SKILLED WORKFORCE - Key Persons
Alex is a Senior Policy Associate with CSW's Federal, State, and Local Systems Change Team. He supports systems change and transformation within multiple levels of the workforce development sector, and generates and uses knowledge and skills to co-develop leading-edge ideas and high-impact initiatives focused on producing more just and equitable federal, state and local systems.
In his primary role, Alex is helping to lead multiple ongoing evaluations of the workforce development system in California, including an assessment of regional activities across the state and a comprehensive evaluation of the state's one-stop career center system. Alex engages with local workforce board leaders and the California Workforce Development Board to identify promising practices and improve the system statewide.
Before coming to CSW, Alex was as a Policy Manager for Jobs for the Future (JFF) on their Federal Policy Team where he provided analysis, synthesized research, and engaged practitioners and policymakers to inform critical national education and workforce development policy priorities. Prior to joining JFF, Alex also served in Senator Tim Kaine's (D-VA) office.
Alex received his bachelor's degree in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh.
Alex Breen is a Senior Policy Associate on the Improving Practices & Outcomes Team. He supports CSW's efforts to strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations to improve results for low-wage workers through the use of data, feedback, and effective strategies and practices. Alex will support CSW's Workforce Benchmarking Network (WBN), where he will facilitate peer learning cohorts and provide technical assistance in a variety of cities, create national virtual peer events, and support the development and expansion of the WBN.
Alex has extensive experience in workforce development, including managing, scaling, and implementing holistic workforce programming at community-based organizations and intermediaries. He values the use of qualitative and quantitative data for continuous improvement, which he has used for program evaluation, measuring performance, and streamlining quality.
Prior to CSW, Alex was the Director of Growth and Innovation at the Stanley M Isaacs Neighborhood Center (SINC) in East Harlem. As part of the organization's leadership team, he oversaw program development, monitoring and evaluation, and sectoral employment programming. In the first two years, Alex raised more than $1.15 million for the organization's workforce development and community health programs. Prior to joining SINC, Alex was an Assistant Director at Structured Employment Economic Development Corporation (Seedco). There, Alex managed a portfolio of workforce development, financial empowerment, and family support programs, and scaled Seedco's young adult sectoral employment program. While at Seedco, Alex also collaborated with Social Finance to pilot pay-for-success workforce development models driven by employee retention.
Alex received his Bachelor's degree in Communications from Lake Forest College and is a 2020 CORO Workforce Systems Leadership Program alumnus.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Partner at Pathways Consultants & CareerHub
- Senior Policy Associate
Amanda Gerrie is a Senior Policy Associate on the Federal, State, & Local Systems Change team. In this role, she supports CSW in developing high-impact initiatives focused on producing more just and equitable federal, state and local systems.
With over 25 years of dedicated experience in workforce development, education, and career services, Amanda brings a wealth of expertise to her role. Amanda is deeply committed to advancing economic mobility for marginalized communities. Her extensive background encompasses 25+ years in workforce development, policy analysis, career services, and driving systems change. She has played a pivotal role in providing technical assistance and capacity building to over 150+ innovative workforce development service providers across California, focusing on pioneering solutions for systemic challenges faced by marginalized workers.
Previously, as Co-Founder and Partner at Pathways Consultants & CareerHub, Amanda led workforce development projects for major clients such as the California Workforce Development Board, the City of San Francisco, the City of Oakland, and many community-based organizations and community colleges across California. Her expertise lies in program design, organizational coaching, facilitation, and curriculum development. Amanda is also co-founder of an innovative SaaS solution, CareerHub, a web application developed to support workforce professionals to engage participants effectively via text.
Holding a Master's Degree in Organizational Change, Amanda is dedicated to driving positive change in workforce development. Her roles as a Career Coach, Certified Career Services Provider, and Facilitating Career Development Instructor align with her passion for helping individuals achieve career success. Amanda also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Psychology from UC Santa Cruz.
Job Titles:
- Director of Federal, State, & Local Systems Change
In her role as Director of Federal, State, & Local Systems Change, Amy leads, develops, and manages CSW's portfolio of work centered on transforming multi-level workforce systems, policy and practice to reduce poverty, increase economic mobility for low-wage workers, and address racial disparities.
Amy has worked with foundations, community organizations, and the private sector, as well as the US Departments of Labor and Education, providing strategic planning, program and policy development, grantmaking and technical assistance.
In her role as Director of Federal, State, & Local Systems Change, Amy leads, develops, and manages CSW's portfolio of work centered on transforming multi-level workforce systems, policy and practice to reduce poverty, increase economic mobility for low-wage workers, and address racial disparities.
