Welcome to NAJA

 NAJA'S  41st ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE.  April 21-25, 2025  at OMNI Los Angeles Hotel in Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA

click and download the pdf below for REGISTRATION FORM 

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RING A BELL 2025:  NAJA's 41st Annual National Conference. (SEE UPDATED AGENDA BELOW)

Hot off the press: Major revisions to the mandatory regulations at 2 CFR 200  that must be followed by  ALL  USDOLETA grantees and sub-recipients. These requirements will be covered by our administrative/financial presenters who are current or former career US DOL, Employment and Training Administration (USDOLETA) employees with expert knowledge. They will cover grantees/subrecipient direct cost requirements. 

     We have several other presenters with expert knowledge who are not current or former USDOLETA presenters.    

NAJA has a dynamic line up for Los Angeles!  (SEE UPDATED AGENDA BELOW)

Reserve your Hotel room NOW,  book your reservations by 

CLICK to the booking link below:


https://bookings.omnihotels.com/event/los-angeles-california-plaza/NAJA-Annual-Conference-2025

Please visit us often www.NAJA.org for conference detail updates.  

Also visit www.discoverlosangeles.com for citywide events!

Ring A Bell!
41st Annual NAJA Conference,
OMNI Hotel Los Angeles, CA
4/21-25/2025


Day 1, April 21, 2025


12:15-1:15 P.M. (Plenary)
Welcome to LA and a Workforce talk - Jan Vogel,
CEO/Chief Executive Officer
South Bay Workforce Investment Board, Inc.,
1:15 - 3:15 P. M. (Plenary) - A look at what’s happening and the Uniform Guidance Updates, Retired U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration Deputy Assistant Secretary and CPA Laura P Watson


3:15-3:30 Break


3:30-4:45 P.M. (Plenary) - Reading The Tells - Jerry Balesteri;


Day 2 April 22, 2025


8:30 - 10:00 A.M. (Plenary) - Personal Identifiable Information (PII) by Nancy Meeden, Esq. Senior Workforce Policy Manager, Department of Economic Security, Phoenix, AZ and Dr. Helen Parker, former USDOLETA Atlanta Regional Administrator.


10:00 - 10:15 A.M. - Break


10:15 - 11:45 A.M. (Fiscal) Subrecipient Closeout Thomas Diehl, CPA;
10:15 - 11:45 A.M. (Program) Business Engagement, Walter L Simmons, President and CEO at Employ Prince George’s, Inc;


11:45 A.M. - 1:15 P.M. Lunch


1:15 - 2:15 P.M. (Fiscal) Audit Resolution Systems - Ed Donahue, Jr.
1:15 - 2:15 P.M. (Program) Local Area Rapid Response System - Laura Bishoff, LA County


2:15 - 2:30 P.M. – Break


2:30 - 3:45 P.M. (Plenary) - Braided Funding, Walter L Simmons, President and CEO and Jeffrey Dufresne, CPA and Chief Financial Officer, Employ Prince George’s Inc.


3:45 - 5:00 P.M. (Plenary) - Preparing A Modification Request - Retired Deputy Assistant Secretary Laura P Watson


Day 3, April 23, 2025


8:30 - 10:00 A.M. (Plenary) - Basic Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Richard (“Rick”) Maher, Adaptive Human Capital and Dr. Helen Parker, former U.S. DOL ETA Atlanta Regional Administrator;


10:00 - 10:15 Break


10:15 - 12:00 P.M. (Fiscal) Procurement Part 1 - Thomas Dilisio
10:15 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. (Program) - Local Board 101 session by Walter L. Simmons, President and CEO at Employ Prince George’s, Inc;


12:00 - 1:30 P.M. – Lunch


1:30 - 3:00 P.M. (Fiscal) Procurement Part II - Thomas Dilisio;
1:30 - 3:00 P.M. (Program) - Re-Entry - Liz Jackson Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, Success Centers San Francisco, CA


3:00-3:15 P.M. – Break


3:15 - 4:45 P.M. (Fiscal) Allowable Facilities Cost - Thomas Diehl, CPA;
3:15 - 4:45 P.M. (Program) - Placement and Follow-up Systems - Anthony Velda, former Job Corps Program Manager;


