Work Forces

Kristen Fox, CEO of the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), joins Work Forces to delve into the critical intersection of business and higher education.  With extensive experience in education, digital learning, and workforce development, Kristen brings a contemporary lens to BHEF's mission of creating inclusive solutions for talent challenges. In this episode, Kristen shares BHEF's strategic f...

Becky Lewis is Director of Education and Workforce Development at NextFlex, a manufacturing institute dedicated to innovation and workforce development in the flexible hybrid electronics sector. Becky shares her passion for creating pathways for untapped talent to access good-paying jobs and discusses the challenges and opportunities in addressing the skills gap in advanced manufacturing. The conv...

In this episode of Work Forces, Kaitlin LeMoine and Julian Alssid kick off season three with a conversation with Kermit Kaleba, Strategy Director of Employment Aligned Credential Programs at Lumina Foundation. Kermit delves into Lumina's mission to increase credential attainment and reduce racial disparities in education and employment. He discusses the challenges and opportunities surrounding the...

Paul LeBlanc is former President of Southern New Hampshire University. Over 20 years, he led SNHU's explosive growth, expanding access to over 250,000 students, to become the largest nonprofit provider of online higher education in the U.S. Paul shares his perspective on how artificial intelligence and the rise of tools like ChatGPT will bring deep shifts for higher education. He outlines the need...

Lisa Schumacher , Director of Education Strategies and Workforce Policy at McDonald's Corporation, shares her professional journey and the innovative workforce development practices embedded in the Archways to Opportunity program. Lisa discusses the importance of non-traditional career pathways and how McDonald's is providing a range of education opportunities, from English language skill developm...

Amy Williams, Executive Director of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP), joins us to discuss the transformative power of dual enrollment in bridging the gap between secondary and postsecondary education and industry needs. With over two decades of experience across various educational sectors, Amy shares her insights on creating sustainable educational systems that...

David Hernandez is Vice President of Education at IPC, a global industry association for electronics manufacturing. David shares his journey from a family of educators to leading workforce training and certification programs at IPC. The discussion delves into the challenges and opportunities in the electronics manufacturing industry, the importance of skill-based training, and the need for a parad...

Connor Diemand-Yauman and Rebecca Taber-Staehelin are the co-founders of Merit America , a national nonprofit dedicated to creating fast, flexible pathways to family-sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low-wage jobs. The conversation delves into the challenges and successes of Merit America, exploring how their innovative coaching and financial models are making in-demand careers accessible...

John Colborn is Executive Director of Apprenticeships for America, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing apprenticeships as a viable pathway to expand opportunities for American workers and employers. John shares his extensive background in workforce development and his holistic view of economic opportunity, emphasizing the importance of education and skills training. The conversation explor...

Ron Stefanski is host of the DisruptED podcast and Chief Community Affairs Officer for the Alliance for Adult Education Foundation. Ron shares his extensive experience in leveraging education technology to revolutionize learning and career opportunities, particularly highlighting his pioneering work with McDonald's to launch the impactful Archways to Opportunity program. This initiative has not on...

Dr. Yves Salomon-Fernández is President of Urban College of Boston. With a rich background that spans multiple roles across community colleges and a senior position at Southern New Hampshire University, Yves brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in navigating the complex landscape of educational institutions. She shares her unique perspective on the intricate world of higher education merger...

Dr. Albert Lewis, Jr. is the Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President at Northwest State Community College. Al shares his unique journey into the field and his innovative approach to aligning institutional strategies with student, community, and workforce needs. He discusses the challenges community colleges face in a post-COVID world, including maintaining relevance amidst industry certificati...

Chike Aguh is a trailblazer in workforce innovation, currently serving as Senior Advisor with The Project on Workforce at Harvard. He previously served as inaugural Chief Innovation Officer at the US Department of Labor under President Biden. Drawing upon his unique cross-sector experience, Chike shares his insights on the key problems and opportunities shaping the future of work and learning. He...

