Stephanie Zadroga-Langlois was recently appointed the new director of Continuing Education and Workforce Development at Northern Michigan University. Her role is to cultivate partnerships with business and industry throughout the Upper Peninsula and oversee a variety of skilled and professional training programs that can be customized to specific needs.

“In my short time at NMU, I have learned there is no request that we can’t fulfill; we just have to be creative,” she said. “We can develop certification courses, help train employees to use new equipment, expand workforces to meet demand, cross-train employees and offer workshops ranging from teamwork and time management to supervisory skills. Our programs can be offered on campus or onsite. If we can’t deliver what clients need with our own resources, we can contract with skilled professionals. I’m not sure companies are aware of how multi-dimensional we can be, so I encourage them to contact us with any questions to discuss available options.”

NMU Continuing Education and Workforce Development also hosts a yearly Learning to Lead seminar. The focus of the second annual event held on Feb. 17 was motivation in the workplace. Featured presenters were: Kimberly Maki, an executive coach and speaker; Jeff Olson, Ishpeming High School football coach and teacher; Andy Langlois and David Manson, co-founders of Blackrocks Brewery; Debra Lamere of Goodwill Industries and HR Consulting; and Tori Sager, co-founder of Fellow Flowers.

Zadroga-Langois arrived at NMU with more than a decade of relevant experience managing teams at corporate and state-funded entities that have a direct impact on workforce and economic development in the region.

In her previous role as a national client account manager with Manpower, she researched talent shortages and skills/education gaps and designed plans to address them. She also performed needs analyses and quarterly business reviews for all clients. She formerly managed Manpower branches in Marquette, Iron Mountain, Gaylord and Petoskey, increasing net sales and overseeing more than 225 temporary employees.

As a past director of the talent acquisition team for Michigan Works’ UPWARD Talent Council, Zadroga-Langlois managed a demand-driven system that attracted viable job candidates and developed their skills to meet human resource needs of the business community. She also developed relationships with companies and training facilities to assist with expansions or layoffs, along with talent and skill shortages.

“My combined professional experience has given me a clear understanding of our local manufacturers, healthcare, natural industry and non-profit organizations,” she said. “My relationships with them remain strong because I’m committed to following through on my proposals and working hard to minimize workforce issues. I also believe in a sensible approach to developing appropriate assessments, training programs and continuing education paths. I’m very passionate about workforce and economic development and I am eager to assist business and industry in my new role at NMU.”

Continuing Education and Workforce Development offers bus driver training and motorcycle safety certification programs at six U.P. locations. It also manages the non-credit training modules housed on NMU’s Educational Access Network. The EAN merges the broadband coverage and speed of Northern’s revolutionary LTE system with a growing array of courses for professional and personal development.

For more information, visit nmu.edu/ce or contact Zadroga-Langlois at 227-2103 or szadroga@nmu.edu.