FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, NATE and Industry Leaders Participate in Workforce Development-Themed Events on Gulf Coast of Mississippi
For Immediate Release:
March 4, 2021
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, NATE and Industry Leaders Participate in Workforce Development-Themed Events on Gulf Coast of Mississippi
(Gulfport, Mississippi) – FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and a delegation of leaders representing NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association, the Mississippi Public Service Commission, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Jones County Junior College, the Pascagoula/Gautier School District and SBA Communications Corporation participated in a series of workforce development-themed events held today on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.
The morning started with a workforce development-centric breakfast meeting that was hosted by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College at the school’s Harrison County campus. Attendees listened to presentations from Commissioner Carr, Mississippi Public Service Commission Chairman Dane Maxwell, NATE Workforce Consultant Dr. Gemma Frock, Wane Rodolfich, Superintendent of the Pascagoula/Gautier School District, Dr. Mary Graham, President of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Dr. Jonathan Woodward, Executive Vice President of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Dr. Jesse Smith, President of Jones County Junior College. Attendees also toured the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Biloxi campus.
The meeting and tour were important next steps in NATE’s collaboration with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College to establish a Wireless Infrastructure Technician Program at the school. NATE is currently in the process of establishing a turnkey curriculum package for partner community colleges and technical institutes to utilize to start programs.
After the events at the college, NATE member companies MILLERCO and SBA Communications Corporation hosted Commissioner Carr and other special guests at an SBA-owned tower site in Biloxi, Mississippi. Commissioner Carr joined a group of MILLERCO technicians in climbing the tower.
“It was an honor to host Commissioner Carr and industry leaders representing telecom and education today on the Gulf Coast,” said NATE Chairman Jimmy Miller, President of MILLERCO. “Today’s events helped shine a spotlight on both the workforce needs confronting the industry and the tremendous opportunities that a career in our industry provides. Establishing partnerships with institutions like Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is an integral part of NATE’s Workforce Development Strategic Plan and today’s meetings helped us move the needle in that direction,” added Miller.
The list of participants at today’s events included the following:
FCC
Commissioner Brendan Carr
NATE
Jimmy Miller, NATE Chairman, MILLERCO
John Paul Jones, NATE Vice Chairman, Tower & Turbine Technologies LLC
Kevin Dougherty, NATE Secretary/Treasurer, MILLENNIA CONTRACTING, INC.
Gemma Frock, PhD, NATE Workforce Consultant
Mississippi Public Service Commission
Dane Maxwell, Chairman
Caroline Bishop, Public Information Officer
Ryan Frederic, District Director
Brent Baylor, Chief Investigator
Daniel Forde, Policy Director
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Mary Graham, Ph.D, President
Jonathan Woodward, Ph.D, Executive Vice President
Cedric Bradley, Ph.D, Vice President
John Shows, Associate Vice President CC & CTE
Jones County Junior College
Jesse Smith, Ph.D, President
MILLERCO
Jordyn Ladner, Operations Manager
Billy Campos, Safety Director
Daniel Ladner, Lead Tower Technician
Shawn Dean, Lead Tower Technician
Pascagoula/Gautier School District
Wayne Rodolfich, Superintendent
SBA Communications Corporation
David Sams, Vice President Risk Management
Jeremy Buckles, Senior Manager – Safety
To view photos from today’s events, visit NATE’s Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr social media platforms. To learn more about NATE, visit www.natehome.com.
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About NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association is a non-profit trade association dedicated to providing a unified voice for companies in the diverse tower and communications infrastructure construction, service and maintenance industries. Today the Association boasts over 1,000 member companies located throughout the United States, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, China, Israel, Jamaica, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad and the United Kingdom. For additional information on NATE, please visit natehome.com.
Contact: Todd Schlekeway
(605) 882-5865