Paul LeBlanc is President of Southern New Hampshire University. Over 20 years, he has led SNHU's explosive growth, expanding access to over 250,000 students, to become the largest nonprofit provider of online higher education in the U.S. Paul shares his perspective on how artificial intelligence and the rise of tools like ChatGPT will bring deep shifts for higher education. He outlines the need to...

Davis Jenkins is senior research scholar at the Community College Research Center and a research professor at Columbia University's Teachers College . With over four decades of experience in enhancing education and employment outcomes, Jenkins shares his insights on redesigning community colleges and the implementation of guided pathways. His work focuses on improving access and outcomes for under...

MJ Ryan is Vice President for Workforce Development and Economic Opportunity at Mass General Brigham , the largest health care system in Massachusetts. She shares her transformative journey from a direct healthcare role to a pioneering position in workforce development. The discussion explores how MJ's innovative strategies and collaborative, cross-organizational efforts have helped to build a nat...

In the opening episode of Season 2, we speak with Marlena Sessions , the director of NOVAWorks , the renowned non-profit employment and training agency in Silicon Valley. Marlena shares her extensive experience in workforce development, and emphasizes the importance of strategic partnerships, innovative approaches, and customer-focused services to address the needs of job seekers and employers in...

Paul Fain is a journalist and the creator of The Job . In this year-end episode, Paul discusses workforce education and training, with a focus on sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and tech. He shares the impact of policies like the CHIPS Act on job opportunities, especially for low-income workers, and the role of community colleges in workforce development. Our conversation also explores the...

Jill Buban is Chief Growth Officer at Arizona State University's EdPlus . Buban discusses the challenges and innovations in digital education and online learning, and shares her insights on creating scalable digital teaching models, forming strategic partnerships with corporations like Starbucks and Uber, and adapting online education strategies across various institutional sizes. She emphasizes t...

Yigal Kerszenbaum is the founding managing partner of JFFVentures . JFF Ventures is an impact fund committed to investing in early-stage startups that are building innovative, tech-based solutions for worker economic advancement. In his role, Yigal has overall oversight of JFF's innovative finance and investment strategy. During our conversation, Yigal explains the impact investing space, provides...

Kelvin Bentley is the program manager of Texas Credentials for the Future , an innovative initiative within the University of Texas System that is funded by the UT System and the Strada Education Foundation. The initiative includes an extensive partnership with Coursera that offers microcredentials from tech leaders such as Meta, IBM and Google and is designed to provide students with employer-ini...

Rollie Wesen is Executive Director of the Jacques Pépin Foundation and a professor at Johnson & Wales University (JWU) in Providence, Rhode Island. The Foundation supports culinary education through community-based culinary training networks, with a particular focus on workforce development. Rollie also teaches culinary labs and academics at JWU's College of Food Innovation & Technology . Rollie s...

Adriana Dawson oversees Verizon's Strategic and Social Impact programming across the eastern U.S. She leads and expands Verizon's partnership network, community investments, and collaborates up and across the business supporting regional and national initiatives. She also serves as a Global Lead for SOMOS, an enterprise-wide Employee Resource Group (ERG) amplifying the voice of Verizon's 6K+ Hispa...

Jamai Blivin is founder and CEO of Innovate+Educate , a nonprofit focused on big system change to create new employment pathways for workers based on skills and competencies. She is also the author of the new book Status: Reversing Degrees of Discrimination , which argues for an emphasis on skills over degrees when seeking talent. Jamai discusses her background as a connector, her pioneering work...

Learn more about this brand-new show from your hosts, Julian Alssid and Kaitlin LeMoine . Make sure you subscribe to Work Forces so you are all set when the show premieres soon! Please follow, rate, and review Work Forces on Apple ,  Spotify , or wherever you are listening. Also, please follow Kaitlin and Julian on LinkedIn.