Day 4 April 24, 2025


8:30-10:00 A.M. (Fiscal) Indirect Cost - Art Campbell, CPA (retired Cost Negotiator, USDOLOASAM);
8:30 - 10:00 A.M. (Program) Healthcare Industry Apprenticeship showcase - Joy Jamerson, MBA;


10:00-10:15 – Break


10:15 - 11:45 A.M. (Fiscal) Subrecipient Closeout - Thomas Diehl, CPA;
10:15 A.M. - 11:45 A.M. (Program) - Youth Panel - w/youth participants - Robert Sainz, President and Executive Director, New Ways To Work, Los Angeles, CA and Liz Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, Success Centers San Francisco, CA;


11:45-1:30 – Lunch


1:30 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. (Fiscal) Mastering Subrecipient Management: 9 Key Elements for Passthrough Entities" - Zaskia Ruiz, Executive Vice President, KRA; and
1:30 P.M. -3:00 P.M. ”Engaging Targeted Populations for AJCC’s through Strategic Partnerships” -
JaVette Pettaway Program Director, KRA Rancho Dominguez AJCC and
Manny Cerda, Director|Archdiocesan Youth Employment Services (AYE)


3:00 P.M. - 3:15 P.M. Break


3:15 - 4:45 (Fiscal) Administrative vs Program Cost and Reclassification Ed Donahue
3:15 P.M. - 4:45 P.M. (Program) One Stop Showcase - CareerRise -John Helton and Quasandria “Q” Turner, Westside Works;


Day 5, April 25, 2025


8:15 -9:45 A. M. (Plenary) Washington Update Robert Knight
9:45 - 10:00 Break
10:00 11:30 - (Plenary) Fiscal Governance - Tom Dilisio
11:30 -12:00 P.M. (Plenary) Q&A
Macey Swinson, Ed Donahue and Art Campbell (invited) and Farewell


This draft is subject to changes. Please see NAJA.org to book your hotel and to register for the conference.

Mrs Prince Swinson  worked 34 years for the US Department of Labor30 years for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) as a Grants and Contracts professional and in other capacities (Fiscal Accounting Specialist, Budget Analyst, and Program Manager). She worked four years for the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics in the accounting and budgeting offices. 

During her tenure with ETA, she assisted with developing program regulations; designed the original ETA 9130 reporting formats and instructions (the first ever ETA automated reports); assisted with developing ETA  administrative and financial policy, assisted with developing numerous monitoring guides and tools for ETA grant programs.   She served as an expert on a national office team that was responsible for addressing complex issues related to the administrative and financial management system requirements for ETA programs.  She provided administrative and financial professional guidance to other regional offices’ grantees for complex issues at the request of the ETA national office.   She was responsible for training the San Francisco regional office staff in the Contracting Officer’s Technical Requirements (COTR) and/or  Grant Officer’s technical requirements (GOTR) as well as other Federal grant requirements. Other duties included training ETA administrative and financial management and program staff as well as the ETA grants community in ETA grant specific and Federal Uniform Guidance requirements.  This included training the staff on-site during the monitoring reviews, providing on-site professional and technical guidance to ETA grantees; recommending corrective actions and assisting with resolving issues identified during monitoring and in audit reports   Many of the issues cross-cut Federal, State and local governments agencies including the U.S. Department of Education (School to Work), Job Corps, Health and Human Services (Welfare to Work), the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Departments of Labors’ agencies: Office of Cost Determination and the  Office of the Inspector General.  She also worked with various state, Indian Tribal and local areas/agencies (Commerce, Governors Office, Legislative Offices, Departments of Treasury, Departments of General Service, UI Judges, Departments of Finance, Bureau of Indian Affairs) on cross-cutting issues.

She is now a consultant providing professional/technical assistance and training to ETA grantees for indirect and direct cost. Mrs. Prince Swinson serves on two boards:  CEO and President for the National Association of Job Training Assistance (NAJA) and the Idaho Shakespeare Board.