WELCOME
Thank you for visiting our website. We continue to grow and help communities and their school districts find active solutions and ideas for programs, resources, and opportunities for students and teachers.
WEP TEAM
Kay Hedrick
Program Facilitator
Kay Hedrick believes that teachers are experts in the field who know their students and their students' needs better than anyone and who have the power to change the world through their work. Through 20 years in education, she has used this belief to empower students and teachers to learn, grow, and become their best selves through the power of education. As a high school and middle school teacher, Kay taught students the power of communication as an English Language Arts teacher. She has continued teaching and coaching as a Literacy Coordinator and Educational Design Coordinator for USDOE Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) and several American History and Civics Academies (AHCA) grants since 2017. A 2006 Morehead Writing Project Fellow, serving as a consultant for the Kentucky Writing Project allows her to continue sharing her passion for teaching the art of communication. She is also actively advocating for Social Studies and Civics Education through her work as the Kentucky Council for Social Studies Executive Director and her involvement as a National Council for the Social Studies Innovation Task Force member and the Kentucky Civic Education Coalition Executive Committee. A lifelong learner, Kay is excited to use these growing experiences and skills with various grants at the Wilderness Education Project.
Jennifer Hagerman
Financial Program Officer
Jennifer Hagerman is an accounting professional with over 13 years of experience in the public and private sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Western Kentucky University. Mrs. Hagerman is also a Certified Public Accountant with experience in financial statement auditing and reporting, cash flow management, and tax preparation. As CFO of a nonprofit private school, she oversaw the entity’s financial governance and compliance with IRS regulations. She is excited to use her experience and skills as a Financial Program Officer for the Wilderness Education Project.
Lana Sowders Project Apprenticeship Coordinator
Lana Sowders has 30 years of experience in education and working with youth. She holds a BS and MA in education and a Rank I certificate for P-12 Instructional Leadership. Lana also had her National Board Certification for the last 20 years of teaching. Her career experience includes FRYSC Director, Classroom Teacher, Department Chair, Curriculum Coach, Assistant Principal, and Career Counselor. She is the Program Coordinator for the ABA grant (Project NAVIGATE).
Mary Adams
Apprenticeship Coordinator
Mary Adams recently retired after spending 27-plus years in education at the high school level. Twenty-two years were as a counselor; in the previous years, she taught Algebra I. Mary loves working with young adults and sharing all options for their post-secondary careers. During her last years at Lawrence County High School, she implemented the Post-Secondary Palooza, where businesses, industries, unions, the military, and colleges and universities attended one day to share their information in a career fair format with students.
She and her husband, Mike, have three adult children, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and four granddaughters. Mary loves spending time with her family, exercising, riding the motorcycle, crafts, decorating (especially Christmas), and traveling. She is excited to start working and representing the Wilderness Education Project.
Malyssa Collins
Employment Coordinator
With an international background and speaking various languages, Malyssa Collins holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, an MBA, and a Doctorate in Philosophy of Business. Currently owning and running her businesses, she has a twenty-plus-year professional history in the corporate sector in information technology, business development, entrepreneurship, recruitment, non-profit, consulting, mentoring, and education. That experience inspired her to aid others from all walks of life. Whether it is youth just starting a career, veterans who are transitioning from military life to civilian life, or those of middle age who are re-entering the workforce, Malyssa has exceptional outcomes as her focus is to bring solutions to overcoming barriers of insufficient skills or education by providing career readiness and workforce development training and outreach.
Her overall aspiration is to positively impact and bring change, especially empowering underserved and underprivileged people so they can equally compete for opportunities, reach their goals and fulfill their dreams. Malyssa currently serves as the Employment Coordinator and Mentor for the Wilderness Education Project.
Clabe Slone Founder & CEO
Clabe Slone works to improve models designed for schools to support students in many areas of education. He has successfully managed federal and state-level programs and assisted with other federal programs through webinars as a mentor and by providing management expertise. Federal grants he has successfully managed include the Innovative Approaches to Literacy, American History and Civics - National Activities, and the American History and Civics – Academies. In 2014, Mr. Slone was the Project Director of a Youth Career Connect Grant Program funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for five (5) years. Over 1,500 students from 10 high schools benefited from the ideas, practices, and activities put in place by his staff that promoted a growth mindset in career readiness for students. Evaluations of the methods were implemented by the Southern Regional Educational Board, which placed the program with high reviews, and the U.S. Department of Labor.
