Summer Summit 2024
July 24-26

Summer Summit is Youth Solutions’ annual statewide professional development conference. This three day-long event sets the tone and approach for the upcoming year, allowing Youth Solutions to highlight priorities, provide training and resources, and celebrate the accomplishments of our network. Summer Summit allows us to get together with our partners and colleagues across the state, building trust and a sense of community, while sharing information needed to better serve youth in Michigan.

Highlights from 2024!

2024 Award Winners

An important part of Summer Summit is the awards ceremony where we celebrate outstanding Jobs for Michigan’s Graduates (JMG) specialists and program accomplishments from around the state. We were excited to announce the award winners and provide the recognition they deserve.

Find the full list of our 2024 winners are here.

JAG Six Key Performance Metrics Award Winners

The Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) National Award for achieving their six key performance metrics is the most prestigious programming award given to JAG affiliate programs. Recipients of this award have met or surpassed all of JAG’s rigorous performance metrics dedicated to ensuring young people succeed in education and have a path toward family sustaining employment.

Regional Winners - all programs in the following regions met all six of JAG’s key performance metrics criteria:

DESC, Multi-Year
DESC, Out-of-School
GST Michigan Works!, Multi-Year
GST Michigan Works!, Out-of-School
Marquette Alger Technical Middle College, Out-of-School
Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium, Out-of-School
Michigan Works! Southeast, Out-of-School
Michigan Works! Southwest, Out-of-School
Michigan Works! West Central, Out-of-School
Networks Northwest, Alternative Education
Networks Northwest, Out-of-School
UP Michigan Works!, Out-of-School
West Michigan Works!, Out-of-School
Youth Solutions, Multi-Year

JAG Outstanding Specialist Awards

Each year, JAG National invites state affiliates to nominate up to three Outstanding Specialist award winners. These award winners are all-around excellent, consistently delivering on the mission and offering best-in-class programs. Yearly, specialists from across the state are nominated by their managers and peers, and three awardees are selected.

Congratulations to our three JAG Outstanding Specialists:

Katie Chrismer

GST Michigan Works!

Family Literacy Center

Nick Smith

Northview Next Career Center

Summer Tahaney

Oakland County Michigan Works!

Michigan Works! Waterford

Outstanding Manager of the Year

The Outstanding Manager of the Year award is given to one JMG Manager each year who exemplifies the qualities of an exceptional leader. An outstanding JMG Manager not only demonstrates dedication, but also motivates, supports, and inspires their team, helping them through their daily work, and allowing them to do what they do best - providing Michigan’s youth the support and experiences that prepare them for their futures.

Our Outstanding Manager of the Year was awarded to:

Angela Libkie

GST Michigan Works!

JAG High Performers

Annually, JAG recognizes a group of specialists, managers, school administrators, community leaders, or partners who have positively impacted a JAG affiliate. This year, Youth Solutions selected a few key partners who have impacted JMG beyond the program level, and will leave a lasting impact on JMG regionally or statewide. This year’s High Performer Award winners were recognized at the recent JAG National Training Seminar (NTS) in Las Vegas.