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Career Success Month 2026 Keynote Address

with Jennifer Dewees

The Prince George's County Memorial Library presents a keynote address by Jennifer Dewees, President of MCCEI, to help launch the Maryland State Library Agency?s 2026 Career Success Month.

This webinar introduces attendees to the world of apprenticeship—what it is, how it works, and how to start one in Maryland. The presentation will highlight careers in construction and the skilled trades, emphasizing practical steps participants can take immediately after the session. Attendees will also learn about MCCEI’s statewide workforce development resources and apprenticeship search tools. The program features a guest segment from Sharon Burley of ABC Greater Baltimore, one of Maryland’s leading registered apprenticeship providers.

Career Success Month aims to reassure participants about the value of library resources, programs, and partnerships in helping them stay competitive, whether they are looking to advance their careers or pivot into new industries. This year's "Upskill and Uplift" theme emphasizes equipping employees with knowledge to meet multiple industry demands while promoting personal and professional development. Whether an employee wants to gain more technological skills, learn a new language, seek a promotion, or gain a new skill to change careers, this month of classes throughout Maryland libraries will provide many topics that are directly relevant to the modern workplace.

The fourth annual Career Success Month is presented by Maryland Public Libraries and the Workforce, Career & Business Community of Practice members.

This year's inspiring theme is "Stronger Workforce, Stronger Maryland."

This evening's speaker, Jennifer Dewees, is one of two dynamic keynote speakers who will share their insights and experiences for Career and Success Month 2026.

About the Speaker: Jennifer Dewees is passionately committed to fostering diversity in Built Environment careers and is widely recognized as a disrupter and changemaker with bold, innovative solutions for both the construction industry and workforce development as a whole.

As President of the Maryland Center for Construction Education & Innovation (MCCEI), she pushes the industry forward by ensuring careers in the Built Environment are appealing, welcoming, and attainable for a diverse population. Under her leadership, MCCEI received the Daily Record Empowering Women Award for advancing equity and opportunity across the construction sector.

Through the Maryland Apprenticeship Connector (MAC), Jenn champions apprenticeships as essential workforce drivers for the construction industry and beyond. Her work bridges the gap between employers and career seekers, future-proofing the workforce while expanding access to high-quality career pathways.

As co-founder of Baltimore Modular (BMod), Jenn is building a first-of-its-kind ecosystem for modular housing and off-site construction in Baltimore City. By uniting developers, architects, manufacturers, community organizations, and government, she is working to disrupt traditional approaches to housing and workforce development with a replicable model for innovation and
neighborhood revitalization.

A recognized expert in workforce inclusion, Jenn advocates for Built Environment careers as a solution to the gender pay gap and a platform for women and underrepresented groups to build
prosperous, sustainable careers. Her work demonstrates how the construction industry — and workforce development more broadly — can be reimagined as drivers of equity and opportunity.

Jenn has spoken at the Baltimore Together Summit, the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Annual Conference, the Associated Builders & Contractors Annual Conference, the World of Modular Conference, and the Procore Groundbreak Conference. Her achievements include being a two-time Daily Record Top 100 Women in Maryland winner, recipient of NAWIC’s Powerhouse Award, recognition as one of Construction Dive’s Top 33 Women in Construction, and CREW Baltimore’s Women of Influence. She has also been featured in WBAL-TV, WJZ, WBFF FOX 45, The Afro-American Newspaper, Baltimore Magazine, and Building Baltimore Magazine.

Jenn serves on numerous boards, including NAWIC — where she was previously a director on the national board — the Caroline Center, Loyola University’s Real Estate Board, and the Morgan State Construction Management Advisory Board. She also lends her expertise as chairperson of the Maryland Workforce Alliance and as a member of ABC Greater Baltimore, CREW Baltimore, and the Building Congress & Exchange.

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