Lani Burns, the Director of Employment & Education at Family & Children’s Services Women in Recovery & Women’s Justice Programs, is among six Oklahomans who recently completed a four-month-long state Leadership Academy hosted by the U.S. Department of Education in partnership with RTI International.
The Academy aims to assist state leaders in correctional and adult education as they prepare for design camps and develop strategies to support Integrated Education and Training (IET) in Corrections programs within their facilities. Oklahoma is one of eight states involved in this initiative that will work collaboratively over the summer in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. to develop programming aligned with the unique needs of learners with criminal legal involvement.
The IET project, initiated in 2020, combines adult education and literacy, workforce training, and workforce preparation. This evidence-based approach offers contextualized instruction for learners, allowing them to accelerate their progress along a career pathway by simultaneously improving their foundation, employability and occupational skills. By aligning the pathways with local business needs, learners have the potential to gain their GED, and vocational credentials, and fulfill a role in an in-demand occupation earning living wages.
Lani’s success in the program is attributed, in part, to her close collaboration with local businesses, state entities, and educational institutions. She was recently named President-elect of the Oklahoma Association for Adult and Continuing Education (OKAACE), supporting adult education and workforce initiatives across the state.
Before her work in this field, Lani spent over a decade in the technology sector, supporting businesses across Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri. She holds an undergraduate degree in Counseling and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Oklahoma.
