Who We Are
EDWorks is a P20 collaborative of Northeast Tennessee that unites post-secondary institutions, Pre-K-12 schools and districts, businesses and industries, and the community to promote education and workforce development for the region. P20 is a term that refers to the full educational spectrum from preschool to postsecondary education and to a career. P20 programs aim to make seamless transitions for students throughout preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college so that students stay on an education path that moves them to a postsecondary degree or credential that prepares them for a career and participation in the workforce.
Some common elements of P20 programs are early exposure to career options, work-based
and project-based learning that connects students to businesses and the community,
apprenticeships and internships, opportunities to earn college credits and credentials
while in high school, professional development for teachers, college and career readiness,
college and career pathways, financial planning for college, articulation agreements,
data sharing, lifelong learning, and equitable opportunities for all students.
Counties served by EDWorks: Carter, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington.
For a Two-Page Overview of EDWORKS, click here.
Mission and Vision
Our Mission
The mission of EdWorks is to promote educational attainment from preschool through college for the people of Northeast Tennessee; to serve as a resource about pathways from the classroom to a career; to advance the development of a skilled and trained workforce for the region; and to foster the collaboration between educational institutions, business and industry, the community, and local governments to improve the quality of life in Northeast Tennessee.
Our Vision
Our vision is that the people of Northeast Tennessee will attain a good education that leads to both personal and professional growth and fulfillment. We envision that students will stay on the education path beyond high school and on to college to attain a degree or workforce credentials that will lead to a profession and a career that is meaningful to them and that provides financial security and a high quality of life.
We believe that strong educational foundations begin in early childhood and that young children should learn the benefits of a good education and the different life paths and career options early in their education. Our vision is that students in high school can begin to earn college credit and career credentials through early post-secondary opportunities and that high school students will graduate college and career ready. Our vision is that the college-going rate for the region will increase and will reach and exceed state goals and that students who enter college will complete their degrees.
We envision an education system that aligns with local workforce needs by providing the training, skills, and credentials that prepare students for the jobs and professions of today.
We envision a collaboration of educational institutions working together to provide smooth transitions and articulation agreements between regional institutions.
Our vision is to see Northeast Tennessee thrive as a region of educated people with meaningful careers and as a region where education works.
Meet the Staff
Dr. Jeff Moorhouse
Director of EDWorks Northeast Tennessee
Dr. Jeff Moorhouse leads as the director of EDWorks after having served a thirty-two year career in public education for schools and districts in Northeast Tennessee. He served as a teacher in elementary school and high school. He served as a principal at the elementary, middle and high school level. He finished his career as a director of schools. Under his leadership, schools and districts were recognized by U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, and the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School. He has an extensive track record of building college-going cultures, workforce development and the alignment of career technical education to post-secondary pathways.
Dr. Moorhouse has committed his career to the success of students and communities
of Northeast Tennessee and is honored to serve in a role that is dedicated to this
continued work of the region and the alignment of resources to advance the future
flourishing of our beautiful Appalachian Region.
Moorhouse earned his bachelor's degree from Milligan University. Both his Masters of Arts and Doctorate of Educational Leadership were earned at East Tennessee State University.
Dr. Richard Rhoda
Director of the Center for Community College Leadership, ETSU
Richard G. Rhoda retired in 2014 as executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education
Commission, after serving in the post for 17 years. He dedicated his entire 40-year
career to higher education in Tennessee, first joining the Tennessee Board of Regents
staff as a graduate student. Over the course of his career, he served in the administration
of Tennessee State University and was a member of the senior staff of the Tennessee
Board of Regents. He held interim appointments as president of Nashville State Community
College and Austin Peay State University, and as chancellor of the Tennessee Board
of Regents. He also taught at Vanderbilt University as a full-time and adjunct professor.
Over the span of his tenure at THEC, Rhoda chaired the legislative committee that designed the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship program, assumed executive responsibility for the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, and contributed to the design and implementation of the Complete College Tennessee Act of 2010 and the Drive to 55 initiative. Upon retirement, he was named executive director emeritus of THEC.
In post-retirement, Rhoda directs the East Tennessee State University Center for Community College Leadership and teaches as an adjunct professor. He served as interim dean of the ETSU Clemmer College in 2016-17.
