8:00 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast with Sponsors and Exhibitors

8:30 a.m.
Welcome
LaKisha Miller, Executive Director, Workforce Center, Kentucky Chamber

Recovery in Kentucky: Where We Are Now
Van Ingram, Executive Director, Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, Commonwealth of Kentucky
LaKisha Miller, Executive Director, Workforce Center, Kentucky Chamber

Kentucky businesses are acutely aware that the state's substance use epidemic is more than a public health issue; it is also a serious workforce issue. Employers feel the impact firsthand as they struggle to recruit, hire, and retain employees. Van Ingram, Executive Director of the Office of Drug Control Policy, will speak to how the landscape of the substance use crisis is developing and impacting Kentuckians across the Commonwealth. LaKisha Miller, Executive Director of the Kentucky Chamber Foundation's Workforce Center, will speak to how our programs support businesses as they focus on creating a fair chance environment.

9:10 a.m.    
From Crisis, to Care, to College, to Career: Long-term Success for People in Recovery
Matt Brown, Chief Administration Officer, Addiction Recovery Care
John Wilson, Kentucky Market President, Addiction Recovery Care
Randy Stinson, PhD, President, The Millard College
Brandon Wilson, Director of Workforce, Destiny Workforce Solutions

A partnership between Addiction Recovery Care (ARC), Destiny Workforce Solutions, and The Millard College in Lawrence County, Kentucky is helping to set up individuals in recovery for long-term success. By taking people from crisis, to care, to college, to career, ARC and The Millard College are equipping Kentuckians with the tools they need to lead healthy, meaningful, productive lives long after they’ve completed a treatment program.

10:00 a.m.
Testimonial
Hunter Glasscock, Program Director, Addiction Recovery Care

10:30 a.m.
Incorporating Entrepreneurial Opportunities and Leadership Development as Effective Models of Treatment
Jason Roop, PhD, Executive Director of Workforce Education, Campbellsville University
Brian Privett, J.D., Government and Public Affairs Director, Isaiah House

This presentation will highlight cases in which entrepreneurial opportunities have improved recovery outcomes in Kentucky. Presenters will share evidence of how starting businesses have kept people with substance use disorder connected to recovery and transformed communities. Research will also be shared which reveals how leadership traits are often found in the lives of those with substance use disorder. When leadership development and entrepreneurial opportunities are incorporated into treatment models individuals are more likely to remain committed to recovery.

11:15 a.m.
Reentry Services and Employment
Dennis Ritchie, Senior Director of Reentry, Goodwill Industries
Kristin Porter, Director of Reentry Services, Kentucky Department of Corrections
Tesa Turner, Special Populations Project Manager, Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP)
Moderator: Ryan Bowman, Manager, Workforce Recovery Program, Workforce Center, Kentucky Chamber

Reentry services are vital to those looking to overcome barriers to employment, especially those with histories of SUD and Justice involvement. This panel will discuss some challenges employers face when recruiting, hiring, and retaining fair-chance talent. This panel will also focus on Kentucky Chamber partners and how they assist with reentry services and provide employers with talent.

12:00 p.m.
RECON KY Awards Luncheon sponsored by Addiction Recovery Care (ARC)
Keynote | America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth: One Reporter’s Stories
Sam Quinones, Journalist, Best-selling Author

Based on his latest book, THE LEAST OF US, Sam Quinones will discuss the latest evolution in our addiction epidemic, with synthetic drugs made in Mexico that are more prevalent, potent, deadly (fentanyl) or mind-mangling (methamphetamine) than any other drugs we've seen on U.S. streets. He talks too about why he thinks this is a crucial time for towns with monies coming from court settlements. How to use those monies and what communities will look like when they're spent are now key questions to answer.

RECON KY Awards Presentation
Beth Davisson, Senior Vice President, Foundation, Kentucky Chamber
Tim Robinson, Chairman/President, RECON Kentucky and CEO and Founder, Addiction Recovery Care

Congressman Hal Rogers Award: Van Ingram, Executive Director, Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, Commonwealth of Kentucky
Jay Davidson Award: Charlotte Wethington (Casey’s Law)
Employer of the Year: Toyotomi
Special Honor: Jeff Whitehead, Executive Director, Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP), Inc.

2:30 p.m.
Retool, Reentry, Recover
Dale Zdolshek, Director of Job Placement and Employer Relations, Life Learning Center

Statistics show that 1 in 3 Americans have a criminal history frequently related to mental health/substance use disorder which may be a barrier to employment. Life Learning Center (LLC) was founded with the belief that every individual should have the opportunity to live up to their highest potential, regardless of where they are in their life journey. Through years of continuous improvement, LLC has recognized key insights which set the organization apart from other social service agencies. The insights include substance use disorder treatment must be coupled with adequate aftercare; individuals must be ready for change and must commit to their educational development to be successful; community collaboration is tantamount to success in adequate delivery of wrap-around care; it is not enough to improve internal systems and service delivery - regional policies and employer infrastructure must also be influenced.

3:15 p.m.  
Testimonial
James Lay, Maintenance Tech, Corporex Companies

Growing up in poverty, drinking and drugging I found myself homeless, walking with my head down. After losing my children, I wondered while sitting in jail what I was going to do. A staff person from Life Learning Center talked with me about the program and instantly caught my attention, so I walked out of jail and into the Life Learning Center. After graduating from the program, I can see a big change in every part of my life. Today I am substance free, employed full time, I own a truck and have three-bedroom home. Life Learning Center helped pump life back into me, and I now walk with my head held high.                                                                                                     

3:30 p.m.
No Wrong Door: How Workforce Development Boards Can Lead Efforts for Justice-Involved Individuals
Jonathan Aaron Poynter, Director of Reentry Programming, Cumberlands and South Central Workforce Development Board

Approximately one in three adults have a criminal record, meaning there are many adults who have been involved in the criminal justice system and will likely face employment and legal hurdles. Declining labor force participation has been exacerbated by the pandemic, causing businesses to become more receptive in hiring individuals that may have previously been screened out during their interview process. What can workforce boards and workforce professionals do to engage and lead efforts to increase workforce participation? Come hear an engaging presentation which will provide ideas for cultivating community partnerships and collaborations, including how to work with County Attorney's, Recovery Centers, and Jailers to create mechanisms and programs to reach, serve and usher individuals to success. Considerations of policy, programming and efforts created and tailored to ensure a prepared, empowered workforce pipeline and support to all partnerships.

4:15 p.m.  
Next Steps
LaKisha Miller, Executive Director, Workforce Center, Kentucky Chamber

4:30 p.m.
5th Annual Kentucky Recovery in the Workplace Conference Concludes