Prior to joining CSW, Amy worked in the government, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. She was appointed Deputy Director for Workforce Innovation in California, where she created the Workforce Accelerator Fund, and developed a multi-agency, statewide economic development initiative focused on regional prosperity and income mobility. While with San Francisco's Office of Economic and Workforce Development she developed the city's first-ever comprehensive workforce development strategic plan, and launched a variety of workforce programs, including summer youth employment, sector training academies, and business services. Amy has also worked in corporate philanthropy, providing strategic grantmaking in the areas of workforce development, small business assistance, financial health, and affordable housing, as well developing a $75 million regional initiative focused on closing the racial wealth gap while at JPMorgan Chase.
Amy received a BA in Sociology from U.C. Santa Cruz, and a MA in Urban and Regional Planning from U.C. Irvine.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Finance Committee
Job Titles:
- Director of Improving Practices & Outcomes
Chioke Mose-Telesford is the Director of Improving Practices & Outcomes. She brings her skills at innovative problem solving, knack for strategic thinking and coalition building, and deep commitment to supporting and putting the needs of low-wage workers first. Chioke manages CSW's portfolio of work centered on strengthening the capacity of workforce professionals to develop more effective services and policies to increase economic mobility for workers, particularly for workers of color. Chioke leads CSW's program continuous improvement strategies supported through the Workforce Benchmarking Network (WBN) and the WBN National Survey. Chioke will build CSW's expertise and experience with using both quantitative and qualitative data to develop leading-edge ideas and fundable high-impact initiatives focused on improving workforce provider performance and equitable results for job seekers.
Prior to joining CSW, Chioke was the Director of Systems Alignment and Policy at the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development in Detroit. Her work focused on reducing systemic barriers to employment by collaborating with various agencies and organizations to align efforts, developing pilot interventions prior to scaling, and evaluating policy to better support jobseekers. During her tenure, Chioke helped co-design Detroit's Career Center system and led the establishment of a comprehensive system alignment and barrier removal strategy. She also worked with CSW to create a city-wide foundational skills strategy. As a Director at Grand Circus, a coding bootcamp in Detroit, Chioke oversaw marketing and admissions and led efforts to increase diversity in the tech sector. Chioke also has experience in the education sector in New York City, Detroit, and Vietnam, where she focused on college access and completion for first generation students and youth of color.
Chioke holds a Bachelor's degree in African and African American Studies from Stanford University.
Chris is a Senior Policy Associate with CSW's Improving Practices and Outcomes Team. Chris supports systems change and transformation by developing organizational capacity through learning conversations, data analysis, and promoting shared insights to benefit systems.
Chris has over fifteen years' of experience in regional education and workforce development program oversight, but their strength comes from expertise in the interconnectedness of community-based systems, making it easier for to identify potential partners, policy improvements, and levers of change and influence.
Before coming to CSW, Chris facilitated five national cross-sectoral policy conversations; two focused on the foundational role historical racism played in the development of financial education and how financial wellness is defined while Vice President for the National Endowment for Financial Education. Prior to that, they helped create the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's strategic focus on increasing the quality of jobs for lower-wage workers. Earlier professional experiences included working at two local workforce boards, community college, and within secondary and postsecondary education systems.
Chris received a dual bachelor's degree in Secondary Education: English and Theatre from the University of Delaware, a Masters of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is an alumni of UMass Boston's Emerging Leaders Program.
Chris brings experience collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data and information and making it actionable for clients and other stakeholders. Prior to joining CSW, he conducted research and analyses for several clients, including Wisconsin state legislators, the City of Madison, the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council, and emergency service providers in Green County, Wisconsin.
Chris was previously a Legislative Analyst with the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, where he provided nonpartisan research briefs to Wisconsin state legislators and legislative staff and assisted legislative attorneys with historical, legal, and policy research. He has also held positions with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the Milwaukee Justice Center, and a Wisconsin state representative.
Chris earned an MPA from the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he studied political science, sociology, and international politics and world affairs.
Job Titles:
- Board Secretary & Senior Support Specialist
- CSW 's Board Secretary and Senior Support Specialist
- CSW Board Officer
- Senior Support Specialist
Debbie is CSW's Board Secretary and Senior Support Specialist. As Board Secretary, she records the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors, maintains records of committee meetings, and oversees the maintenance of membership lists and other documents. She also works closely with the CEO, Vice President - Policy & Strategy, and Chief Financial Officer to provide internal and external customer service. She provides general administrative support based upon the needs of the organization, including scheduling and project support. Debbie has more than 25 years of customer service and administrative support experience across a variety of employers.
