Research Report: National Workforce Development 2010

Karen Coleman is the Director of Division of Employment and Workforce Solutions for the New York State Department of Labor. The New York State Department of Labor fosters economic growth by supporting a highly skilled workforce. Their One Stop Career Center system connects businesses and workers.

Susan R. Crandall, PhD, is the President of Workforce Results. She leverages her expertise in private-sector HR and public/non-profit workforce development to create high-impact solutions for employers, workforce providers, and funders. Most recently, Dr. Crandall served as the director of workforce innovation at Keystone Research Center, where she led the Pennsylvania Fund for Workforce Solutions and provided technical and research assistance to Pennsylvania’s nationally recognized Industry Partnerships. Prior to that, she was the director of research and innovation at the Crittenton Women’s Union, where she published several major reports that served as the cornerstone for CWU’s program, research, and advocacy strategy. Her experience includes 10 years in the private sector where she championed leadership and career development initiatives at Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Boeing and Gateway. Dr. Crandall has served on the National Skills Coalition Leadership Council, was a visiting scholar at the University of California San Diego, has been recognized as one of Boston’s Emerging Leaders by the University of Massachusetts and was selected as a Marano Fellow for the Aspen Institute’s Sector Skills Academy. She received her PhD from the University of Washington Foster School of Business. She is certified in numerous career development and training programs from world-class vendors including the Center for Creative Leadership, DDI, and Blessing White.

Terri is a recognized leader in the workforce development, asset-building, and income-support fields. She is currently senior advisor at SF Works, an innovative nonprofit focused on building the careers and self-sufficiency of low-income workers. Terri served as SF Works' executive director from 2001 to 2007, during which time the organization pioneered job training in biotechnology and spearheaded creation of San Francisco's Working Families Credit. Terri's previous work experience includes the National Association of Child Advocates, and consulting work for the American Society for Training and Development, and the U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services. She chairs the boards The Workforce Alliance and the Youth Leadership Institute. She earned her Master's of Public Policy degree at Georgetown University and her bachelor's degree at The College of William of Mary. In 2006, Terri was awarded a prestigious American Marshall Memorial Fellowship.

Bruce G. Herman joined the Department of Labor as Deputy Commissioner for Workforce Development in September 2007. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the agency’s Division of Employment and Workforce Solutions. Prior to joining the department, he served as Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project, a NYC-based advocacy group. There, he worked extensively on reforms of the unemployment insurance systems, initiated an effort focused on displaced workers, worked extensively on reforms concerning immigrant workers and launched a national program to develop policies to secure economic opportunities for all workers. Before that, Mr. Herman was Senior Director for the Center for Workforce and Economic Development (CWED), a collaborative initiative of the Consortium for Worker Education, the NYC Central Labor Council and a coalition of employers. The CWED assisted in emergency efforts to find sustainable employment for thousands of New Yorkers dislocated as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mr. Herman has also served as Program Director and Executive Director of the AFL-CIO’s Working for America Institute in Washington, DC. He was also President of the Garment Industry Development Corporation in NYC, where he helped to augment services to address the needs of new immigrant workers. The Corporation received the Governor’s Award of Achievement in Export for creating a successful Fashion/Exports New York program. His extensive experience also includes consulting on workforce development and labor relations on local, national and international levels. Mr. Herman holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Dickinson College and a master’s degree in political science from Columbia University.

Martha Holleman is a consultant for Workforce Development Affinity Group. The Workforce Development Affinity Group assists funders interested in workforce development to improve their grant making by learning more about effective programs, national and local best practices, and their colleagues' investments. She is also the principal of Strategic Thinking for Social Change, a Baltimore-based policy and research practice. From 2006-2008 she served as a Distinguished Fellow of the WT Grant Foundation at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and from 1996-2008 she was a Policy Advisor to Baltimore’s Safe and Sound Campaign.

Rachel's education in business management and managed care as well as her extensive background working with Fortune 500 companies serve her well in fulfilling her pivotal position at The Menkes Clinic. Her primary challenge came in the form of assisting Dr. Menkes to fulfill his vision, that of providing total quality skincare for his patients and delivering a higher standard of patient care. This called for hiring a staff of highly qualified professionals and molding them into a high-performance team that would achieve the vision and mission of the Menkes Clinic. Rachel believes that the clinic's success largely depends on the quality of the people managing it. She has implemented operational systems designed to function smoothly and effectively with only one purpose in mind: meeting the individual needs of every patient. When not busy at work, Rachel enjoys investing in real estate, traveling with her husband, Patrick, and gardening.

Angie Kamath is Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Development, where she leads New York City's workforce development programs. She is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to create a business-driven workforce development system that meets the hiring and training needs of businesses, while providing jobseekers with employment opportunities in the City's fastest growing economic sectors. Prior to this position, Angie was the Assistant Commissioner of Program Design and Development within SBS. Before joining SBS, Angie was the Executive Director of StreetWise Partners, a community organization focused on training and job placement to help low income individuals succeed in the workplace. Angie holds a BS in Business Management from Cornell University and a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University.

