Valeria Gonzalez Named Director of New NIACC Center

Valeria Gonzalez has some exciting news to share with the community: she was recently named the Director of the NIACC Career Center-Franklin County, which is set to open on Aug. 1.

The center in Hampton will be the third satellite campus for NIACC, with the other two being  in Forest City and Charles City.

Gonzalez, who’s been working as the sole NIACC enrollment advisor stationed in Franklin County for the last 13 years, said she is excited for this next step — for herself and for the many students who will benefit from the programs that will be offered at the center.

Working with the students and their families has always been her favorite part of the job, she said.

While she will continue to work one-on-one with students and their families in the admissions process, she will also be tasked with managing the day-to-day operations at the new center, as well as recruiting students, coordinating with the school’s marketing department on promotional materials and collaborating with officials at nearby school districts.Additionally, she will teach a couple of sections of online college essentials courses, as needed.

The center, once open, will serve juniors and seniors at Hampton-Dumont High School, Belmond-Klemme and West Fork High Schools, along with community members who are interested in continuing education and completing high school equivalency diplomas.

Gonzalez plans on collaborating with other community leaders to help shape the direction of the new center, which will offer three academies, focusing on welding, health occupations and construction.

In welding, the students will learn about everything from safety practices and applicable mathematics to 3-D modeling and machine set-up. The health academy will allow students to delve into the basics of biology, medical terminology, safe and effective patient care, psychology, and beyond. Lastly, the construction academy will teach students about national safety standards, OSHA, construction drawing, construction math, carpentry, and more.

Gonzalez said there will also be opportunities for community members to complete their high school equivalency diplomas and more, including potential short-term courses in production welding, carpentry fundamentals and paraeducation.

She also added that there will be an accelerated program available to high school seniors next year, so that they also have a chance to benefit from the center. All of the coursework through the center will be free, through concurrent enrollment opportunities, according to Gonzalez, and students will save up to $10,000 by taking one of the 2-year programs, starting as a junior.  

When it comes to the Latino population, Gonzalez — who also serves as the DOJ representative at La Luz Centro Cultural — said she will continue to serve as the liaison between community members and NIACC.

"That is never going to change," she said. "The relationships I've built with that demographic here and our service region is one of the things that makes my position unique. It's all about building those relationships."

Gonzalez, who was born and raised in Hampton, has a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a master's degree in Post-Secondary Education: Student Affairs from the University of Northern Iowa, along with a culinary arts diploma from Western Culinary Institute, in Portland, Oregon. After graduating, she worked as a head baker for Il Fornaio Italian Restaurant for six years in Portland, before relocating to Colorado and working as a restaurant manager. She then managed a bilingual caseload for the Department of Human Services Court Team for Child Support Enforcement, before finally returning home to Iowa to be closer to family. She currently lives in Hampton with her husband, Ozzy, and daughter, Sofia, who is growing up in the same community where her mother was raised.