Instructor: Jeff Kitchens

Biography: For 25 years Jeff Kitchens has been leading teams and organizations. From projects with only a handful of staff to organizations of a hundred plus employees, Jeff has diverse experience as a manager, supervisor, project director, strategic planner, and leader. His work has ranged from directing the management of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands to serving on non-profit boards and public advisory councils. He has also been a professional mentor for over 15 years and is a professional coach. His varied career has taken him throughout the U.S. including the Southeast, Midwest, and various western states including, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. He has helped develop and implement several leadership training and professional development programs including a Line Officer Training Curriculum for the Bureau of Land Management and the Bend Chamber's Emerging Talent Mentoring Program. He also provides peer support to wildland firefighters and other federal emergency managers, including supporting those injured on the job.

Outside of work Jeff enjoys exploring the outdoors with his wife and two teenage boys. He is an avid hiker and skier. His other passion is fitness, regularly enjoying CrossFit, running, and indoor climbing.

Classes by this instructor

Crook County Management and Supervision Series

Strengthen your leadership skills and build a more effective workplace with this practical, hands-on professional development series from the Central Oregon Community College Center for Business. Designed for supervisors, managers, business owners, and aspiring leaders in Crook County, this program focuses on the real-world skills needed to lead people, improve customer relationships, and build strong teams. Offered through the COCC Prineville Campus, the series consists of one class per month over three months. Participants may complete the entire series as a comprehensive leadership program or enroll in individual classes based on their professional development needs. Featured Courses: Supervising Teams, Working with Difficult Customers, Recruiting & Retaining Great Employees.
October 6, 2026 to December 1, 2026 | 8:30am-12:00pm PDT | Prineville

Crook County Management and Supervision Series: Supervising Teams

Management and supervision are both challenging and rewarding endeavors in business. To effectively supervise and/or manage a team of people takes specific skills associated with communication, direction, decision making, flexibility, and organization. This course will provide practical skills to employees at any level of an organization tasked with supervising and/or managing a team. Techniques shared are adaptable and will work for businesses with teams of any size. Opportunities for interactive question and answer sessions will also be a part of the class, allowing participants to share specific issues that the instructor will troubleshoot with them.
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 | 8:30am-12:00pm PDT | Prineville

Crook County Management and Supervision Series: Working with Difficult Customers

The customer is always right and sometimes they need help finding the truth. Most customers are respectful and have straightforward needs. However, in some instances, customers can become confused, overbearing, disrespectful, and even hostile. It is important for employees to understand how to defuse challenging situations, refocus them on a common purpose, and find the best path forward for the business, while addressing customer needs. This course will provide skills and strategies, based upon real world situations, that employees at any level in an organization can use to work with and successfully respond to difficult customers. Techniques shared are adaptable and will work for businesses with teams of any size. Opportunities for interactive question and answer sessions will also be a part of the class, allowing participants to share specific issues that the instructor will troubleshoot with them.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026 | 8:30am-12:00pm PST | Prineville

Crook County Management and Supervision Series: Recruiting and Retaining Great

Recruiting good employees can be challenging in the best of times. Since the pandemic of 2020-2021, many businesses have struggled to find interested and capable employees with the potential for growth who will commit longer-term (e.g. a year or more). Ten to hundreds of hours can be spent building recruitment systems, completing outreach, soliciting applications and resumes, conducting interviews, checking references, following up and communicating with applicants, and making selections. Once hired, even more hours and costs are invested including training and orientation. To hire employees who are retained less than a year, is hard on some industries. Hiring employees with great potential who want to stay and learn a business is the focus of this course along with retention and creating an highly desirable work environment.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026 | 8:30am-12:00pm PST | Prineville