Prior to joining CSW in 2004, she worked in accounts receivables and outside sales for Erb Lumber Company, and was an Engineering Assistant for Injectronics, Inc., a Massachusetts-based plastics injection molding company. Debbie studied business administration at Eastern Michigan University and Anchorage Community College.
Debbie has provided administrative support for many of the projects and team leaders at CSW; including scheduling, event planning and logistics, data collection for Hope Starts Here, Michigan Justice Fund, Credentials as You Go, The Regional Workforce Strategies CEO workgroup, the Detroit Leadership Academy, and the Detroit Workforce Benchmarking project.
Debbie has been a CSW Board Officer and the Assistant Secretary since May 2010 and Secretary since January 2020.
Job Titles:
- Associate With CSW 's Federal
- Senior Policy Associate
Devin Corrigan serves as a Senior Policy Associate with CSW's Federal, State, and Local Systems Change Team. In this role, she supports CSW in transforming multi-level workforce systems, policy, and practice to reduce poverty, increase economic mobility for low-wage workers, and address racial disparities.
Devin's passion for public policy began when she successfully lobbied her college town to institute a living wage requirement on all municipal contracts. Since then she has worked in mission-driven nonprofits, government, and start-ups to create equitable pathways to economic justice.
Before CSW, Devin was the US Government Affairs Lead at Multiverse, an ed-tech start-up that democratizes the future of work through apprenticeships. As the third US employee, she helped the team scale operations, managed key governmental relationships, secured grant funding, and represented the company externally. Prior to that, Devin served at the NYC Mayor's Office where she worked across systems to improve the career readiness of over one million young New Yorkers.
Devin received a BA in Political Science from UNC Asheville and an MPA from Baruch College.
Diamond is a Senior Policy Associate with CSW's Competencies and Credentials Team. She supports efforts to expand the use of competencies and credentials within learning and talent management systems to remove educational barriers and increase career opportunities for low-wage workers with a particular emphasis on people of color. At CSW, Diamond is helping to deepen our work in the competency and incremental credential arena, helping to lead a study of career and technical education policies and practices, creating competency-based occupational profiles for Alabama and strengthening community college-CBO partnerships.
Diamond brings a diverse background in hotel/hospitality management and workforce development. She has served as a program developer, direct service provider and adviser.
Most recently, as the Employment and Education Specialist at Café Reconcile, Diamond supported the organization's mission to address the system of generational poverty, violence and neglect leading an innovative employability training curriculum coupled with social service supports. While at Café Reconcile, Diamond participated in a collaborative effort to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in the hospitality industry as a part of the Beloved Community Hospitality Cohort.
Diamond received her Master of Science degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University and a bachelor's degree in Dance and Family & Consumer Science from Southeastern Louisiana University. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies in business at Northcentral University with a focus on using research in human resources and workforce development as a means for developing strategies and tactics to solve organizational problems.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Vice President
- Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ( DEI ) for SSM Health / Board Chair
Dr. Roderick Nunn is the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for SSM Health, a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving the comprehensive health needs of communities across the Midwest through a robust and fully integrated health care delivery system. Rod provides system leadership to drive workforce, workplace and marketplace DEI initiatives in service to the organization's mission. Rod also works as a venture partner with Learn Capital helping to provide capital and capabilities to Learn's portfolio of tech-enabled companies in the education and talent development space.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Strategy Committee
- Executive Partner for Gartner / Board Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Vice Chancellor of Human Resources at the University of Pittsburgh
- Vice Chancellor of Human Resources at the University of Pittsburgh / Board Member
James Gallaher currently serves as the Vice Chancellor of Human Resources at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to this role, Gallaher served as the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His career spans numerous higher education institutions, as well as the corporate sector, including roles as Vice President of Human Resources, Diversity, and Wellness at Butler University and Chief Human Resources Officer at Eastern Michigan University. Gallaher started his career in Human Resources at General Motors in Detroit, MI where he served in various capacities including, human resource consulting, labor relations, global organizational capability, leadership development, training and evaluation, and organizational development.
Job Titles:
- Policy Associate
- Senior Program Manager With After - School All - Stars
Jason Render is a Policy Associate for the Competencies & Credentials team. In his role, Jason supports efforts to expand the use of competencies and non-degree credentials within learning and talent management systems to increase economic mobility for low-wage workers and address racial disparities.
