2026 Connecticut Workforce Summit: Reimagining Career Pathways

The 2026 Connecticut Workforce Summit connected business, education, government, and nonprofit leaders to discuss rapidly evolving talent needs and the programs and initiatives that will create long-term, sustainable career pathways.

The event featured bestselling author and generational expert Mark Perna, who has devoted his career to uncovering the secrets of younger generations and empowering parents, educators, and employers to understand and motivate them at a new level.

The CBIA Foundation for Economic Growth & Opportunity released the Connecticut Workforce & Education Blueprint, with General Dynamics Electric Boat’s Willy Barber, former U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, and Economic Leadership’s Katherine Saunders breaking down the report and discussing solutions for better aligning education with employer demand.

ReadyCT executive director Shannon Marimón hosted a series of presentations showcasing the perspectives of young people participating in current Connecticut career pathway programs.

The summit also featured eight comprehensive breakout sessions highlighting a broad array of workforce development initiatives and programs. 

Agenda

7:30 am | Networking Breakfast 

8:30 am | Opening Remarks 

• Governor Ned Lamont
• Chris DiPentima, President & CEO, CBIA  
• Kelli-Marie Vallieres, Chief Workforce Officer, Office of Workforce Strategy
• Ryan Drajewicz, Chair, Governor’s Workforce Council; Head of External Affairs & Communications, Bridgewater Associates 

9 am | Career Pathways: Aligning Business, Education, Government 

• Mark Perna, CEO, TFS Results 

10 am | Connecticut’s Talent Pipeline: Workforce & Education Blueprint 

• Introduction: Matt McSpedon, Managing Director & Market Executive, JPMorgan
• Moderator: Dustin Nord, Director, CBIA Foundation for Economic Growth & Opportunity
• William Barber, Chief of Workforce Development, General Dynamics Electric Boat 
• Miguel Cardona, President, Cardona Solutions
• Katherine Saunders, Partner, Head of Strategy & Leadership, Economic Leadership

10:45 am | Networking Break 

11:05 am | Breakout Sessions 

• Session A | Stackable Opportunity Pathways: OWLL-Workplace Model 
  Southern Connecticut State University’s Office of Workforce & Lifelong Learning and The WorkPlace are bridging higher education and workforce systems to meet regional labor market needs. Learn how the collaboration integrates employer-aligned training and wraparound supports to create stackable, credential-based learning pathways that empower disengaged youth ages 18–24 and underemployed adults to access careers in tech, business, and emerging industries. This replicable model has served more than 400 learners, with many now earning salaries exceeding $70,000. (Presenters: Amy Feest, Senior Director Office of Workforce & Lifelong Learning, Southern Connecticut State University; Mark Lazarus, Program Manager, The WorkPlace; Taevon Walker, OWLL Learner & Trainer; Electrician, Ducci Electrical Contractors)

• Session B | Look What Can Happen: Industry Leaders Drive Curricula, Talent Development 
  This session features the innovative work of Regional Sector Partnerships, including one newly launched in architecture, engineering, and construction that has made significant progress benefitting employers in the region, and one in manufacturing that created METAL, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at providing specialized training in the metal finishing industry. In this interactive session, RSP leaders share how businesses can work collaboratively to drive talent development and address additional industry wide issues. (Presenters: Catherine Awwad, President & CEO, Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board; Beth Dupont, Chief Human Resource Officer, O&G Industries; George LaCapra, President, UniMetal Surface Finishing LLC)

• Session C | Three Pathways, One System: Preparing Students Through Pre-Apprenticeships, Credentials 
  Stamford Public Schools’ coordinated system of career-connected learning opportunities prepares high school students for employment in high‑demand fields. This session spotlights three real‑world pathway models—construction, healthcare, and hospitality—and demonstrates how a public school district can partner with training providers and community organizations to benefit students, employers, and the regional workforce. (Presenters: Dr. Claudia Berlage, Assistant Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment, Stamford Public Schools; Simone Byron, President & Founder, Navigate Foundation; Miguel Fuentes, Union Carpenter, Carpenters Local 326; Daniel Kraus, Executive Director, Excel Academy; Adam Scianna, Teacher on Special Assignment for Career Pathways, Stamford Public Schools)

