Commerce Hosts National Training Conference
Muckleshoot tribal members opened the NASCSP national training conference Wednesday, Sept. 19, with traditional songs.
It’s not every day that Commerce gets to co-sponsor a national training conference, but we did this past week from Sept. 17 – 21. Bellevue, Washington was the site of the NASCSP (National Association for State Community Services Programs) annual training conference. States across the country sent program managers and staff of their Weatherization Assistance Program and Community Services Block Grant Program (CSBG) to an action-packed week of training, updates from federal programs and peer interaction.
Michael Furze, assistant director of the Energy Division, and Diane Klontz, assistant director, Community Services and Housing Division, helped open the conference and welcome the other states to Washington on Sept. 19. Furze spotlighted the innovative example of the Grays Harbor wind farm that helps fund the Coastal Community Action Program as an answer to the question, “How do we make sure low-income families benefit from the energy revolution?”
On the first day of the conference our innovative Weatherization Plus Health program was featured in a presentation on how to design a successful pilot program. Commerce Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program and Community Services program managers led sessions on working with the Department of Energy, monitoring programs, and building capacity and leadership.
The conference was a good opportunity to talk with peers, learn about best practices and innovations and hear from federal program administrators.
You can download conference presentations at www.nascsp.org after Oct. 5.