State Director to Speak at AEL Graduation

The East Central College Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) Graduation Ceremony speaker will be Shelly Lamb, the director of the state AEL services.

The graduation ceremony will be Thursday, May 13, at 6 p.m. in the gym located in the Donald Shook Student Center. The ceremony will recognize 2020 and 2021 graduates, according to Alice Whalen, AEL director at ECC.

Lamb, with the Office of College and Career Readiness for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), works directly with federal and state leaders, as well as local AEL programs, to expand the educational opportunities for adults in Missouri.

“A goal of the AEL program is for adults to acquire the basic skills necessary to become more employable, productive and responsible citizens,” Said Whalen.

Lamb is also responsible for overseeing the High School Equivalency (HSE) Program which provides students an opportunity to obtain their HSE credential.

She began her career with DESE in 2017 as a supervisor for AEL, then moved to assistant director for HSE, and in August of 2020, she was promoted to director of AEL. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Computer Information Systems from William Woods University.

Lamb is married and is the mother of two adult daughters.