Jason has worked within philanthropic community engagement and advocacy work at both the local and national levels bringing diverse experiences all tailored towards disenfranchised community members across the United States. At CSW, Jason is focused within the development, implementation, and project management of work associated with the Credential As You Go initiative and other CSW projects. He has worked to increase economic mobility and community sustainability through his experiences and brings a strong passion for identifying and formulating solutions for the systemic ills that are observed within American societies.
Most recently, as Senior Program Manager with After-School All-Stars, Jason worked within the organization's mission to provide free, comprehensive after-school programs serving children and their families to promote child safe and long-term academic, personal, and professional success. As a team member with After-School All-Stars, Jason formulated and carried out student and family initiatives aimed at the promotion of student success, safety, diversity & inclusion, social & emotional learning, and financial literacy.
Jason received his Master of Public Administration from The Ohio State University and a bachelor's degree in Political Science-National Security with an International Politics minor from The University of Akron.
Jenny Poole is a Senior Policy Associate with the Competencies & Credentials team, focused on dramatically expanding the use of competencies and non-degree credentials within learning and talent management systems to increase economic mobility for low-wage workers and close racial disparity gaps.
Jenny has over 12 years of experience managing large, complex projects, including professional development programs for non-profit organizations like the American Institutes for Research (AIR), the University of Virginia, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the American Institute for Architects.
Before joining CSW, Jenny was a postsecondary and workforce development researcher with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), an international behavioral and social science organization. She designed and led qualitative studies of transfer and career pathways, academic advising, adults returning to college, and collective impact in education for major organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Institute for Educational Sciences, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. During this time, Jenny served as the lead qualitative researcher for a study of the 6-year, $80M Gates Foundation Frontier Set initiative, which engaged 29 colleges to transform to improve equitable student success and outcomes. Jenny also led a small team to recruit and conduct 59 focus groups with academic administrators, completing two Institute for Educational Sciences (IES) studies: one on academic advising and one on institutional efforts to support adults returning to college.
At the University of Virginia, Jenny spent six years supporting the Office of the Executive Vice President & Provost to design, deliver, and evaluate 30 faculty development and diversity programs, including the university's 2-day new faculty orientation and the university's summer institute on anti-racist pedagogy for college students. She also taught undergraduate and graduate students about career pathways, consulted with university administrative leaders on change management for university faculty policies, and facilitated violence and harassment prevention workshops for faculty, staff, and students. Jenny also co-authored a book chapter titled "Beyond Title IX: Pursuing Full Participation through Plan, Do Study Act (PDSA)."
Jenny received her Ph.D. and master's degree in higher education from the University of Virginia's School of Education & Human Development and her bachelor's degree in Government from the University of Virginia.
Jessica is a Senior Policy Associate with CSW's Improving Practices and Outcomes Team. In her role, she is responsible for improving and supporting positive outcomes for marginalized groups through data collection, evaluation, feedback, and identification of best practices and strategies.
An experienced workforce professional with 15 years of experience, Jessica specializes in supporting quality workforce programs for unemployed and underemployed individuals, particularly people of color. Before joining CSW, Jessica served as the Director of Industry-Led Training for the city of Detroit's workforce agency. She played a key role in supporting and implementing an overhaul of Detroit's workforce training system to shift to an evidenced-based sector training model. She was responsible for assisting with the development and buildout of customer and data management software to effectively track and document training related outcomes, grant expenditures, credential, and placement rates.
Jessica successfully managed training outcomes, ensuring programmatic objectives were met or exceeded. She successfully managed a network of 25+ training providers representing over 50 in-demand training programs and special training initiatives. Collaborating closely with employers, she developed and implemented customized training programs aligned with specific employment goals and objectives. Through routine and rigorous evaluation, she identified best practices and areas for improvement, ultimately doubling the number of training programs, increasing performance outcomes and average training-related wage. Her efforts ensured that Detroit residents had access to high-quality training programs leading to industry-recognized credentials and related in-demand employment opportunities.
Jessica holds a Master of Public Administration degree in Human Resource Management from Eastern Michigan University and a Bachelor's degree in Public Affairs, Local Government Management, from Wayne State University.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Finance Committee
- Member of the Board
- Chief Accountability Officer and Audit Executive at the University of Kentucky
- Chief Accountability Officer and Audit Executive at the University of Kentucky / Board Member
Joe is the Chief Accountability Officer and Audit Executive at the University of Kentucky, where he has worked for 11 years. Prior to that, he worked in a number of finance roles at General Motors, where he worked with James Gallaher, who recommended Joe for consideration.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Governance Committee
- Executive Vice President of Cascade Engineering
- Executive Vice President of Cascade Engineering / Board Member
Kenyatta Brame is the Executive Vice President of Cascade Engineering. Cascade is a manufacturer and marketer of plastic products and services supporting a variety of industries including furniture, automotive, truck & bus, solid waste, and pallets/bins. Cascade is a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) company, a leading proponent of sustainable business practices, and a widely recognized employer of choice.
