February 20, 2020
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mary Freeman
734-769-2900
Local leaders selected for the program in partnership with the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program.
Detroit, Michigan – Today, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce introduced the 2020 Fellows of a program designed to improve local economic mobility, strengthen workforce development efforts, and create innovative solutions to the challenges faced by workers and businesses.
The Detroit Workforce Leadership Academy, a 12-month fellowship developed through a partnership with the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, is designed to strengthen the local network of nonprofit, government, academic, and business leaders through a series of retreats and workshops that will introduce the participating Fellows to new tools and strategies.
The Detroit Workforce Leadership Academy is the second held in Detroit and is being launched with the support of JPMorgan Chase and the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation. This Academy is the latest in a series of Workforce Leadership Academies hosted in communities across the United States and Canada. The 24 Fellows of the Detroit Workforce Leadership Academy 2020 cohort represent a range of nonprofit organizations, business associations, institutes of higher education, training providers, and public agencies. The Detroit Workforce Leadership Academy launches at the opening retreat February 26-28 and will culminate with a collaborative capstone project presentation in November, 2020.
Fellows in the 2020 Detroit Workforce Leadership Academy are:
- Margrit Allen, County Director, The Center for Employment Opportunities
- Aten “A.C.” Alrey, Manager, Small Business Advocacy Center, Southwest Detroit
Business Association - Jewel Chapman, Director of Workforce Development & Education, Focus: HOPE
- Michelle Cyrus, Director, Adult College Completion, Detroit Regional Chamber
- Niko Dawson, Director, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit
- Elizabeth Jordan Falby, Manager of Talent & Workforce Initiatives, United Way for Southeastern Michigan
- Karyn Goven, Director Workforce Development, Southwest Economic Solutions
- Cody Grant, Lead Manager of Talent Solutions, Grand Circus Detroit
- Jinny Han, Site Director, Per Scholas
- Nonzwakazi Hill, Program Manager, SER Metro Detroit
- Bryan Howard, Program Facilitator, Winning Futures
- Spencer Lucker, Industry Engagement Manager, City of Detroit, Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development
- Krista McKinney-King, Principal/Director, Randolph Career Technical Center
- Gregory McPherson, Director of Adult & Senior Programs, Matrix Human Services
- Caitlyn Pisarski, Manager, Adult Learning Labs, Southwest Economic Solutions
- Ambra Redrick, CEO, Teen HYPE
- Arese Robinson, Program Associate, Detroit Public Schools Community District
- Vania Ruiz, Youth Workforce Development Coordinator, Urban Neighborhood Initiatives
- Lucia Seed, Manager, Career Center System, Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation
- Mallorie Stiger, Chief Business Development Officer, Empowerment Advocacy Group
- Phaedra Wainaina, Executive Director, Vehicles for Change-Detroit
- Anna Walters, Experienced Associate, Guidehouse Inc.
- Kammy Webb, Director of Training & Leadership Development, 482Forward
- Rachell Williams, Program Director, Career Center, Development Centers
“The Academy will bring together professionals critical to the future of the workforce system in Detroit and give them the opportunity to build their network and their leadership skills,” said Mary Freeman, Senior Policy Associate at CSW.
“Collaboration across organizations is essential to success in workforce development, and I’m excited to continue this work to build a workforce system that better helps those who face barriers to good work.”
“Collaboration grows at the speed of trust, and today’s workforce development leaders are increasingly being asked to create solutions through collaboration,” said Sheila Maguire, senior fellow at the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and director of the local network of Workforce Leadership Academies.
“This Academy is a rare opportunity for these local leaders to step back with colleagues from Detroit, reflect on their own organizational challenges, hear from leading practitioners from around the country, and develop the network and trust so essential for success.”
The Detroit Workforce Leadership Academy is led by Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and an Advisory Board that includes:
Clarinda Barnett-Harrison
Co-founder, Community Experience Design
Ford Motor Company
Brenda Belcher
Executive Director, Office of College and Career Readiness and Adult Education
Detroit Public Schools Community District
Joe Evans
Director of Mission Initiatives
Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit
Eva Garza Dewaelsche
President and CEO
SER Metro-Detroit Jobs for Progress, Inc.
Susan Dundon
Program Officer
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
Hector Hernandez
Executive Director
Southwest Economic Solutions
Cathy Liesman
CEO
Development Centers
Terrah Opferman
Executive Director, Southeast Michigan Market
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Portia Roberson
CEO
Focus: HOPE
Nicole Sherard-Freeman
Executive Director
Workforce Development, City of Detroit
Kayla Roney Smith
Portfolio Manager
Ballmer Foundation
Biographical information on the Detroit Fellows is available here!
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