<body><div>Arkansas State University-Mountain Home has restructured the leadership of its School of Technology and Health Sciences, naming a nurse practitioner with a doctorate as dean and creating two workforce development posts aimed at local employers.Dr. Jess Camp is the new dean of technology and health sciences and director of nursing. Vicki Pratt fills a newly created senior workforce development officer position, and Jeff Bookout takes over a reworked workforce director job. The three will work alongside Nathan Lueck, director of the college’s Secondary Center, which serves area high school students.The changes came after Dr. Robert Shurley became provost earlier this year and the college reviewed how the school was organized.“Community colleges play an important role in shaping the economic future of the communities they serve,” Chancellor Dr. Bentley Wallace said. “At ASUMH, we recognize our responsibility to help businesses grow, develop the skilled workforce our region needs, and create pathways for individuals to advance their careers.”Camp oversees all of the college’s nursing programs and leads its allied health, technical education, workforce training and inclusive post-secondary education programs. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and is a registered nurse and advanced practice registered nurse, board-certified as both a clinical nurse specialist and nurse executive.She comes to Mountain Home from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, where she coordinated the Doctor of Nursing Practice program and held the Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield Endowed Nursing Professorship in Rural Health.“Students need both technical expertise and professional skills such as communication, critical thinking, adaptability and teamwork,” Camp said. “I hope students leave ASUMH knowing we care about them. I also hope they leave with confidence, practical skills, and a clear pathway to a meaningful career.”Pratt brings more than 30 years in economic development to the new senior workforce officer job. A native of upstate New York who has lived in nine states, she spent much of her career in Wisconsin, Michigan and New York. She became a Certified Economic Developer in 2004, earned Master Economic Development Practitioner credentials in 2021 and was named to Consultant Connect’s Top 50 Economic Developers in North America list, according to the college.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3tPuLQ_1Gw5Rp8e00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3tPuLQ_1Gw5Rp8e00" width="1568" height="2048" ></figure>Her charge is to expand what the ASUMH Technical Center offers, help area employers train the workers they already have and get the word out to high school students and parents about careers that do not require a four-year degree.“Having worked in economic development across the country for more than 30 years, I have learned that it ultimately comes down to talent,” Pratt said. “Businesses need people with the skills to get the product or service out the door. A skilled workforce is one of the most important factors in attracting and retaining industry, and that’s where we can make a difference.”“I believe the greatest force for change is a job that allows someone to care for themselves and their family,” she said.Bookout, a Violet Hill native, spent more than 30 years at Arkansas State University-Newport in financial aid, workforce development and administration, working with employers across northeast Arkansas on training in areas such as programmable logic controllers and data analysis. In 2008 he traveled to Germany and Austria to study how Siemens and vocational schools there built mechatronics training into their systems.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4K2Nz4_1Gw5Rp8e00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4K2Nz4_1Gw5Rp8e00" width="1605" height="2048" ></figure>He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Arkansas State University, technical certificates in machining from Ozarka College and geospatial information systems from Southeast Community College, and an FAA Part 107 drone pilot certification.At ASUMH, Bookout will build relationships with employers, develop customized training and work closely with the college’s plumbing apprenticeship program.“I’m looking forward to meeting local leaders, developing partnerships with our existing industries, and finding ways ASUMH can help businesses grow through strategic training opportunities,” Bookout said. “Workforce development should be continually evolving as the needs of our employers and communities change.”The college says health sciences and technical programs made up about 27 percent of its college-level enrollment in 2011 and 40 percent by 2026. Gotaas Hall, which houses nursing and allied health, is being expanded, and the college says it continues to invest in equipment and programs at the Technical Center.“We want to make sure we are providing excellent academic programs while also being responsive to the needs of employers and the economic development priorities of our region,” Shurley said. “This structure allows us to bring those efforts together in a more intentional way.”</div></body>

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Arkansas State University-Mountain Home has restructured the leadership of its School of Technology and Health Sciences, naming a nurse practitioner with a doctorate as dean and creating two workforce development posts aimed at local employers. Dr. Jess Camp is the new dean of technology and health sciences and director of...

ASUMH names new dean, adds two workforce development positions

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Arkansas State University-Mountain Home has restructured the leadership of its School of Technology and Health Sciences, naming a nurse practitioner with a

ASUMH names new dean, adds two workforce development positions

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