Healthcare SubCommittee
Welcome to the Healthcare Subcommittee of the California Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (IACA)
Welcome!
The Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (IACA) Healthcare Subcommittee serves as a forum to advance registered apprenticeships across California’s healthcare sector. Demand for healthcare workers is growing across every region and occupation—from behavioral health to direct care to allied health—while too many Californians remain excluded from pathways into these careers. Registered Apprenticeship offers a powerful, proven solution to meet both challenges at once: strengthening our healthcare system while expanding access to high-quality, family-sustaining careers.
The Healthcare Subcommittee brings together workforce leaders, educators, employer representatives, labor, and community partners to align efforts, share best practices, and support the development and expansion of apprenticeship programs. Our work focuses on expanding apprenticeship models that align with industry demand, reduce barriers to entry, and create clear pathways for advancement—especially for populations historically underrepresented in healthcare careers.
We are particularly focused on:
- Scaling innovative apprenticeship models in high-need areas such as behavioral health, direct care, and community-based roles
- Strengthening regional partnerships that align workforce, education, and healthcare systems
- Advancing equitable access to career pathways for underserved communities
- Aligning our efforts with the broader vision and priorities of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS)
Become a partner with us. Whether you are an employer looking to build your workforce, an educator or intermediary developing programs, or a community partner advancing opportunity, your voice and leadership are critical to this effort. We invite you to attend and participate in the subcommittee meetings. All meetings are open to the public. You can click on the above icon for details.
Together, we can expand apprenticeship as a cornerstone of California’s healthcare workforce and ensure that opportunity is accessible to all.
Chairperson - Jessica Pitt, Ph.D.
Assistant Deputy Secretary of Healthcare Workforce
California Labor & Workforce Development Agency
www.labor.ca.gov
Committee Members
Barbara Barney-Knox
Deputy Director, Statewide Chief Nurse Executive
California Correctional Health Care Services
cchcs.ca.gov
Hellan Roth Dowden, CEO, MPH
Teachers for Healthy Kids
https://www.teachersforhealthykids.org
Judy Kornell, MBA, MSN, RN, CCRN-k, CENP
Chief Nurse Executive-Headquarters
California Correctional Healthcare Services
CCHCS - California Correctional Health Care Services
Kelcie Wong
Chief Program Officer
JVS Bay Area
jvs.org
Don Simonich
Apprenticeship Programs Manager
San Joaquin County Office of Education
www.sjcoe.org
Loretta Melby RN, MSB
Executive Officer
California Boad of Registered Nursing
www.rn.ca.gov
Kenijean Addison, WDP III, NPDI-C
Program Coordinator-CA Apprenticeships & Special Cohorts
SEIU-UHW West & Joint Employer Education Fund
The Education Fund
Ron Phillips
Manager - Industry Employment Program
California Prison Industry Authority
www.calpia.ca.gov
Janna King, PhD, MPP
Government Relations Advocate
Service Employees International Union - United Healthcare Workers West
https://www.seiu-uhw.org/
Melina Winterton, MPH
President, Green Tile Group
greentilegroup.com
ADVISOR
Linda Mount
Strategic Business Consultant
Apprenticeship and Workforce Innovation Unit
Division of Apprenticeship Standards
Committee Charter, Reports and Meeting Notes
Industry Occupational Frameworks
Events/What's New
Contact Us
August 2026