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Across the country, a broad group of leaders have come together to support the adoption and expansion of Registered Apprenticeship. Whether in a statehouse, legislature, or a related committee, these elected and appointed officials are working tirelessly in support of these important workforce programs. This discussion will gather insights from state-based leaders on their approach to expanding apprenticeship in their communities and how it uniquely empowers business and workers in their region.
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Secretary Jessica Looman | Commonwealth of Virginia
Speaker
The Honorable Jessica K. Looman brings extensive experience leading agencies and organizations focused on protecting workers, expanding economic security, and advancing workforce development initiatives to Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger’s administration. As Secretary of Labor, she is responsible for the strategic alignment of Virginia’s state agencies responsible for worker wage and safety protections (DOLI), occupational licensing (DPOR), unemployment insurance (VEC) and workforce development (Virginia Works) serving more than 4.5 million Virginians at 300,000 workplaces across the Commonwealth.
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Secretary Lauren Jones | Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Speaker
Secretary Lauren Jones brings over two decades of experience working in local and state government, non-profits, and the private sector, with a particular focus on workforce development. Prior to joining the Healey-Driscoll Administration, Jones served as Executive Vice President of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and led the organization’s workforce development policy and strategy. She previously led the Massachusetts market for the non-profit Apprenti, where she worked with companies to cultivate and diversify tech talent through registered apprenticeships. She also created and led the Business Strategy Unit for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s Office of Economic Development, supporting business attraction and employer engagement in the city of Boston. Prior to that, she held several roles in the Patrick-Murray Administration.
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Meredith Smith | Alabama Office of Apprenticeship
Speaker
Meredith Smith is the Director of the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship (AOA), where she leads statewide efforts to expand apprenticeship as a strategic solution to workforce challenges. With a focus on outcomes over inputs, Meredith works to connect Alabamians with the skills they need to meet employer demands and build long-term, rewarding careers. In her role, she partners closely with employers to design and implement training programs that address critical workforce gaps. She also leads initiatives to identify, scale, and sustain effective work-based learning strategies that benefit both workers and employers. Meredith oversees the certification of high-quality pre-apprenticeship programs, ensuring they align with industry standards and offer clear, supportive pathways to employment.
A former educator, Meredith brings a deep commitment to lifelong learning and career development. She is a graduate of the University of Montevallo and lives in Birmingham with her family.
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Portia Wu | Maryland Department of Labor
Speaker
Portia Wu serves as the Secretary of Labor for the State of Maryland, appointed by Governor Wes Moore. Previously she was Managing Director of U.S. Public Policy at Microsoft, where she focused on the future of work in emerging fields like cybersecurity and sustainability. She has been championing apprenticeship for many years, going back to her time when she served as Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the U.S. Department of Labor under President Obama.
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Rachel Lipson | Project on Workforce at Harvard University
Moderator
Rachel Lipson is a Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, a Resident Scholar at the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, and a non-resident senior fellow at Brookings Metro. Previously, Rachel was a senior advisor on workforce for the $52 billion federal investment in semiconductor manufacturing at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Program Office. Prior to joining government, she served as the founding director of the Project on Workforce at Harvard. Rachel is the co-editor of America’s Hidden Economic Engines and author of the forthcoming Fall ‘26 book The New American Frontier: Job Training for the Next Technological Age.
Apprenticeships for America (AFA) & IBM convened business leaders from across industries to form the Business-Led Apprenticeship Solutions Team (BLAST). Through a series of Design Thinking Sessions, the Team developed a first-ever business-led action plan that fosters rapid Registered Apprenticeship adoption, implementation, and expansion. This session will reveal the Team's findings and discuss their potential impact.
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Roger Collins | Cushman & Wakefield
Speaker
Roger Collins is the Senior Workforce Planning and Apprenticeship Specialist at Cushman & Wakefield; a global real estate services company. Before beginning his current position, Mr. Collins served Siemens Energy as the Apprenticeship Manager and Technical Training Specialist. Prior to Siemens, Mr. Collins worked with Philip Morris U.S.A. and Newport News Shipbuilding as a machinist and machining supervisor. He is a graduate of The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding and a Journeyman Machinist. Collins is the current Chairman of the North Carolina apprenticeship council and serves as Treasurer and Board member of the American Apprenticeship Round Table. He has served the Charlotte region as a former member of the Charlotte Works Board of Directors, and has served The United States as former Chairman of the State Apprenticeship Council Alliance, an advisory group to the US Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship.
