2025 WIOA Roundtable

WIOA in Wisconsin

This one-day-only in-person event Oct. 29 provides the opportunity for participants to strengthen regional partnerships and discuss ways to streamline referrals processes, increase co-enrollment, and identify resource-sharing across programs.

Attendees will connect with partners, build skills, share best practices, and gain insights and return with strategies to build a more connected and effective public service network.

2025 WIOA Roundtable Training Series

This year's Roundtable features training sessions to build cross-program knowledge, implement best-practices, and encourage continued engagement between partners. The alternative to the biennial WIOA Roundtable conference focuses on addressing program needs and improving service delivery.

This series:

Raises awareness of WIOA State Plan initiatives and programs
Identifies and addresses common questions
Solicits feedback on challenges and barriers to effectively implement initiatives
Develops opportunities for improvement and best practices

Whether you're new to WIOA or looking to deepen your understanding of programs outside your own, this session from Sept. 24, 2025, will help level set and broaden your perspective on how our programs operate to serve our stakeholders.

Start Time	End Time	Agenda Item

7:30 a.m.	8:30 a.m.	Registration and Networking
8:30 a.m.	8:45 a.m.	Welcome Remarks and Event Overview - Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Amy Pechacek
8:45 a.m.	12:15 p.m.	Educational Sessions and Presentations - Large Group
8:45 a.m.	10:00 a.m.	Block 1 WIOA State Plan Overview - Patrick Lonergan, Policy Advisor, DWD A review of the goals and joint sections within the WIOA State Plan and how today's discussions will advance future planning and development. The Feasibility Study: An Exploration of Wisconsin's Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Program - Marci Ybarra, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison: Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work UW-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty will share findings from a feasibility study conducted in response to a 2021 Job Center Task Force recommendation to assess WIOA one-stop services, identify best practices, and explore opportunities for improvement.
10:00 a.m.		BREAK: Speed Networking and Hallway Conversations
10:15 a.m.	11:15 a.m.	Block 2 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices: Leading Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives - Sophia Yager, Senior Policy Analyst, NGA Center for Best Practices Insights from the NGA on federal updates, strategies for driving effective partnerships and initiatives, and approaches for transforming WIOA challenges into workforce solutions. Wisconsin Business Climate Survey Results - Emily Hein, Council on Workforce Investment Analyst, DWD Results from a statewide survey of employers throughout Wisconsin about the needs and constraints facing Wisconsin businesses, as well as employers' input on addressing those issues. Beyond Compliance: Turning MOUs into Meaningful Collaboration - Stephanie Elmer, Bureau of Workforce Training Director, DWD Exploring how to shift from meeting minimum requirements to creating real, meaningful collaboration within the one-stop delivery system through MOUs and partnerships.
11:15 a.m.		BREAK: Speed Networking and Hallway Conversations
11:30 a.m.	12:15 p.m.	Block 3 WIOA Performance: Reporting Essentials and Understanding the Data Lifecycle - Kristina Krizan, Data Domain Steward & WIOA Performance Planner, DWD Understanding the requirements for reporting WIOA data and the WIOA data and reporting lifecycle. Workforce Data Integration System (WDIS): Learning Agenda and Evidence Plan - Ellie Hartman, PhD, Chief Evaluation Officer Workforce Data Integration System, DWD An overview of DWD's evidence vision and the Workforce Data Integration System, highlighting efforts to strengthen data use, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
12:15 p.m.		BREAK: Speed Networking and Hallway Conversations
12:30 p.m.	1:15 p.m.	Networking Lunch
1:15 p.m.		BREAK: Speed Networking and Hallway Conversations
1:30 p.m.	3:30 p.m.	Facilitated Discussion - Regional Breakouts by Workforce Development Areas Attendees will participate in workshops with their regional colleagues, peers, and counterparts from across the state to discuss common challenges and generate practical solutions to address those challenges. Using conference ideas and best practices shared by WIOA Title and partner program staff from other Workforce Development Areas, conference attendees will participate in regional workshops and collaborate to develop an action plan with objectives and activities for the coming year.
3:30 p.m.		BREAK
3:35 p.m.		Reconvene for Debrief and Discussions from Breakouts
4:05 p.m.		Adjourn