EKCEP Coordinator Michelle Feltner Retires after 23 Years of Service to Eastern Kentucky

After more than two decades of dedicated service to the people of Eastern Kentucky, Perry County native Michelle Feltner has announced her retirement from Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP). The staff at EKCEP extends their warmest wishes to Michelle for a fulfilling retirement. 

Michelle Feltner recently announced her retirement from EKCEP following 23 years in workforce development. 

Michelle began her journey with EKCEP in June 2001 as a file clerk, a role that she said she wasn’t really seeking at the time, but one that came to her when Donna Robinson, who was working at EKCEP in Management Information Systems at the time (and retired from EKCEP in 2016), encouraged her to apply for an open position.  

“I really wasn’t looking for a job,” she admitted. “Donna Sue, she called and said, ‘Michelle, there’s a job open for a file clerk if you’re looking to get back into work.’” 

Michelle was already familiar with the workforce services EKCEP provides, having participated in the summer work program as a high school sophomore. So, she applied for the job and landed it, and over the years wore many different hats at EKCEP. 

"I've done data entry, workforce coordinator, I just quit getting business cards because I kept changing my title," she said with a laugh. 

Her roles included trade coordinator, rapid response coordinator, and more. She witnessed the dramatic shifts in Eastern Kentucky's workforce, particularly following the decline of the coal industry after 2012 that left thousands of Eastern Kentuckians looking for new careers to replace ones that in some cases had lasted for decades. 

“You had a whole different group of people to work with that had worked all their lives,” Feltner explained. “It was hard to transition those people.” 

Despite the challenges, Feltner said she found deep satisfaction in her work, and “loved helping people and seeing people succeed." 

"Like working with rapid response people, then people getting GEDs that were laid off from the mines and from manufacturing, you know, they went to work, had to go to work before they could finish school,” she said. “But just seeing those people succeed and get jobs and become nurses and teachers and stuff like that, that’s the most rewarding thing for me." 

"Michelle has been an integral part of the EKCEP family," added EKCEP Executive Director Becky Miller. "Just her knowledge of the workforce development field and her commitment to the people of Eastern Kentucky have made her an exceptional part of our team. We will miss her contributions to the culture of EKCEP, both professionally and personally, and wish her all the best in her retirement."