In 2022, Mr. Slone became the Founder and CEO of the Wilderness Education Project (WEP). WEP was established under the guidance and influence of educational leaders in promoting a nonprofit organization that works for K-12 school districts, educational cooperatives, institutions of higher education, employers, workforce agencies, and businesses to find active solutions and ideas for programs, resources, and opportunities for both students and educators. These endeavors are welcomed in the local, regional, and national settings to establish advancement in successful frameworks. WEP operates an Apprenticeship Building America Grant with the U.S. Department of Labor, a U.S. Department of Justice – BJA STOP Grant, a Full-Service Community Schools Grant, an AHC-National Activities Grant, and an AHC-Academies Grant with the U.S. Department of Education.
His educational background includes an M.A. in Supervisor of Instruction, an M.A. in Principalship K-12, a B.A. in Mathematics and History Education, and a Certification in Assistive Technology Applications. For the past 22 years, Clabe Slone has worked closely with teachers, administrators, university partners, and workforce agencies at different levels of education and from various backgrounds to support the idea of well-rounded students. Establishing a growth mindset in education for students is a desire that Mr. Slone has outlined in all areas of education, from literacy to college and career readiness.
Dr. Rebecca Roach
Program Facilitator
Dr. Rebecca Roach has been a dedicated educator for over 35 years. She has served as an elementary teacher in eastern Kentucky, a professional development provider for an educational cooperative, a tenured university professor, a researcher, and a literacy specialist. She began her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia and pursued a career in international development in Pakistan and Cambodia. Her educational background includes an M.A. in International Development and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership.
Jason Gibson
Program Facilitator
Jason Gibson has worked with schools, early learning centers, and treatment facilities across the US and around the globe as a learning and behavioral consultant supporting children and adolescents with social, emotional & behavioral issues. His focus is on evidence-based instructional procedures that increase behavior outcomes for all learners in general education settings, along with Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions supporting mental health outcomes for children and adolescents with internalizing and externalizing disorders. With degrees in psychology, social work, and education, Jason’s peer-reviewed research has been published in journals such as “Topics in Early Childhood Special Education”, “Closing the Gap”, and “Education and Treatment of Children with Developmental Disabilities”.
Diana Bailey
Program Facilitator
Diana M. Bailey is pleased to join the ABA KY team as a Career Support Facilitator/Program Specialist (CSF), supporting the school-based Career Support Specialists (CSS). As a long-time educator in a broad range of school-based, leadership, and training roles, Ms. Bailey can provide resources and experiences in impacting students as they prepare for life and the workplace. After many years in a local district and then moving to the MD State Dept. of Education, Div. of Career and Technology Education, she worked directly with local school systems and local community colleges in their efforts to expand their apprenticeship, career pathways and other programs offerings as part of their workforce preparation process. Her formal educational background includes a BA and MS in education; Administrator’s Credential; nationally certified as a Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association (NCDA); all but dissertation for a Doctorate in Policy and Leadership Development. Upon retirement from the MD State Dept. of Education, Ms. Bailey began her next career role as a Technical Assistance Coach and TA Provider to a variety of federal grants. She collaborated with grantees from Job Corps, Reentry, Youth Career Connect (YCC), and other US Department of Labor conferences and training sessions. She worked with Kentucky’s YCC grant for several years as their assigned coach by the DOL contractor and had the privilege to get to know some of the staff and schools in the successful STEM prep/YCC programs. Many of those districts are active currently under the ABA grants and providing primarily pre-apprenticeship preparation, leading to local employment for those employers’ workplace needs.
Keith Lyons
Program Facilitator
Keith Lyons currently serves as a Literacy Consultant and Technical Assistant Coach Coordinator with the Wilderness Education Project, a nonprofit organization supporting school districts across multiple states. He has also led efforts to expand the Dolly Parton Imagination Library as a statewide initiative in Kentucky. In addition, Keith is an adjunct instructor at Midway University. Before joining Midway, he spent more than 20 years at the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development (CCLD), a state literacy center at the University of Kentucky, where he held leadership roles including Director of Marketing and Communications and Director of Early Childhood Learning Initiatives. Keith has been an active member of the Kentucky Reading Association (KRA) for over two decades, serving on the board for 22 years and as President from 2015 to 2016. He is currently pursuing an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky with a focus on Early Childhood Literacy and Family Engagement, building on his Master’s in Education from the same institution. He is also working toward a Master’s in American History through Gettysburg College in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute.