2023 Connecticut Workforce Summit: Leveraging Public-Private Solutions
Connecticut’s facing a workforce crisis—while the state has 100,000 job openings, our labor force, down more than 44,000 people since March 2020, can only fill two-thirds of those positions.
Addressing this crisis, the greatest threat to our economic growth prospects, requires a range of solutions and approaches and broad collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The 2023 Connecticut Workforce Summit featured key stakeholders from industry, education, community-based organizations, and the public sector working together to build a skilled and diverse workforce that meets the needs of the state’s economy.
Summit speakers included Opportunity@Work founder and CEO Byron Auguste and Jobs for the Future’s Tameshia Bridges Mansfield, who explored innovative ideas and best practices for real-world, collaborative, and solutions-oriented approaches.
The conference emphasizes partnerships that strengthen, enrich, and expand public-private ecosystems and ensure all individuals, especially those from historically underserved communities, can access the necessary training, education, and support to pursue meaningful, rewarding careers.
AGENDA
8 am | Networking & Breakfast
9 am | Welcome Remarks
- Chris DiPentima, President & CEO, CBIA
- Kelli-Marie Vallieres, Chief Workforce Officer, Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy; Vice Chair, Governor’s Workforce Council
9:15 am | Economic Mobility: Challenges & Opportunities
- Introduction: Mark Argosh, Executive Director, Social Venture Partners Connecticut; Chair, Governor’s Workforce Council
- Byron Auguste, CEO & Co-Founder, Opportunity@Work
10 am | Building a Partnership-Driven Ecosystem
- Moderator: Terrence Cheng, President, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities
- Michelle Gilman, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Administrative Services
- Robert Griffiths, VP, Quality, Pratt & Whitney
- John Schwartz, SVP, Human Resources, Trinity Health
- Garrett Sheehan, President & CEO, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
11 am | Networking Break
11:15 am | Good Jobs: Innovation & System Transformation
- Introduction: Tom Daugherty, Managing Partner, KPMG
- Tameshia Bridges Mansfield, VP, Workforce & Regional Economies, Jobs for the Future
12 noon | Career Pathways: The Student Perspective
- Introduction: Charlene Russell-Tucker, Commissioner, Connecticut State Department of Education
- U.S. Department of Education Deputy Assistant Secretary Luke Rhine talks with students Liberty Blanco (Weaver High School), Gabrielle Hendricks (East Hartford High School), Bryan Ortiz (Hartford Public High School), Julia Revellese (Quinebaug Community College), Luis Sánchez-Chiriboga (Northwestern Connecticut Community College), and Gov. Ned Lamont.
12:45 pm | Networking Lunch
- How States Can Lead on Workforce Development: Luke Rhine, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Career, Technical & Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
1:45 pm | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access: At Work & in the Community
- Moderator: Nicole Murdoch, Director, DEI Committee Eastern Massachusetts & Connecticut, CGI
- Wes Alexander, VP, Workforce Solutions, The Travelers Group
- George Anderson, SVP, Chief Learning Officer, Synchrony Financial
- Dr. Monette Ferguson, Executive Director, Alliance for Community Empowerment
- Joseph Gianni, Market President, Hartford Region, Bank of America
2:45 pm | Roundtable Discussions
- Introduction: Shannon Marimón, Executive Director, ReadyCT
3:30 pm | 2023 Commitments
4 pm | Networking Reception
Fri, Apr 21, 2023
9:00am – 4:00pm
The 2023 Connecticut Workforce Summit was a collaboration between CBIA, Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, Governor’s Workforce Council, ReadyCT, and Social Venture Partners Connecticut and made possible through the generous support of CGI and KPMG with additional support from Wells Fargo.
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