• Session D | Clinical Without Walls, Classrooms Without Limits: Reimagining Health Career Pathways 
  In this hands-on session, the Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce introduces a bold redesign for nursing: a pre-K to career talent pipeline and learning model that brings employers and real-world skills development into schools, libraries, cultural institutions, and other community spaces. Participants will work through a collaborative design sprint to identify barriers, rethink access, and reimagine an inclusive pathway aligned to workforce needs and employer demand. (Presenters: Tina Loarte-Rodriguez, Executive Director, The Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce; Andrea Murrell, Director of Nursing, Cornell Scott Hill Health Center; Courtney Vose, SVP & Chief Nursing Officer, Yale New Haven Hospital)

12:05 pm | Networking Lunch

1 pm | CSCU Forward

• John Maduko, Chancellor, Connecticut State Colleges & Universities

1:15 pm | Career Pathways: Program Participant Perspectives 

• Moderator: Shannon Marimón, Executive Director, ReadyCT
• Leila Silveira, Class of 2029, Tunxis Community College
• Bryan Ortiz-Chevalier, Central Connecticut State University, Class of 2028 
• Chase Beattie, Welder, General Dynamics Electric Boat
• Levi Fitzpatrick, CT State Community College, Class of 2027
• Sarah Wol, New Britain High School, Class of 2026
• Sophia Chen, Norwalk High School, Class of 2027

2 pm | Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker

2:05 pm | Breakout Sessions 

• Session A | Disrupting Tradition: Transforming the High School Experience 
  Danbury Public Schools’ wall-to-wall academy and career pathway model disrupts traditional comprehensive high school structures and reimagines secondary education for the modern learner. In this session, participants will examine how intentional leadership, coherent systems design, and authentic community partnerships can transform high schools into future-ready learning environments aligned to workforce demands, postsecondary success, and student agency. (Presenters: Kara Casimiro, Superintendent, Danbury Public Schools; Daniel Donovan, Principal, Danbury High School; Meghan Martins, Associate Principal, Danbury High School; Melissa Nadeau, Teacher, Danbury High School; Elise Tobin Samaha, Career & Technical Education Department Head, Danbury High School)

• Session B | Speaking the Same Language on AI: Interactive Industry Breakout 
  The Business-Higher Education Forum’s partnership with industry leaders creates a practical way to think about the skills needed in an AI-enabled workplace. The AI-Enabled Professional Framework defines seven core competencies, including AI literacy, critical thinking, and ethics, and maps how these skills evolve across career levels, from aspiring learner to executive leader. In this interactive session, participants will apply the framework, exploring the roles and career levels most affected by AI and the competencies that matter most in today’s jobs. (Moderator: Candace Williams, Senior Director, Business-Higher Education Forum. Presenters: Joanne Borduas, President & CEO, Community Health & Wellness Center; Jessica Burdaki, HR Manager, Wire Products Group; Noel Garrett, Dean of Academic Support & Executive Director, Academic Resource Center, Connecticut College; Nathanael McLaughlin, Management Consultant Manager, Accenture; Jennifer Ricker, Associate Director, Office of Workforce & Lifelong Learning, Southern Connecticut State University; Nancy Taylor, Director of Workforce Development, Charter Oak State College

• Session C | Attract, Train, Retain: Collaborative Employer-Driven Workforce Development Strategies 
  In this session, leaders across the healthcare workforce development ecosystem, including employers, educators, policymakers, training providers, and community partners, share how greater alignment and shared action can build a sustainable workforce in today’s tight labor market. Participants will learn how to align with key stakeholders to attract talent and implement transformative employer-driven solutions that support a resilient, inclusive healthcare workforce. (Moderator: Marcia Proto, Principal, Marcia Proto Consulting. Presenters: Salvador Bondoc, Dean, School of Nursing, Allied Health & Human Services, CT State Community College; Kathleen Gallo, Principal, KG Associates; Member, Nuvance Health Board of Directors; Peter Yoo, Chief Academic Officer, Hartford HealthCare); Melissa Woodhouse, Chief Operating Officer, RVNAhealth 

• Session D | From Handshake to On-Ramp: Building a One-Year Manufacturing Partnership Pipeline 
  Demand for skilled manufacturing talent is urgent, but many learners lack exposure, confidence, and clarity about career pathways. This session presents a replicable, industry-driven workforce pipeline model developed through a year-long partnership between MakerspaceCT and TRUMPF, a global leader in advanced manufacturing. Emphasis is placed on moving from conversation to action, turning employer relationships into structured, time-bound pipelines that can mature into apprenticeships, hiring pathways, and long-term workforce solutions adaptable across sectors and regions. (Presenters: Aileen Charland, Executive Assistant to the President & CEO, TRUMPF, Inc.; Cole Grosner, Director of Education, MakerspaceCT; David Weinholtz, Development Officer, MakerspaceCT)

3:05 pm | Adjourn