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Beca Driscoll | Accenture
Speaker
Beca Driscoll serves as the Future Talent Lead for Accenture US & Canada, an innovation-led global professional services company. She is the Director of the company’s Apprenticeship Program, launched in 2016. She specializes in designing and scaling apprenticeship and earn‑and‑learn models, with a focus on addressing persistent talent gaps and building accessible pathways to high‑quality careers. Her work includes talent strategy for Accenture, as well as advising other employers, intermediaries, community partners and public‑private partnerships across technology, advanced manufacturing and other industries. Beca’s background spans strategy consulting, corporate social responsibility, and nonprofit strategy. She lives outside Boston with her partner and two young kids.
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Francheska Feliciano | Aon
Speaker
In her current role as the Director of Talent Pathways & Strategic Partnerships, Francheska leads the strategic oversight of Aon’s U.S. Apprenticeship Program, Apprentice Network, and talent acquisition efforts. She partners closely with external workforce and education partners and collaborates with internal talent leaders, apprentices, and people managers to ensure the program’s continued growth and scalability, with the right tools and support in place for all stakeholders. Her background spans workforce development operations, business development, partner collaboration, and organizational leadership. Prior to joining Aon, she spent nearly 16 years in the nonprofit sector managing grant-funded workforce programs serving low-income and dislocated workers across Chicagoland. Her work included overseeing operations out of American Job Centers, driving strategic planning and onboarding, supporting expansion into new locations, and developing targeted outreach and recruitment strategies.
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Dr. Bridgett Willey | UW Health WorkForward
Speaker
Dr. Bridgett Willey is the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for the UW Health WorkForward and the founder and former director of Allied Health Education and Career Pathways at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin. Dr. Willey also serves as adjunct clinical faculty at the UW–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. She established the Health Occupations and Professions Exploration (HOPE) Program in 2013, which engages high school and college students in exploring healthcare careers through mentorship, internships, and apprenticeships and has served over 6500 students to date.
At UW Health, Dr. Willey has led the design and implementation of innovative education and workforce pathways, including the nation’s first Registered Nursing, Respiratory Therapy and Surgical Technology apprenticeships, which award both college degrees and transferable credentials. Recognized nationally as an expert in healthcare workforce development and apprenticeship, she frequently shares her expertise with diverse audiences across the country. In addition to her leadership at UW Health, Dr. Willey contributes to numerous regional, state, and national committees focused on strengthening connections between education, workforce development, and scalable apprenticeship opportunities. Her work continues to expand equitable access to healthcare careers while addressing critical frontline workforce needs.
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Jenn Ji | International Business Machines Corporation
Moderator
Jenn Ji is a business leader with 20+ years of experience advising Fortune 50 and public sector organizations on strategy and large‑scale transformation. She has led enterprise initiatives such as IBM’s global HR transformations impacting 250,000+ employees. Leveraging this experience, Jenn advances public‑private partnerships that drive workforce development through skills‑first talent strategies. Under her leadership, IBM has expanded opportunity in economically challenged regions - creating not just jobs for individuals but also economic growth for communities. Jenn brings a pragmatic, future‑focused perspective on how skills-first hiring – apprenticeships – and a skills-first culture can unlock the next generation of talent at scale.
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Michelle Sims | YUPRO Placement
Introductory Speaker
Michelle Sims is CEO of YUPRO Placement, a subsidiary of the nonprofit Year Up United. Michelle leads this mission-driven staffing firm to advance skills-first hiring and expand economic mobility for talent historically overlooked from traditional hiring practices. She heads efforts to strengthen the connection between workforce development programs, forward-thinking employers, and career-ready professionals prepared through alternative training pathways. Michelle advocates for practical policy and business strategies that expand access to opportunity while strengthening the competitiveness of American employers.
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Eric Westphal | Year Up United
Introductory Speaker
Eric Westphal is Chief Operating Officer at Year Up United, where he oversees training pathways and operational infrastructure across more than 20 markets. Appointed in 2024, he brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in workforce strategy, operations, and economic development, with a focus on expanding economic opportunity through skills-first career pathways.
Before joining Year Up United, Eric served as Global Workforce Strategy and Economic Development Leader at Cognizant, leading large-scale workforce initiatives and founding the Cognizant U.S. Foundation, which secured $100 million to support technology education and skills-building programs nationwide. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Deloitte and served on the board of Per Scholas. Eric holds degrees from Providence College and Fordham University.
