Education Meets Employment: The Need For Collaboration

In this episode of the Horizons Podcast, we explore the American dream of climbing the corporate ladder. Abigail Disney of Hollywood’s dream-making family takes the stage at JFF’s Horizons conference, calling out corporate leaders for perpetuating a fairytale of upward mobility for all and challenging them to reshape the US economy for the benefit of all workers. Host Tameshia Bridges Mansfield continues the conversation started by Disney with special guest Ashley Black, Managing Director, Equity Strategies for Delta Airlines. Black shares the industry leader’s blueprint for a more equitable and sustainable future of work for its frontline staffers. Together they explore the routes that Delta is taking to help its workers’ dreams take flight.

In this episode of the Horizons Podcast, we look at who is getting ahead in the U.S. workforce, who's still lagging behind, and why. As income skyrockets in major cities, small towns and rural areas are seeing far less growth offering residents little chance at upward mobility. Women are back to work after the pandemic, but their climb to the top of the ladder remains languid. And workers without college degrees are still waiting for a workforce that values their skills. Host Tameshia Bridges Mansfield and special guest Jed Kolko, United States Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs move the conversation forward from the stage at this year’s Horizons Summit.

Guest Speakers from the stage at Horizons include:

• Karin Kimbrough - Chief Economist, LinkedIn
• Richard Reeves - Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and President of the American Institute for Boys and Men and JFF Board member.

Investing in human potential sits at the center of the Horizons podcast’s season opener. This is a primary focus of JFF’s North Star, a bold new initiative to get millions of people, facing systemic barriers to advancement, to work in quality jobs in ten years. Host Tameshia Bridges Mansfield and special guest Adrian Haro, of The Workers Lab, move the conversation from the stage to the studio as they dig deeper into some of the themes presented by Jobs for the Future President and CEO Maria Flynn at this year’s Horizons summit with a special lens on a significant population in our workforce – gig workers. 

Tameshia Bridges Mansfield

Vice President, Workforce and Regional Economies

Jobs for the Future

Adrian Haro

Chief Executive Officer

The Workers Lab

Maria Flynn

President and CEO

Jobs for the Future

In this final episode of season 2 of the Horizons podcast, host Tameshia Bridges Mansfield and special guest Maria Flynn, President and CEO of JFF, dissect some of the efforts that are in motion to create a more equitable workforce post-pandemic and how the approach of dual transformation can help address the change that’s needed now and in the future.

The lessons from the pandemic could not be more clear. Disparities in wealth, education, opportunity, and safety proved devastating for millions of American workers who are now demanding change. So, how do today’s businesses build a better tomorrow?

Guest Speakers from the stage:

Panelists:

● Rachel Romer, Cofounder and CEO, Guild

● Brent Parton, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary/Acting Assistant Secretary for

Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

● Tyra Mariani, President Schultz Family Foundation & Member JFF Board of Directors

Moderator: Hari Sreenivasan, Host Amanpour & Company, PBS & CNN International

In this episode of the Horizons podcast, collaboration is key. Experts from the education, business, and non-profit sectors explore effective ways to work together to create pathways to success for all Americans and, by extension, build a more robust workforce. Host Tameshia Bridges Mansfield talks to special guest Anthony Carnevale, Research Professor and Director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, to advance the conversation and provide a unique political perspective.

Panelists:

• Emily Allen, Senior Vice President of Programs, AARP Foundation
• Michael Baston, President, Cuyahoga Community College (Former President, Rockland Community College)
• Joseph Fuller, Professor, Harvard Business School & Senior Fellow, The Burning Glass Institute 

Moderator:  Steve Lohr, Reporter, The New York Times 

In this episode, non-traditional students take the stage to share their stories of struggle and triumph. More than 70% of Americans pursuing higher education are considered non-traditional, yet many grapple with securing pathways to success between the classroom and work. Host Tameshia Bridges Mansfield and special guest Kai Drekmeier from InsideTrack explore how traditional education and workforce systems can help set up all students for success. 

Guest Speakers from the stage:

Panelists:

• Christina Hasaan, Temple University and Hope Center Graduate.
• Frederick Shegog, Founder of The Message LLC, 
• Evan Meredith, Graduate of Climb Hire

Moderator: Lisette Nieves, President of the Fund for the City of New York

In this episode, we hear from a group of ambitious entrepreneurs who are betting that they can use the power of business to help build a sustainable workforce by addressing the needs of workers and employers at scale. Host Tameshia Bridges Mansfield is joined by special guest Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, CEO of Craft Education System and Chancellor of Reach University. Together, they carry the conversation forward from JFF’s annual Horizons conference, where entrepreneurs harnessing the power of business to build a better workforce took the stage.

Guest Speakers from the stage:

Panelists:

Thomas Brunskill, CEO & co-founder of Forage

Muriel Clauson, CEO & founder of Anthill

Hamoon Ekhtiari, CEO of FutureFit AI

Moderator:

Jena McGregor, Senior Editor at Forbes

Guest:

Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, CEO, Craft Education System and Chancellor, Reach University.

In this episode, Tameshia Bridges Mansfield is joined by special guest Zoe Weintraub, senior vice president of Executive and Community Partnerships at Guild Education. How do we reimagine the workforce – the opportunities and challenges -- as corporations shift to skills-based hiring and expand access to on-the-job training? Mansfield and Weintraub carry the conversation forward from JFF’s annual Horizons summit, where leaders across the private sector discussed shifting systems to attract and retain a diverse and talented workforce.

Guest Speakers from the stage:

• Monique Baptiste, Executive Director, Corporate DEI Talent Advisor, JP Morgan Chase & Company
• Lydia Logan, Vice President for Global Education and Workforce Development at IBM
• Ryan Stowers, Executive Director at the Charles Koch Foundation.
• Moderator, Cat Ward: Vice President of Employer Mobilization, JFF 

In this episode, host Tameshia Bridges Mansfield and special guest Sarah Miller of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta carry forward the conversation from JFF's annual Horizons summit. They discuss the challenge of financing the future of work and how today's future of learning -- with or without a college degree -- can prepare workers for sustainable careers and a viable U.S. labor market.

This podcast was recorded on December 1, 2022. The comments offered by Sarah Miller are her opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta or the Federal Reserve System.

Guest Speakers from the stage:

• Troy Blackwood, Head of Structured Investments, Google
• Jukay Hsu, CEO and Founder, Pursuit
• Nitzan Pelman, CEO and Founder, Climb Hire
• Moderator: Jake Edwards, Vice President of Impact Investing, Social Finance

Click here to learn more about Horizons 2023.

In this episode host, Tameshia Bridges Mansfield examines the future of work and learning as experts in education, workforce development, and business ask the important question – what constitutes success? Most Americans do not have a college degree. So how do workers gain the crucial skills employers need? And how do employers ensure that America is building a viable workforce? The Horizons Podcast takes topics from the stage at JFF’s annual Horizons conference and carries the conversation forward.

Bridges Mansfield interviews special guest Lee Lambert, Chancellor, and CEO of Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona.

Guest Speakers from the stage at Horizons include:

• Meghan Hughes, President of Community College of Rhode Island
• Julie Peller,  Executive Director of Higher Learning Advocates
• John Katzman, CEO of Noodle
• Maurice Jones, CEO of OneTen
• Bertina Ceccarelli, CEO of NPower.