As President & CEO, Kysha Wright Frazier directs the organization's overall strategic direction; sustains organizational leadership; and steers CSW's culture, and racial, equity and inclusion practices. Kysha engages with national, state, and local policy and practice leaders as part of CSW's efforts to provoke change in public policy and investment in workforce development, ensuring the organization's work is effectively designed to carry out CSW's mission, vision, and values.
Kysha joined CSW in 2008, and her collective 20 plus years of experience extends across the nonprofit, education, and private sector workforce ecosystems, working on strategies that seek to advance people and places. Kysha most recently served as the Vice President of Policy & Strategy where she helped lead the strategic development of high-impact strategies to increase economic mobility, particularly for people of color and others historically excluded from advancement opportunities. Internally she directed CSW's hiring and talent development, and its project management system. Prior to that role, Kysha led the Improving Practices & Outcomes team aimed at strengthening the capacity of community-based service providers to use data effectively for program improvements that result in equitable workforce results for jobseekers. Currently, she is partnering with the University of Pittsburgh to help determine the capacity of community colleges to partner with dual customer training programs, and bolster industry-recognized credentials of value for underserved adult learners of color. She is also providing strategic advising for the ACE-UP Community of Practice which brings together community college and industry leaders to design and uplift tangible strategies that create more inclusive workplace environments leading to worker retention, advancement, and economic success.
Prior to joining CSW, Kysha created, launched and served as business unit leader of Cascade Consulting Group, a consulting division of Grand Rapids Manufacturer, Cascade Engineering. Kysha was responsible for identifying and designing innovative solutions to assist clients in becoming employers of choice. Before working in the private sector, Kysha served as the Assistant Director of Career Services at Hope College. Kysha comes from a family of entrepreneurs, owning a national snacking brand. Kysha earned a master's in higher education administration from the University of Iowa, a master's in organizational management from Spring Arbor University, and a bachelor's from the University of Iowa in anthropology and African American world studies.
Job Titles:
- President Emeritus
- Senior Consultant
- National Leader
Larry Good currently serves as President Emeritus and Senior Consultant, after retiring from his role as President & CEO at CSW in 2022. In his role as President & CEO, Larry provided strategic leadership across CSW's work. Larry engaged with national, state, and local policy and practice leaders as part of CSW's efforts to provoke change in public policy and investment in workforce development.
Larry is a national leader in designing and implementing transformative workforce development change strategies that deliver systemic, scalable results. He is co-author of Modernizing and Investing in Workforce Development, a comprehensive set of strategy and funding recommendations. Larry co-led the Credential As You Go initiative, centered on integrating smaller credentials around degrees in postsecondary education to document the knowledge and skills learners acquire.
Major initiatives Larry has been a leader on include:
Connecting Credentials, a five-year partnership with Lumina Foundation to engage more than 100 stakeholder groups in shared cause to build competency-based interconnections among degree and nondegree credentials.
Detroit workforce strategy, supporting the city and many partners in transforming their services and strategic investments to increase skills and employment of city residents.
No Worker Left Behind, helping the State of Michigan craft and operate a pioneering strategy to support 160,000 at risk adult workers in engaging in postsecondary education to help gain skills for reemployment.
Larry co-founded CSW in 1991, and served as its initial president through 2005. He was CSW's Board Chair from 2006-2017 and worked as a senior fellow until returning to the role of President and CEO in October 2019.
Larry has an MBA from Michigan State University and a BA in political science from Oakland University in Michigan.
Job Titles:
- Director of Research
- Director of Research & Evaluation
Megan is the Director of Research and Evaluation at CSW. Her current work includes supporting research and evaluation activities at CSW, as well as the staff engaged in them, and ensuring CSW's research and evaluation methodologies and activities are current, ethical, and culturally responsive. She also leads the organization's labor market information data collection efforts. She is the lead evaluator for CAEL and Truist Foundation's Where It Starts: Build Better Careers initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture funded Michigan Agriculture and Food Systems Workforce Advancement Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture funded SNAP E&T National Partnership Grant for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation project, and provides support on a number of other projects at CSW.