AI is rapidly shifting labor markets and workplace skills. This session will survey the landscape, profile the work of apprenticeship programs working on and with AI, and offer actionable recommendations for apprenticeship efforts in all occupations.
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Jennifer Carlson | Apprenti
Speaker
Jennifer Carlson is the Chief Executive Officer of Apprenti and a senior-level general manager and business strategist with 20+ years of experience leading workforce and talent initiatives. She is nationally recognized for advancing access to high-growth careers by aligning employer needs with apprenticeship and training models. As a nonprofit founder with over a decade of leadership experience, Jennifer has successfully scaled mission-driven organizations, built cross-sector partnerships, and delivered measurable outcomes. Her expertise spans business strategy, product development, and talent development, with a proven ability to translate vision into sustainable systems that expand opportunity while driving organizational performance, business and human outcomes.
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Philip Minardi | BuildWithin
Speaker
Philip Minardi is Co-Founder of BuildWithin, a venture-backed startup building AI-powered workforce infrastructure that helps employers and government agencies design, launch, and manage registered apprenticeships and scale skills-based hiring. BuildWithin operates across sectors including AI, renewable energy, manufacturing, hospitality, and quantum computing, partnering with public-sector leaders, Fortune 500 companies, and regional coalitions to close critical skills gaps.
Before BuildWithin, Philip held senior roles in federal government and the private sector, including Expedia Group and the United States Congress, with a career focused on translating emerging innovation into real-world outcomes. He served as founding co-chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Technology Engagement Center, co-chair of the Bay Area Council’s Future of Workforce Committee, and on the Board of the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Philip lives in Chicago with his wife and two children.
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Brent Parton | CareerWise USA
Speaker
Brent Parton is the President of CareerWise USA, leading strategic partnerships, community engagement, and growth, with a focus on expanding CareerWise’s largest market, New York City. He brings extensive experience in workforce development and public service, including leadership roles in the Obama and Biden-Harris Administrations. Most recently, Brent served as Acting Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, overseeing over $3 billion in annual federal workforce investments. He has also led research and initiatives at New America, the National Governors Association, and the World Bank. Brent holds degrees from Vanderbilt University and lives in Washington, D.C.
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Dr. Raoul-Gabriel Urma | Cambridge Spark
Speaker
Dr. Raoul-Gabriel Urma is Founder and Group CEO of Cambridge Spark, a UK-based AI and data workforce development company that partners with major employers including Lloyds Banking Group, the FCA, and others to deliver apprenticeships, executive education and corporate training at scale. Under his leadership, Cambridge Spark has become one of the UK's leading providers of government-funded AI and data apprenticeships, training thousands of professionals across Levels 3 through 7 and pioneering new standards including the Level 4 AI Workflow Specialist.
Raoul holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge, completed Harvard Business School's Owner/President Management program, and is currently pursuing an Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of the international bestseller "Modern Java in Action", chairs the YPO global AI and Machine Learning group, and hosts the "Data and AI Mastery" podcast, where he interviews senior leaders shaping the future of AI in the enterprise.
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Nathan Bomey | Axios
Moderator
Nathan Bomey is a business reporter for Axios and author of the Axios Closer newsletter on the biggest business news of the day. He is also a former reporter for USA Today and the Detroit Free Press. Nathan is the author of three nationally published nonfiction books and producer/writer of "Gradually, Then Suddenly: The Bankruptcy of Detroit," winner of the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.
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Mike Monroe | North America's Building Trades Union
Introductory Speaker
As a fourth-generation union leader, Mike Monroe currently serves as Chief of Staff at North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), a position he has held since 2012. Prior to that, Mike joined the Building Trades as Director of Government Affairs in 2008. NABTU, affiliated with the AFL-CIO, represents over 3 million workers and their families in the United States and Canada to ensure that construction workers achieve a powerful voice on the job, in government, in bargaining, and in their communities. In his capacity at NABTU, Monroe has also advised a number of national labor leaders including current AFL-CIO President Elizabeth H. Shuler.
The Trump Administration has repeatedly highlighted Registered Apprenticeship as a sustainable and effective workforce solution by the Trump administration. In a joint report from the Departments of Commerce, Education, and Labor, Registered Apprenticeship was cited as a key industry-driven talent development model. Leaders from across the federal government will explore how the current administration is helping to support and expand apprenticeship.
