When Stephanie Robinson arrived at Southern Illinois University in 1999, she planned to get a degree and leave the region.

Robinson grew up in Centralia, Illinois, watching as manufacturing plants shut down and families lost their livelihoods in the 1990s. Her goal was to work for a nonprofit on the East Coast.

“It was never the goal to stay,” Robinson said. “But it just kind of happened.”

Robinson married a local teacher and stayed in southern Illinois. Eighteen years later, on Nov. 2 of this year, she was officially announced as the CEO of Man-Tra-Co, leading a workforce development organization that spent more than $3 million on training and support services during the past year.

Robinson described what she referred to as “the silver tsunami.” She said the region faces what workforce experts call a demographic shift as Baby Boomers retire from skilled trades.

“There’s not people to fill those roles,” Robinson said. “Your HVAC people, your welding people now are coming out making more money than a four-year graduate.”

Man-Tra-Con provides tuition assistance and support services to low-income students and displaced workers. The organization covered $251,149 in student tuition in the 2024-25 program year and spent $315,076 on childcare, transportation, uniforms and textbooks, according to the Southern Illinois Workforce Development Board annual report.

Robinson said federal grant regulations limit how the organization can advertise its services, making the programs difficult for potential participants to discover.

“I don’t know if they think it’s too good to be true or there’s some gimmick to it,” Robinson said. “But you basically come out debt-free.”

The organization served 436 participants in the last program year and placed 105 youths in work experiences. Man-Tra-Con paid $408,384 in wages to participants and served 52 local employers.

On top of leading Man-Tra-Con, Robinson is currently enrolled in SIU’s workforce education program. She will graduate with a Master of Science in Organizational Learning, Innovation and Development, specifically focusing on the Human Resource Development track, in May 2026. 

“One of the things with my degree at SIU is learning some of those new techniques to recruit and retain good talent,” she said.

Man-Tra-Con has partnerships with John A. Logan College and Rend Lake College. The relationship with SIU is in a rebuilding phase, Robinson said.

Higher tuition at SIU limits the number of students Man-Tra-Con can fund with federal grants, she said.

Robinson recently met with university officials to discuss micro-credentials: shorter specialized certifications that would allow the organization to fund SIU students without the cost of a full degree.

Man-Tra-Con opened a satellite resource room inside the Carbondale Amtrak station at 401 S. Illinois Ave., and Robinson said the location was chosen to serve residents who rely on public transportation.

Robinson started at Man-Tra-Con in 2007 as a career specialist working with clients on college campuses. She moved into compliance and performance management, ensuring the organization met federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act requirements.

Robinson said she has a Type A personality from years of regulatory work. But in her first months as CEO, facing staff turnover, she changed her approach to hiring.

“I can teach someone rules and regs,” Robinson said. “I can’t teach them how to have a heart to serve the community.”

Robinson said she now prioritizes character over experience in hiring decisions.

Man-Tra-Con received a $2.3 million Clean Energy Jobs Act grant. Robinson said she plans to use the funding to diversify the region’s economy and show young people they can build careers locally.

“If you have a strong workforce, you have strong communities,” Robinson said.

Robinson lives in Herrin with her daughter, who attends local schools. Twenty-six years after planning to leave southern Illinois, Robinson said she is committed to the region.

“I do love the region,” Robinson said. “It’s beautiful here.”

News reporter Trevor John can be reached at [email protected].

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