Jobs for the Future

Marlene Seltzer. Marlene Seltzer is president and CEO of Jobs for the Future. With the goal of helping more Americans obtain the skills they need to succeed in today's economy, JFF has grown since its founding in 1984 to become one of the nation's leading research and policy development organizations focused on education and workforce strategies. Ms. Seltzer's mission to improve American… See full bio.

The nonprofit has not added any comments yet. If you are a representative of this nonprofit and would like to leave a comment, please email us at feedback@myphilanthropedia.org with your request.

Story: Jobs for the Future started in 1983, when Arthur White, cofounder of the marketing/research firm Yankelovich, Skelly and White, teamed up with Hilary Pennington to improve the quality of America’s public education systems and the skills of our nation’s workforce. Their first initiative defined Connecticut’s workforce needs and detailed models that its education system can implement to produce qualified workers who meet those needs. Between 1984 to 1989 they expanded into six states. They launched initiatives based on their Connecticut project model in Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, and Missouri. Some of their successes have been helping healthcare workers gain the training they need to enhance their careers, they promoted community college efforts to bring a high-quality, affordable, accessible education to low-literacy adults striving to earn an occupational or technical degree, and helped link employers with schools to improve pathways for young people to directly enter the workforce, and to encourage partners to link school-based and work-based learning so that one reinforces the other. Today, they continue their leadership role in creating educational and economic opportunity by managing and supporting more than a dozen programs and initiatives in 200+ communities nationwide. (Source: http://www.jff.org/index.php?select=world)

Evidence of Impact Summary:

Their research has had an impact on policymakers and practitioners alike in the workforce development field.
See expert comments.

Organization Strengths Summary:

Leadership and staff are the main strengths of this organization according to experts.
See expert comments.

Areas for Improvement Summary:

Respondents seem to think Jobs for the Future could have a greater impact by serving more people, expanding capacity, and improving their outreach.
See expert comments.

Select the boxes to display the results according to expert type.

Show:

Select the boxes to display the results according to expert type.

Show:

Select the boxes to display the results according to expert type.

Show:

Marlene Seltzer is president and CEO of Jobs for the Future. With the goal of helping more Americans obtain the skills they need to succeed in today's economy, JFF has grown since its founding in 1984 to become one of the nation's leading research and policy development organizations focused on education and workforce strategies. Ms. Seltzer's mission to improve American public education and the skills of our workforce is reflected in the ambitious goal she has set for Jobs for the Future: By 2020, collaborating with its partners, JFF is committed to doubling the number of low-income youth and adults who earn postsecondary credentials or get training that helps them advance to family-sustaining careers. Strengthening JFF's capacity to achieve that goal, Ms. Seltzer launched JFF's Washington, DC, office, significantly augmenting the organization's capacity to affect federal policy. She also has enhanced JFF's research activities to give new ideas and practices room to grow, at the same time focusing the organization and its partners on results that lead to measurable outcomes. A nationally recognized thought leader, Ms. Seltzer is a frequent consultant and speaker on systemic reforms in secondary and postsecondary education and the ability of the labor market to serve low-income workers, employers, and local and state economies. Her commentaries and other writing help the nation think in new ways about policy and program delivery at all levels of government. Ms. Seltzer's expertise is sought after not only in the United States but abroad as well. In directing JFF's U.K./U.S. Welfare-to-Work project, she drew on the U.S. experience in welfare reform to help the British government's New Deal Task Force consider ways to improve the performance of its workforce development and welfare systems. She also led JFF's work on Employer-Led Efforts that Produce Results for Ethnic Minorities, commissioned by the National Employment Panel. This employer-led body, which advises ministers on the design, delivery, and performance of U.K. welfare-to-work policies and programs, asked for input on strategies for increasing job opportunities for ethnic minorities through employer action. For the U.S./E.U. Roundtable, Gender Issues from an Employment Perspective, Ms. Seltzer spoke on "Challenges of Career Advancement for Entry-level Workers." Before joining JFF in 1996, Ms. Seltzer held a number of prominent positions in nonprofit management, government, and the field of workforce development. From 1987 to 1989, she was commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Employment and Training, after serving as deputy commissioner for four years. She administered the Commonwealth's $1 billion federal- and state-funded employment and training programs, including ET Choices--a $40 million comprehensive state welfare-to-work effort. As president of Seltzer Associates, a for-profit consulting firm, Ms. Seltzer provided policy development assistance to the U.S. Department of Labor on its workforce development initiatives. She also served as co-founder and president of Employment Resources, Inc., a nonprofit, community-based workforce development organization. Ms. Seltzer serves on the boards of the Boston Children's Museum; WomenWork!, a national policy and advocacy organization working for the economic equity and advancement of women; and the Rural Policy Research Institute, which provides unbiased analysis and information on the challenges, needs, and opportunities facing rural America. Ms. Seltzer holds a B.A. in urban economics and American history from American University, an M.A. in labor economics from Northeastern University, and a certificate from the Harvard University Employment and Training Institute.

The nonprofit has not added any comments yet. If you are a representative of this nonprofit and would like to leave a comment, please email us at feedback@myphilanthropedia.org with your request.