Kathleen Martel

Director

At Jamestown Community College, I develop programs and training for area businesses as well as people in the community. Our focus in Workforce Development is to have programs that either upskill current employees or reskill unemployed and underemployed so they can find gainful employment. I also work with city and county officials to support economic development in the region. I want to help our area become a place where people want to live and work.

I worked in manufacturing for over 20 years, but I felt the drive to work somewhere I could help people. I always had an interest in education so it seemed like a logical step. JCC blended my knowledge of local businesses and the community with the educational focus.

I graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. I wasn’t sure what path I would take in college, but I knew it would be something in the science/math field. I ended up in math, but took several computer science classes along the way. The nice thing about college is that you have the opportunity to explore new areas. I took classes in education and business as well. Prior to my senior year, I landed an internship at a local manufacturing company where I did programming work. It was such a great experience that they hired me part-time to continue working during my senior year and then full-time upon graduation. In between my jobs in manufacturing and education, I worked 18 months as the project coordinator for Dream It. Do It. Western New York. It was a great bridge between manufacturing and education and I feel it was a necessary step to my move into education. I also served as the program director for Leadership Cattaraugus for over 2 years.

My husband and I rehabilitated a condemned apartment house in the city of Olean for the benefit of the neighborhood. We own a men's amateur soccer team that plays in the Buffalo District Soccer League (BDSL). We love to travel around the U.S. We have three grown children who make us incredibly proud.

Education:

• B.S. Mathematics, St. Bonaventure University