Megan's interest is in improving access to and the delivery of social services through systems thinking, program data analysis, research, and grounding interventions in best practices that are contextualized. Megan is passionate about raising awareness of the social work approach in the evaluation community. She has presented on this topic at both the American Evaluation Association and the Canadian Evaluation Society conferences.
Previously, Megan worked as an Evaluation Associate at the Curtis Center Program Evaluation Group at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. In this role, Megan participated on over fifteen evaluation project teams and served as the Lead Evaluator on ten of these teams. These projects included youth development/college access programs, criminal justice programs, cancer care programs, and community leadership interventions, which were at the local, state, and national levels. Prior to this role, Megan worked for Accenture Federal Services as the Suicide Prevention Program Manager for the Michigan Army National Guard.
Megan graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English, and she received her MSW from the University of Michigan in Social Policy and Evaluation with a minor in Management of Human Services.
Job Titles:
- Director of Competencies & Credentials
Melissa Goldberg is the Director of Competencies & Credentials leading CSW's portfolio of work focused on dramatically expanding the use of competencies and non-degree credentials within learning and talent management systems to increase economic mobility for low-wage workers and address racial disparities. Melissa strives to position CSW as a leader in a growing national movement to advance the use of competencies as essential currency within education and labor markets using by building systems of incremental credentials, and ensuring competencies and nondegree credentials increase equity and worker advancement.
For more than 20 years, Melissa has advised state policy makers, industry executives and college leaders on leveraging the strengths of these sectors to improve outcomes for students, workers, and businesses. She has counseled community college workforce leaders on improving student outcomes, facilitated state and regional strategic planning efforts, authored studies of effective workforce development practices, and provided technical assistance to foundations, federal agencies, businesses, and community colleges across the country.
Prior to joining CSW, Melissa's work has taken her to national consulting organizations as well as higher educational institutions. At Southern New Hampshire University she leveraged her research to inform the development of College for America, a set of online, competency-based certificate and degree programs targeted to working adults. She also spent eight years leading workforce development and business outreach at community colleges in the New York metropolitan region. Melissa received her master's degree in public policy analysis from New York University's Wagner School for Public Service and her bachelor's degree in international affairs and Spanish from the University of Maine.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Associate
- Senior Research Associate for the Research
Naima Mohamed is CSW's Senior Research Associate for the Research and Evaluation team. She provides workforce development program related research and evaluation support across multiple CSW projects aimed at reducing poverty, increasing economic mobility for low-wage workers, and addressing racial disparities.
Naima is a public health and data advocate with diverse experiences in State and Federal government, consulting, and higher education. Before joining CSW and in federal government, Naima worked with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) within Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as an IT Management Analyst. At the State-level, Naima worked with Georgia State University, Health Policy Center as a Senior Research Associate. In addition, Naima was the Data Unit Director for child welfare and the Title V Senior Program Evaluator for maternal and child health programs at the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services and the Georgia Department of Public Health respectively. Since 2016, Naima has operated and managed Baakal Consulting as the Principal Consultant on various projects with non-profits and local community-based organizations. Before public service, Naima held various positions in higher education spanning 15 years with her last full-time post as Chair of the Social Science department and Assistant Professor of Liberal Arts at the College of New Rochelle, specializing in liberal arts curriculum in the social sciences and workforce skill development for adult learners.
Naima graduated from Alabama State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology; a Master of Liberal Arts in Sociology from Auburn University Montgomery; and a Master of Public Health in Maternal, Child, Reproductive, and Sexual Health from City University of New York (CUNY), Brooklyn College.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Workforce Development Consultant / Board Member
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Governance Committee
- Member of the Board
- VP, Finance & Operations
- VP, Finance & Operations, for the Understanding Group / Board Member
Ms. Weatherford currently serves as VP, Finance & Operations, for The Understanding Group, a Michigan-based information architecture consulting practice providing digital strategies, user experience testing and a range of information architecture and user experience consulting services to companies in the US and abroad.
Patricia is a Senior Policy Associate with CSW's Trauma and Resilience at Work team. The CSW Trauma and Resilience at Work team advances workplaces and workforces that are culturally responsive, trauma-informed, resilience-building, and supportive of mental well-being. CSW works with partners and stakeholders to reduce the stigma of trauma and mental health in workforce development and the workplace; educate employees at all levels within organizations on trauma, resilience, and mental health; advance trauma-informed, resilience-building, and mental health supportive organizations and companies; and promote policies and systems that codify and sustain this work.
