GETTING TO KNOW OUR MEMBERS.... ONE MEMBER AT A TIME, ft. Brandy Burns.

Meet Brandy Burns, Skills Centers Employment & Transition Coordinator for Skills Centers Support Services in the Southeast Region of Oklahoma.

Brandy Burns is a versatile individual known for her passion for helping CareerTech Skills Centers. After she graduated from UCO, she began her Career in 2006 with the Oklahoma Department of Career & Technology Education as an Instructional Aide at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center. Mabel Bassett is an Oklahoma Department of Corrections prison for women. Due to the Computer Fundamentals program being off-site from Mabel Bassett, Brandy would broadcast lectures over a ViewStation to the ladies. In 2012, she was promoted to Instructor and taught a Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics trade program and a Computer Fundamentals Course.

In 2020, Brandy applied and was offered the Skills Center Employment & Transition Coordinator position. In this position, she is deeply involved in assisting graduates with finding resources: such as jobs, felon friendly housing, food, and transportation and this is just to name a few. She is constantly seeking more resources in her field of Support Services.

In 2021, Brandy was an award recipient for Leadership in Achieving Excellence. When another staff member retired, Burns took on additional duties without hesitation to keep Skills Centers student records accessible to instructors. She shadowed the retiring staff member and then assumed the role of student records administrator. She uses the skills she has sharpened during her years with the Skills Centers School System to ensure that all staff members can access the information they need to provide support for students and the staff members who help students transition into the community.

Throughout her career, Brandy has demonstrated a commitment to preparing incarcerated Oklahomans to succeed in their education, in the workplace and in life while incarcerated, as well as, once they are released from prison. She is a dedicated mentor to her fellow colleagues as well. When Brandy is not immersed in her work, she enjoys traveling with her family.