Applying for USDOL Grants

Cheryl Martin is the Program Manager for Community College Competitive Grants, for the Division of Strategic Investments (DSI) at the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA).  She and her team currently manage the Strengthening Community Colleges (SCC) and Scaling Apprenticeship (SA) grant programs, and previously managed the $2 billion Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program.  Cheryl earned her MBA from the University of Maryland at College Park, and also has previous experience working in the non-profit education association sector and with poverty-related legislative and advocacy efforts.

Ayreen Cadwallader is a public administration and strategic communications professional supporting employment and training grants at the Office of Workforce Investment, Employment and Training Administration. She is responsible for administering and managing several H-1B Skills Training grant programs. Prior to joining ETA in 2016, Ayreen worked in local government at Seattle City Light and the City of Long Beach. She received her master’s degree in public administration as a National Urban Fellow at Baruch College and an organizational communications degree from California State University, Long Beach.

Dawn is a Workforce Specialist for DOL-ETA’s Division of Strategic Investments. Dawn recently joined the DOL-ETA team after serving as a community college Associate Dean and after over 15 years’ experience in the administration of federal and state workforce development grants for community colleges. In her role at DOL-ETA she provides Technical Assistance and Coaching for Strengthening Community Colleges grantees.

Zodie Makonnen, M.ED., is a Workforce Analyst in the Division of Strategic Investments (DSI) at the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA). She is currently the program lead for the Scaling Apprenticeship (SA) grant program and grant programs, and has previously served as the program lead for the Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI). Ms. Makonnen also manages numerous technical assistance contracts that support DSI grant programs. Prior to joining ETA, Ms. Makonnen worked at several consulting firms conducting program monitoring and evaluation, project management, and qualitative and quantitative research. Ms. Makonnen earned a Masters in International Education from Harvard University.