Rhoda earned a B.A. in History, M.A. in Education, and Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration, all from Vanderbilt University. He chairs the board of directors of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee and serves on the Nashville State Community College Foundation Board and the Equal Chance for Education board of directors.
Dr. Patrick Kelly
Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor, ETSU
Dr. Patrick Kelly serves as research fellow and adjunct professor at East Tennessee
State University. He leads projects related to demographic and education trends, workforce
characteristics and participation, and student and institutional performance. During
his career, Kelly has worked with many states and institutions (and served on many
advisory groups) to realize the value of linking existing data sets to better inform
the development of human capital.
Patrick Kelly was previously vice-president at the National Center for Higher Education
Management Systems (NCHEMS), where he worked with college leaders, state postsecondary
education and system leaders, and workforce and economic development leaders to improve
postsecondary education and its alignment with workforce and economic needs. Before
joining NCHEMS, Kelly worked at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, where
he worked with higher education leaders to design performance metrics to measure progress
toward postsecondary education reform in Kentucky, conducted research studies for
statewide higher education policy initiatives, and coordinated the analysis and reporting
of data and information in support of many other council projects.
Kelly has a Ph.D. in Urban and Public Affairs from the University of Louisville, where
he also earned a Master's degree in Sociology. His undergraduate studies were completed
at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His areas of specialization and interest
include research and statistical methodology, policy analysis, and program evaluation.
Dr. Laura Higgs Kappel
Research Associate, ETSU
Dr. Laura Higgs Kappel serves as a Research Associate for the EDWorks P20 collaborative. Dr. Higgs Kappel is a long-time educator and administrator with over thirty years of experience at the college level. She was formerly an Instructor of English at Clemson University and the University of New Orleans and has held adjunct positions at several different institutions, including East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and Northeast State Community College. She has primarily taught English courses in composition, literature, and English as a Second Language (ESL) and has won two awards for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Higgs Kappel was also the Director of the Writing Center at Clemson University for several years and Academic Director of an English language school formerly located on the campus of ETSU. She has worked extensively with international students throughout her career and enjoys studying other languages and cultures. She was also a Graduate Assistant at the Language and Culture Resource Center at ETSU while completing her doctorate. She also currently teaches ESL part-time in the adult education program at Northeast State Community College. She has a passion for helping students and for promoting lifelong learning and education.
Dr. Higgs Kappel received her Doctorate in Education from East Tennessee State University
in Educational Leadership with a focus on Higher Education, a Master’s degree in English
and certification for teaching English as a Second Language from the University of
Florida, and a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Tennessee.
Dr. Paul Garton
Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Dr. Paul Garton is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis at East Tennessee State University. Prior to joining ETSU, Dr. Garton worked in assessment at the University of South Carolina and as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Quantitative Methods at Seton Hall University's Department of Educational Leadership, Management, and Policy. His research is in the relationship between higher education and economic development, both how colleges and universities act as agents within regional strategies and how development changes higher education institutions themselves. Recent work is around how colleges and universities shape the cities and towns in which they are located, using advanced statistical techniques to answer these questions. Dr. Garton's research has been published in journals including Higher Education, Research in Higher Education, and the Journal of College Student Development.
Dr. Garton completed a PhD in higher education administration at Michigan State University,
as well as a master's degree in international education policy at the University of
Maryland, College Park, and bachelor's degrees in philosophy and international studies
at West Virginia University.
Dr. Dawn Rowe
Dawn A. Rowe, PhD, is the Quillen Chair of Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Clemmer College and Professor of Special Education at East Tennessee State University. Her research and scholarship are focused on three main areas of research: evidence-based practices and predictors of postschool success for students with disabilities, life skills interventions (e.g., goal setting, self-management, communication skills), and professional development (e.g., families, in-service and pre-service educators). She has over 20 years’ experience working in the adult service system and as a teacher and transition specialist for youth with disabilities in the public-school system. Dr. Rowe’s publications have focused on transition assessment, transition skill instruction for low incidence disabilities, and family engagement.
East Tennessee State University
King University
Milligan University
Tusculum University
Northeast State Community College
Walters State Community College
Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Elizabethton
Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Morristown
The Niswonger Foundation
Pre-K - 12 School districts in all nine counties of Northeast Tennessee
Chambers of Commerce
Local Businesses and Industries
ETSU Research Corporation