Patricia has over fifteen years of experience in workforce development in various roles including as a funder, direct service provider, employer, capacity builder, and technical assistance provider. In her primary role at CSW, Patricia is supporting our deepened focus in trauma and resilience and will help lead an initiative with the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association to help the workforce system better leverage student financial aid.
Most recently, as an Associate Director at Jobs for the Future (JFF), her projects focused on inclusive apprenticeship and work-based learning models. Her portfolio at JFF and in prior roles has included strategic planning, leadership, implementation, training, and fiscal and project management for a variety of workforce development communities of practice, funders, and technical assistance efforts. Prior to JFF, Patricia managed the Commonwealth Workforce Coalition (CWC), a statewide capacity building program providing training, professional development, and peer learning opportunities for workforce staff. Patricia was also a Program Officer at SkillWorks at the Boston Foundation, a workforce funding collaborative. Her first workforce role was as an employment coordinator in a supported work program for adults with mental illness.
Patricia received her Master of Social Work degree from Boston College and a bachelor's degree in English and Sociology from the College of the Holy Cross.
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Research Associate at CSW
As a Research Associate at CSW, Rachel brings key competencies in research and evaluation, data collection, data analysis, competency groups and writing. She is a part of the Workforce Benchmarking Network and supports CSW's data work across other teams as well.
Rachel has experience in K-12 education having supported students at the classroom, administrative, and district levels. Most recently, Rachel helped open the Buckhead Atlanta, GA campus of Fusion Academy as the Assistant Director. As Assistant Director, Rachel was the academic lead on campus, responsible for supporting teachers in meeting the academic and social/emotional goals for students.
Previously, Rachel served as the Research Associate at The Windward School in NY. Working with the research team, Rachel analyzed school test data to validate programming and delivered research-based presentations at the annual conferences of the International Dyslexia Association, Everyone Reading, and the National Association of Independent Schools on educating students with dyslexia and other learning differences. Rachel is also a past fellow of Education Pioneers. Working on the City Team within the Office of Assessment for the NYC Department of Education, Rachel evaluated the efficacy of the first three years of the Specialized High School Admissions Test School Day program pilot.
Rachel attended Emory University where she double majored in Educational Studies and Sociology. She holds advanced degrees in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation and Sociology and Education from Boston College Lynch School of Education and Columbia University Teachers College, respectively.
Job Titles:
- Accountant
- CSW 's Staff Accountant
Rebecca Brown is CSW's staff accountant. She assists with the finance and accounting day to day processes including a comprehensive range of accounting inputs, reporting, and financial analysis. She joined CSW in 2022 and is excited to embark on a new chapter supporting the growing CSW team.
In her most recent experience, Rebecca was a Staff Accountant for Grupo Flor in Salinas, California. There, Rebecca was responsible for many accounting functions for this start-up company, such as month-end close, tracking cash flow, data/general ledger entry, financial reporting, accounts receivable, and providing actionable recommendations that support company profitability. Prior to joining Grupo Flor, Rebecca was a Communications Coordinator at Foothills Tennis and Swimming Club where she handled media relations, website refresh, and managed budgeting for equipment and inventory.
Rebecca graduated with a BFA in Game Design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and volunteers her time with several organizations that have an environmental focus.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chief Executive Officer of Workforce Professionals Training Institute
- President and CEO of Women Creating Change ( WCC ) Board Member
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- CSW in 1999 As the Business Manager
Sherri builds the organization's capacity to collect, analyze, report on and make decisions with and about financial data. She drives the organization's budget process, assesses progress against the budget, and informs the Board with key financial information. Sherri ensures that proposal and project budgets are sound and managed to maintain profitability.
Sherri joined CSW in 1999 as the Business Manager when the organization consisted of five employees. She has twice guided the company through a change in financial software, necessitating the development of new systems and reports, as well as training for employees.
As CSW grew, more people were required to satisfy the accounting needs. Sherri assumed the title of Director of Finance in 2006 and now supervises two associates. In addition, Sherri works with remote staff members and the IT Department to help ensure that reasonable expenditures are made to make use of new technology.
Sherri has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Central Michigan University, with a major in accounting.
Job Titles:
- Communications & Digital Content Manager
Taylor is the Communications and Digital Content Manager at CSW, working in partnership with staff to build CSW's external brand and identity and lead communication and marketing strategies. In that work, she uses culturally-responsive communication strategies to drive messaging related to CSW's focus on reducing poverty, increasing economic mobility for low-wage workers, and addressing racial disparities.
