about the anniversary event, contact Esther Happle, TBJL Director of Development and Community Relations, at 813-344-0200 or esther@tbjl.gulfcoastjewishfamilyandcommunityservices.org.

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