Hartford Workforce Leaders Academy Graduates 22 Nonprofit Leaders

Hartford, Connecticut (November 6, 2018) – Hartford Generation Work today announced the graduation of the inaugural class of the Workforce Leaders Academy. Twenty-two senior nonprofit managers completed a year-long learning and leadership fellowship designed to improve the quantity, quality and sustainability of efforts to move young adults ages 18-29 to work.

Participants in the Hartford Workforce Leaders Academy completed their experience by presenting research and recommendations that addressed critical local workforce issues to over fifty leaders from government, education, philanthropy and business.

Capstone project topics included: skills-based hiring; improving post-secondary retention and graduation; preparing high school students for college and career success; and, the impact of benefit cliffs on low-wage workers. The capstone was an opportunity for participants to put into action practices and ideas discussed during the academy.

“The capstone was a laboratory in how to collaborate effectively,” said academy participant Dr. William Clark, Vice President of Career Resources. “Collaboration within and across sectors is essential if we are to increase the number of youth and young adults in Hartford who are able to get a good job.”

During the year, academy members attended two, three-day retreats and six full-day sessions where national and local leaders in sector-based workforce development, youth development and leadership helped participants learn new ways of developing, executing and sustaining young adult employment initiatives.

“The academy provided an opportunity to step away from our day-to-day work, hear from innovators in our field and collaborate with peers on making systemic improvements to how we prepare young people in Hartford to be successful employees,” said Martha Guidry, an academy member and Executive Director of Capital Region Education Alliance.

Hartford Workforce Leaders Academy is a project of Hartford Generation Work, a collaboration of Capital Workforce Partners, the City of Hartford, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut. The Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program, which developed the academy model, co-facilitated sessions.

Academy participants included:

• Kristina Baldwin, City of Hartford;
• Ren Brockmeyer; Kayla Bynum and Sam DeCarlo, Our Piece of the Pie;
• Dr. William Clark, Career Resources;
• Steve Diaz, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut;
• Kimberly Flint, Center for Latino Progress;
• Hannah Gregory, Capital Community College;
• Martha Guidry, Capital City Education Alliance;
• Ricardo Henriquez, Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford;
• Angelica Heron, Capital Workforce Partners;
• Elizabeth Horton Sheff, Community Renewal Team;
• Quishema Jones; Robert Michalman, Chrysalis Center;
• Laura O’Keefe, The Village for Families & Children;
• Amy Peltier, East Hartford CONNects;
• Keren Prescott and Lynn Raicik, Connecticut Center for Advanced Technologies;
• Marisa Rubera, Asnuntuck Community College;
• Alice Turner, URISE Ventures;
• Dayl Walker, Connecticut Business & Industry Association; and,
• Liz Weiblen, Community Solutions

The Academy was made possible by contributions from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Nutmeg Foundation and Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford.

About Workforce Leaders Academy

Workforce Leaders Academy (WLA) is a project of Hartford Generation Work, in collaboration with United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, Capital Workforce Partners, the City of Hartford and Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. This project was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The WLA is also generously supported by the Nutmeg Foundation and Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford.