Our Program
Overview
The Career Coaching Program is a partnership between Thillen Education Foundation (TEF), Greene College & Career Academy (GCCA) and Greene County School District. The all volunteer program launched in 2018 to help Greene County High School students navigate four years of learning and develop a plan for when they graduate.
GCCA offers both CTAE (Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education) and Fine Arts pathways. There are 17 different pathways allowing them to “test-drive” possible careers that align with their interest and goals. The pathways lead to more than 200 careers resulting in Title 1 students becoming productive citizens and eventually ending generational poverty.
Career coaches are vital to the success of the program. To date, more than 200 individuals in the community have volunteered their time and talent. They are assigned several freshmen students and continue the personal, supportive relationship until the students graduate.
The framework for growing the relationship is development of a career plan (or plans as goals change). Each personalized plan has action steps pertinent to each grade level. To help the coach and student, the career plan has links to career information, educational requirements and incorporates personal information regarding their future career and overall life goals.Those plans include continued education, joining the workforce or entering the military.
Managing the Program
Technology plays a significant role in the day-to-day operations of the program as well as providing accountability for measuring success. In a groundbreaking agreement the Greene County School District and Thillen Education Foundation recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding providing TEF access to the complete data of students opting-in to our education program. A parent or guardian and the student sign a waiver authorizing the county to provide the data.
Student profiles are downloaded into TEF’s customized Salesforce CRM platform and merged with existing Salesforce data on career coaches, teachers, alumni, and parents.
This unprecedented data access has added ease to scheduling coach/student meetings. It automatically alerts students, parents and teachers of scheduled appointments. The ability to alert parents to meetings and invite them to recognition receptions is an important benefit adding to their involvement. Salesforce keeps track of meetings, student attendance and provides coach access to their student career plan and more.
Program Growth
The Thillen Education Foundation is expanding its mission and in fall of 2025 launched a College Coaching Program designed to support Greene County High School (GCHS) graduates as they pursue degrees at 2 and 4-year colleges.
Coaches communicate with the college students remotely and in-person when possible. Support is offered with time management, study strategies and accessing campus resources. Guidance continues on finances, career readiness and personal development.
Liz Deakin, program coordinator says “Our hope is that every GCHS graduate feels supported—academically, emotionally, and professionally—throughout their college journey.”
Each student is paired with a trained adult who will provide individualized support
throughout their college experience. The goal is to maximize academic success, build life skills and prepare students for fulfilling careers.
The program also includes a growing network of successful college alumni who serve as peer mentors. “This is a natural progression of our mission,” said Dave Thillen, TEF founder. “We’re focused on helping students graduate high school and become productive citizens. We are now expanding that support into college–where it is often needed most.”
Now in its eighth year, TEF’s high school coaching program has helped double the number of GCHS students graduating and enrolling in college over the past four years.
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