Rogue Valley Workforce Newsletter

Bob Fletcher Named Manager of the Rogue Valley Education & Career Network

Bob Fletcher of The Job Council in Medford has been named Manager of Region 8’s Rogue Valley Education & Career Network and will be assuming the duties formerly carried out by Jim Hilton. (Jim has assumed a research position with Rogue Community College.) In addition to his new duties, Bob will continue in his position with The Job Council.

Bob joined The Job Council in 1994 and has served in a number of positions. His work has been diverse and includes developing and monitoring contracts for program activities, coordinating program planning between partner organizations, and coordinating special program projects for JOBS clients. His experience and enthusiasm are ideally suited for the duties he is assuming in his new position. "I enjoy the collaboration of working with community partners to plan, implement, and monitor on-going programs and special projects that benefit the clients of our organizations and the greater Rogue Valley community," says Bob.

A native Pacific Northwesterner, Bob was born in Seattle. During his school years his family moved to Southern California where he attended grammar and high schools and graduated from California State University at Long Beach. After graduation he moved back to the Northwest, joining the Public Affairs Department of Nike Corporation. There he served as Contributions Manager and was responsible for the company’s nationwide corporate giving program activities.

With his duties as R.V.E.C.N. Manager and his duties at The Job Council, Bob doesn’t have a lot of free time, but even so he has dedicated himself to continuing his education. Presently he is a candidate in Southern Oregon University’s Master in Management program.

Diane Ivers Appointed Coordinator for the Education & Resource Center (ERC)

Diane Ivers, Oregon Employment Department (OED) Employer Relations Specialist, has assumed additional duties as Coordinator of the Education & Resource Center in the Rogue Valley Mall.

Diane is no stranger to the Education & Resource Center having served as Oregon Employment Department representative and representing the partners to employers and job seekers since 1993.

She also is no stranger to the residents of Medford and the Rogue Valley. Diane was raised and educated in the Rogue Valley and is active in numerous community organizations. She has been the recipient of many awards for her services in her business life and for her services to the community. In 1989, she was voted United Way’s Volunteer of the Year. The highlight of her career occurred in September of 1991 when Jackson County employers nominated Diane for President Bush’s "Point of Light" program. She was honored with a personal letter from President and Mrs. Bush that praised her accomplishments to the community. "It was an honor to receive the letter from the President" Diane says, "but, to me, the biggest honor is being recognized for my work by my own community and coworkers."

In her "free" time, Diane is a member of numerous clubs and organizations that are dedicated to helping our community, especially children. She spends family time with her husband, Scott, children and grandchildren, and often can be seen riding around town in one of the beautiful street rods that Scott has restored.

"I’ve always been proud of my association with the Education & Resource Center and its partners," Diane says, "and I am excited and pleased to be more envolved in what the future has in store for our partnerships and our community.

Jean Barber is Assistant Coordinator for Education & Resource Center (ERC)

A native of New Jersey, Jean Barber grew up in a quiet suburban town just across the Hudson River from New York City. The town was notable mainly because one of its favorite doctors was the influential poet, William Carlos Williams, who encouraged Jean to become a writer.

After attending Knox College in Illinois, she returned to New York during the turbulent times of the Civil Rights marches and the Viet Nam protest demonstrations. She became a published poet but soon realized "poetry is its own reward," and "to pay the rent" began a ten year stint in publishing as a technical writer and editor of two technical publications. This was followed by two years as an executive with a national trade association during which she traveled throughout the United States and Canada addressing local organizations and regional trade groups, and organizing national conventions and trade shows. Tiring of travel, she moved to San Diego where she spent twenty years as Business Manager and Treasurer of an innovative wholesale and manufacturing/publishing firm in the physical security field. During those years she was honored by inclusion in two professional reference books, Outstanding Women in Communications and Marquis’ Who’s Who of Western Executives.

Having discovered that Southern California has only two seasons, a green one and a brown one, she visited Oregon in search of a full four season year and was so delighted with the Rogue Valley and its people that she moved here in 1991. She began her association with the Education & Resource Center in 1995, working with two ERC partners before advancing to Assistant to the ERC Coordinator, Laura O’Bryon, in 1997, and, later, as Assistant to the Director of the ERC and the Rogue Valley Education and Career Network, Jim Hilton. She now serves as Assistant to the new Coordinator, Diane Ivers, and as a member of The Job Council. In her off hours, she continues her life in poetry. She has taught several SOU Community Education courses on writing poetry and is a member of a circle of exceptionally talented Rogue Valley poets.