Brenda Dann-Messier hit the ground running as the new Education Department assistant secretary for vocational and adult education after she was confirmed to the office on Oct. 5, 2009.
“I’m thrilled to be here,” said the Rhode Island native, who has yet to fully settle down in her corner office that overlooks the Potomac.
A veteran in adult education and family-literacy issues, Dann-Messier will work closely with Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Undersecretary Martha Kanter to promote community colleges, adult education and career and technical education.
“We have a lot of work to do, it’s very exciting work, and it’s really so important in today’s economy,” she said.
This is the second time Dann-Messier is working in the Education Department. She served as a regional representative in Boston under then-Secretary of Education Richard Riley during President Bill Clinton’s first administration from 1993 to 1996, during which time she promoted nine educational bills in New England.
Path to Power
Dann-Messier has always been an advocate of adult education. As the daughter of Jewish immigrants who were denied opportunities in the U.S., she learned early on that a good education is necessary for everyone.
After receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rhode Island College, Dann-Messier directed two federally funded education programs that provided guidance and counseling for youth and adults pursuing college degrees.
From 1996 to 1999 – after her first stint with the Department of Education – Dann-Messier worked at The Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University in Providence, R.I., as a special projects manager. There she led research on welfare reform and access to higher education for low-income students.
But it was at Dorcas Place – Rhode Island’s largest adult education center – where Dann-Messier really flourished as an advocate for family literacy, college preparation and vocational education. She served as president from 1999 until she came to Washington. When she arrived 10 years ago, the center served a narrow demographic of 100 English-speaking women. It prospered under her direction.
“When I left to take this job, we were serving 1,000 low-income women and men in five comprehensive programs,” she said.
One of her most memorable accomplishments at Dorcas Place was establishing the Rhode Island Welcome Back Center to assist foreign professionals find their footing in the U.S.
“In Providence where I worked, there were hundreds of immigrant professionals who were doctors, lawyers, nurses, psychologists, biologists, who were unable to work for a number of reasons. They couldn’t speak English, their credentials weren’t recognized in our country, or their transcripts couldn’t be recovered.”
The Welcome Back Center helped these adults learn to read and write, speak English and get their GED credentials. Dann-Messier brings her experience and expertise from Dorcas Place to her new office, though she admits she will miss her former post.
“I will miss the students very much. But I promised them that I would carry their stories to my work here in Washington.”
In Her Own Words
“Certainly we want to prepare our youth, but we also have an immediate problem and those are our adults and our young people who are graduating or just about to graduate, or who have graduated or who have dropped out of school. We need to bring them back into the system.
“There are 93 million adults who have limited basic skills. Of those 93 million adults 46 million are in the workforce. They have to gain additional skills to be able to compete with the new economy. We need to grow and flourish in this country.”
The Issues
Dann-Messier said the Office of Vocational and Adult Education has a central role in achieving the Obama administration’s goals for reforming education. She wants to initiate programs to help mid-career adults who’ve lost their jobs transition back into the workplace during today’s recovering economy.
“Education is the key to all of our opportunities, especially for low-income folks. With the state of our economy today, adult ed, career and technical ed and community colleges are all so essential to make sure we have an economy that is functioning full speed,” she told The Providence Journal. “We need to make sure that all of our residents have access to job training and higher education so they can secure good-paying jobs and take care of their families.”
Dann-Messier plans to develop additional programs that will help adults transition into college and gain credentials.
Asked if these ambitious goals are feasible, she answered, “Yes, we can do it.”