Mr. LePage joined the Clements Group (CG) in 1999 and acted as lead consultant for ACT, Inc., in the creation of a network of over two hundred workforce development certification, training, and assessment centers in partnership with community and technical colleges across the country. In addition to his role as senior vice president for the firm, he also serves as lead consultant for all workforce development efforts on behalf of the Clements Group. He is currently assisting the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and colleges on a state wide Workforce Competitiveness Initiative. Bob is advising the Council for Occupational Research and Design (CORD) in developing the National Adult Career Pathway program. Bob is also assisting Harrisburg Areas Community College on a multi-campus major gifts campaign. His past CG clients include York County Community College (ME), Prince George’s Community College (MD), Edison Community College (OH), Farmingdale State University of New York (NY), LaGuardia Community College (NY), Springfield Technical Community College (MA), Los Angeles Community College District (CA), among many others. r. LePage is a frequent presenter at national conferences, including the League for Innovation for the Community College, American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the Council for Resource Development (CRD), and the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers (NCATC). Additionally, Mr. LePage directs and acts as lead faculty for CG’s highly-acclaimed two-day training seminar entitled “Workforce Development Academy: Building Business & Industry Partnerships”. He has been a professor of business administration at Holyoke Community College and has instruction experience in marketing, finance, management, sports management, sports law, and e-commerce classes. Bob was department chair for of one of the first community college Sport Management programs in the country and was actively involved in the fundraising efforts for the Bartley Athletic Center (Health Wellness). Bob also has served as a sabbatical replacement instructor at Springfield College for management, marketing, and finance classes. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts and dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Marketing, and Finance and Insurance from Northeastern University.

Elyse Rosenblum is Senior Consultant, Workforce Readiness for Corporate Voices for Working Families. In that role, she oversees Corporate Voices’ early learning, afterschool and youth transitions pillars of work. Elyse oversees the research and development of public policy positions, as well as working with policymakers and nonprofit leaders to educate them about the business perspective on issues important to working families. In addition, she manages the partnership between Corporate Voices and The Conference Board, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills and the Society for Human Resources Management, which is focused on improving workforce readiness for young people.

Eric Seleznow is the Executive Director of the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board (GWIB). The GWIB is Maryland's chief policy-making body on workforce development. reviously, he was the Director of Workforce Investment Services for the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development. Mr. Seleznow oversaw the County’s workforce development system, including the local Workforce Investment Board and two One-Stop workforce centers serving more than 10,000 jobseekers and employers each year. Mr. Seleznow has over twenty years of experience with local employment and training programs. He was formerly the Workforce Manager for the Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of jail industry projects and employment re-entry programs. Eric has forged numerous partnerships with small businesses, corporations and training programs that have provided employment and training opportunities to numerous residents in the Washington, D.C. area. Mr. Seleznow is co-founder and past chairperson of the Employment and Training Advocacy Network of Montgomery County, a former member of the Montgomery County Workforce Development Board, and is active in local and national workforce development matters. He is an experienced trainer and facilitator in workforce and offender employment issues.

Gene Sofer is a founding partner in The Susquehanna Group, a consulting firm based in Washington, DC. He helps nonprofit organizations develop and implement winning legislative strategies, particularly to support national service, education, youth development, and youth employment. He has had a long career in public policy in Washington. Between 1980 and 1984, he served as Majority Associate staff on the House Budget Committee and developed an expertise in the Congressional budget and appropriations processes. From 1984 to 1993, Gene was Counsel to the House Education and Labor Committee where he was responsible for developing and executing the Committee’s budget and appropriations strategies. He served as the Committee’s liaison to the House leadership and the Budget and Appropriations Committees. At the Committee, he was instrumental in the enactment of landmark legislation on education, training, and community services for homeless youth, child care, youth gang intervention, education to promote economic competitiveness, drug-free schools, dislocated workers and defense reinvestment. As Counsel he was responsible for passage of national service legislation in 1990, as well as for the introduction, consideration, and enactment of the National and Community Service Trust Act in 1993, which created the AmeriCorps program. Eli Segal who spearheaded the effort for President Clinton called Gene a “brilliant political strategist” and brought him to the White House Office of National Service to help to craft the strategic plan to launch AmeriCorps. Between 1994 and 1998, Gene served as the first Director of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations at the Corporation for National and Community Service. He created and implemented legislative strategies to support AmeriCorps and other national service programs, was the principal advisor to the Chief Executive Officer on legislative matters and negotiated with Congress on the range of issues facing the Corporation. He also represented the Corporation to the White House, including the Office of Management and Budget, Cabinet departments and other federal agencies. From 1998 to 2001, Gene served as the Deputy Executive Director of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States where he directed the preparation of the Commission’s report: Plunder and Restitution: The U.S. and Holocaust Victims’ Assets. Gene helped to create and organize the Save AmeriCorps Coalition (now Voices for National Service), a national organization created to rally public support for the AmeriCorps program. He also co-founded the Campaign for Youth (CFY), an initiative to promote public policy solutions to the issues confronting young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are out-of-school and out-of-work. He serves on the CFY Steering Committee. He is also a member of the Clean Energy Working Group focused on the development and implementation of policies, including the Clean Energy Service Corps, to help shape the transition to the green economy. He is a graduate of New York University and received his PhD in History from UCLA. He is the author of From Pale To Pampa: A Social History of the Jews of Buenos Aires. Gene is a Member of the national Leadership Council of Repair the World, a member of the DC Advisory Council of Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps, and co-Chair of the Government Relations Committee of the Corps Network.

Luke Weisberg is the owner of LukeWorks, which works in workforce development, community growth and prosperity, and other supports to help end poverty. He have served previously on the board for the National Skills Coalition. He has also previously done work with Genesys Works.