Samantha McGrath and Justin Williams have joined the Coalition’s growing team and will be focusing on our workforce development program. Let’s give them a warm welcome!

Last year, the Coalition was awarded a $5 million grant by the U.S. Economic Development Administration for a project that will support the creation of 100 jobs over a three-year period. The project builds on our capacity-building work in the residential construction industry, specifically through our construction internship program, contractor trainings, appraiser and inspector certifications, and partnerships with colleges and universities.

As the Workforce Development Program Manager, Samantha is helping with program design, overseeing grant activities, and building relationships within the residential construction field. She comes to the Coalition from Elevate Rapid City where she facilitated the workforce development program for three years. She has extensive experience in apprenticeship and labor programming, as well as the federal grants system. Samantha holds a degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.

She is glad to be a part of the Coalition’s mission to create homeownership opportunities and says, “To deploy such a holistic approach, with wrap-around services, to the complex issue of homeownership on reservations in South Dakota is something that has never been done before, it’s a very exciting program to be a part of.”

In his role as Workforce Development Training Coordinator, Justin is actively coordinating training events, supporting the delivery of wrap-around services, and coordinating data tracking efforts. In addition, he is responsible for recruiting individuals for the construction internship program, contractors for contractors’ capacity building trainings, as well as individuals for inspector trainings. Prior to this role, he was the Assistant Registrar in the Administration Office at Oglala Lakota College. Justin grew up in Oglala, South Dakota, and received his degree in Information Technology from Oglala Lakota College in 2021.

He says, “The Coalition is doing some great things for the reservations in South Dakota, and being part of it is an award in itself. I’ve always liked helping people, and the Coalition is making that happen by giving individuals great opportunities ranging from the construction internship to homeownership.”