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Fredia Thomas, ��������†TEAMS and Adult Education Student Retention Specialist, recently completed the Leadership Excellence Academy (LEA) and is now a Certified Manager in Program Improvement (CMPI). This certification is the first of its kind in the adult education and literacy field and signifies†national†membership in an elite group of professional managers.

Thomas, of Daingerfield, began working in Adult Education at �������� as a student†worker.†She has been with the department for 23 years. The LEA training took two years to complete and included five face-to-face meetings in San Antonio, numerous webcasts, and online coursework. The purpose of the program is to train leaders to focus on continuous improvement in adult education and literacy programs at the local level. Thomas's project focused on transitioning students from the GED program into college courses at ��������.

"I am honored and thankful to have gone through the LEA certification program.††I now have a much clearer understanding of what it takes to plan, to communicate, to manage, to lead, and more importantly to make a difference in the lives of others," Thomas said.

The LEA is a product of National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium and †ProLiteracy joining forces to develop a training program for leaders in the field of adult education. The academies are built upon a foundation of research, theory, professional wisdom, and best practices.

"We are proud to have Fredia as one of the nation's select group of CMPI's. We believe that your community and the adult education and literacy students in these programs are fortunate to have such a high-quality professional working on their behalf," Dr. Lennox McLendon, Executive Director of the National†Adult Education Professional Development Consortium, said.

The �������� Adult Education program offers free GED and ESL classes to adult††students†in the area. To learn more about the†program,†call 903-434-8234.