Taylor is a graphic designer and communications expert with a background in the social sciences. She is the owner of The Milk House Creative, offering services in logo and branding design, marketing, and communications strategy. Previously she was Innovation Operations Manager for Emergent Performance Solutions, where she developed training materials on the topics of leadership development and emotional intelligence as well as facilitated training workshops on effective communication. She has also held roles as Director of Marketing and Communications for LivingWell, a health foods store, and as an Editing Fellow for wikiHow.com
Taylor holds her MSc in Psychological Anthropology from Brunel University, London and her BA in Psychology from the University of Washington.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Strategy Committee
- Fellow
- Member of the Board
Todd Greene is an Institute fellow and the executive director of WorkRise, a research-to-action network on jobs, workers, and mobility hosted by the Urban Institute. Before joining Urban, Greene was executive director of the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC), the world's oldest and largest consortium of historically Black colleges and universities. There, he led a team that enhanced students' academic opportunities, forged interdisciplinary research, and catalyzed a broad economic development agenda. Under Greene's leadership, AUCC collaborated with and supported thought leadership and strategic innovation among each member institution and across the consortium.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer of the Newark Workforce Investment Board
- Consultant With the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
- Vice President of Operations and Strategy
As Vice President of Operations and Strategy, Travis leads the strategic development of high-impact workforce initiatives and organization level operations. He works to ensure that people and processes are in place to effectively design and execute strategies that align with CSW's mission and values.
Prior to joining CSW, Travis was the Strategy Lead for the Pathways and Skills Collaboratives, an effort funded by the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development. In collaboration with industry, workforce, and education partners, he helped to develop fourteen pathways in four sectors, creating talent pipelines for businesses and economic mobility opportunities for residents. At the conclusion of a successful pilot, the state allocated $8.5m to grow and sustain the initiative, marking a significant return on investment. Travis also led the Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Collaborative, a million-dollar contract with the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development to facilitate statewide apprenticeship growth.
Travis is a consultant with the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development at Rutgers University and has helped raise over $1M to support Black and Latino small businesses. Travis' efforts have helped to expand access to capital for minority owned companies during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic; connect MWBE's to contracting opportunities with anchor institutions through the Ascend Newark initiative; and support the launch of the Black and Latino Angel Investment Fund of NJ.
Prior to these engagements, Travis lent his operational, strategy and data expertise to government, K-12 education, and non-profit organizations. He successfully led budgeting; strategic planning; and staff development processes, increasing the functionality of organizations by expanding core competencies in policy, performance measurement and talent acquisition.
During his tenure as Chief Operating Officer of the Newark Workforce Investment Board, Travis drove job-growth initiatives by implementing a strategic plan that aligned with state and municipal workforce development plans and employer-focused partnerships for in-demand jobs. At YouthBuild Newark, Travis cultivated key external partnerships and set long- and short-term financial goals to ensure organizational efficiency and sustainability for what has become the Newark Youth Opportunity Network. As Newark Public School's Director of External Affairs, Travis oversaw a district-wide student enrollment audit process and strengthened relationships between the district's advisory board and the administration. At the City of Newark, Travis played several key roles, including Policy Advisor to the Business Administrator, coordinating a diverse portfolio of federally funded projects totaling over $141m in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants.
Travis earned his BA from Connecticut College and a MPA from Baruch College, where he was a National Urban Fellow. Travis also holds certificates in Public Performance Measurement and Non-Profit Executive Leadership from Rutgers University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Trauma and Resilience at Work
Vickie Choitz is the Director of Trauma and Resilience at Work. The CSW Trauma and Resilience at Work team advances workplaces and workforces that are culturally responsive, trauma-informed, healing-centered, resilience-building, and supportive of mental well-being. CSW works with partners and stakeholders to reduce the stigma of trauma and mental health in workforce development and the workplace; educate employees at all levels within organizations on trauma, resilience, and mental health; advance trauma-informed, resilience-building, and mental health supportive organizations and companies; and promote policies and systems that codify and sustain this work.
Prior to joining CSW, Vickie was a national consultant, working with CSW, Jobs for the Future, American Council on Education, and others to improve economic opportunity for people from low-income backgrounds. Over the last 20 years, her content focus has been on workforce development, adult education, postsecondary education, and improving the quality of jobs. Vickie has worked at national nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC, Boston, and Chicago, including the Aspen Institute, the Center for Law and Social Policy, Jobs for the Future, the Council for Adult and Experiential Education, and FutureWorks. Vickie has a masters degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Secondary Education from Kansas State University.