Philadelphia Business Journal named Billie Barnes, Executive Director of Bucks County Workforce & Economic Development as an honoree of its 2022 Women of Distinction on November 17.

In her nearly 30 years in workforce development, Billie Barnes has seen the many ups and downs of the economy and the ripple effects for job seekers. The past few years were no different. She assumed the role of executive director of Bucks County Workforce and Economic Development in July 2020 just a few months into the Covid-19 pandemic when nationwide unemployment rates were at near record highs topping 14%. In addition to supporting a growing population – the county is expected to grow from 625,000 residents in 2015 to over 633,000 by 2025 – Barnes turned her attention to the incarcerated, piloting a skills-based initiative for when such individuals reenter the workforce.

William Tennent science teachers Ignacio Jayo and Steve Beal understand that modern-day high school classrooms have drastically changed since they were students. Currently, there’s more pressure on teens to not only achieve good grades, but also build a resume of extracurriculars and work experience before graduation.

Rather than pick an afterschool activity that they feel blasé about or a shift at the local Starbucks, Jayo and Beal wanted their students to do more. Last fall, they launched ExcitED — a program that gives students paid internships in the professional fields of entrepreneurship, user design and biotechnology disciplines.

For their efforts, Jayo and Beal were nominated for and won the 2022 Pennsylvania Innovative School Teacher Award. The instructors accepted their honor on Oct. 30 during the annual Excellence in Public Education Leadership Dinner at the 2022 PASA-PSBA School Leadership Conference, hosted at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions.

Funding for ExcitED is through a $250,000 Schools-to-Work grant through the state Department of Labor and Industry, as well as other smaller awards.

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