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Marek Laco | US Department of Labor
Speaker
Marek Laco currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. He most recently led workforce development policy as a professional staff member for the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the U.S. House of Representatives. Marek also worked for several members of Congress and spent time at the U.S. Department of Education during the first Trump Administration before serving as deputy chief of staff for Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21). He began his career as a high school teacher and football coach in Jacksonville, Florida.
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David Langdon | US Department of Commerce
Speaker
David Langdon has served as a policy advisor and economist to senior federal officials in both Democratic and Republican administrations. He has been Deputy Director of Policy at the U.S. Department of Commerce since June 2021, managing the policy team and advising the Secretary and other senior leaders on workforce, economic development, and statistical policy.
Previously, David served as Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Secretary and as Senior Economist in the Economics and Statistics Administration at Commerce. Earlier, he was a Senior Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor and began his federal career in 1998 as an Economist in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics program. David studied as a Fulbright Scholar at the Universidad de Sevilla and is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Lauren Kaori Gurley | Washington Post
Moderator
Lauren Kaori Gurley is the labor reporter for The Washington Post. Her coverage focuses on the blue-collar workforce, the labor market, and unions. Before joining The Post, she covered labor and tech at Vice Media and worked as a researcher at The New Republic. She led The Post’s coverage of the United Auto Workers strikes in 2023, reporting that was recognized as a finalist for a Gerald Loeb award. Her stories on child labor violations in the fast-food industry received a Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing award last year. She grew up in California and has reported from 16 states.
How can public policy and legislation help drive the expansion of Registered Apprenticeships? Nowhere is that question more relevant than in Maryland — one of the fastest-growing apprenticeship states in the country — where state leadership and legislative action are helping accelerate apprenticeship growth across industries. This plenary will explore how lawmakers are using policy to expand employer participation, strengthen intermediary infrastructure, and modernize apprenticeships to meet economic and labor market demands. The discussion will highlight how strategic investments, legislative reforms, and public leadership can help scale apprenticeships as a mainstream education and economic development strategy for the future.
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Senator Cory McCray | Maryland Senate
Speaker
Cory McCray is a Maryland State Senator representing the 45th Legislative District in Baltimore City, where he is committed to expanding opportunity, strengthening communities, and delivering real results for working families.
A proud son of Baltimore, Senator McCray began his career as an electrical apprentice and now stands as a journeyman electrician—bringing a working-class perspective to public service that is rare in legislative spaces. He is the only member of the Maryland General Assembly to have completed a registered apprenticeship, and his lived experience continues to shape his work in workforce development, education, and economic mobility.
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Congressman Johnny Olszewski | United States Congress
Speaker
Congressman Johnny “Johnny O” Olszewski, Jr. proudly serves Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District, encompassing much of Baltimore County, Carroll County, and key communities within Baltimore City. A lifelong Marylander deeply committed to public service, Congressman Olszewski brings a proven record of leadership, advocacy, and transformative governance to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Beginning his career as a dedicated public-school teacher, Congressman Olszewski swiftly rose through the ranks of Maryland politics. As a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for over nine years, he earned distinction as the youngest lawmaker ever to chair Baltimore County’s House delegation. His legislative legacy includes championing earned sick leave, spearheading a minimum wage increase, and casting a pivotal vote that secured marriage equality in Maryland—demonstrating his unwavering commitment to fairness for all families.
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Jim Rosapepe | Maryland Senate
Speaker
Jim Rosapepe has served in the Maryland Senate since 2007 and is widely recognized as a leading voice on workforce development, economic competitiveness, and Registered Apprenticeships. Representing Maryland’s 21st District, Senator Rosapepe has played a key leadership role in advancing apprenticeship policy and expanding pathways into high-demand careers across the state. He was a leading force behind the creation of Maryland’s Apprenticeship 2030 Commission, which developed a statewide strategy to scale Registered Apprenticeships and strengthen workforce alignment with employer demand. Senator Rosapepe has consistently championed investments in career and technical education, employer engagement, and workforce innovation as part of Maryland’s broader economic development strategy. In addition to his legislative leadership, he serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Romania under President Bill Clinton.
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Heather Long | Navy Federal Credit Union
Moderator
Heather Long is chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. She is widely known for spotting trends early and making economics accessible and engaging for all. Prior to Navy Federal, she worked at an investment firm in London and was an award-winning economics reporter at The Washington Post, CNN and her hometown paper, The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa. Heather is a also regular contributor to Marketplace Radio and writes the “Everyday Economics” Substack. She holds master’s degrees in financial economics and Medieval Literature from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.
