National Talent Collaborative

After three years leading the U.S. Economic Development Administration, I leave the Biden Administration with great pride of the transformational investments made in communities across the U.S. I now start a new chapter of my career with an opportunity to share my insights and experience with students and support their journey into public service. Excited to be an Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School fellow-in-residence tackling the issues impacting us today: "Can Our Democracy and National Security Survive the Next Tech Revolution? Unpacking America’s Big Bet on Place-Based Economic Growth." Thank you to the amazing EDA team for their incredible dedication and work. Grateful for all your work.

This week, the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Economic Development Administration announced a new Good Jobs Challenge funding notice targeted at creating jobs in critical industries like advanced energy, biotech, robotics, semiconductors and more, including jobs that do not require a 4 year degree. 📅 Deadline: Sept 27th 📰 Read more: http://bit.ly/4cXuf47 #GoodJobsChallenge #EconomicDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment #JobsTraining #AmericanRescuePlan

Incredible week at the Innovative Capital Summit hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Special Competitiveness Studies Project. The Summit brought together Tech Hubs and NSF Engines designees and private capital providers. It featured regional pitches and comments by Secretary Raimondo, Alejandra Castillo, Chuck Schumer, Lael Brainard and other leaders. Three things were clear: 1) there is incredible ingenuity and opportunity ready to be unleashed in all parts of our country; 2) investing in technologies of the future is a both an economic and national security imperative; 3) we need to fully fund the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act. Congratulations to the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Economic Development Administration team Eric Smith, Rory Slatko, Edwina Manyeh, Pete Langlois, Jacob Wildfire, and Timothy Ford for their leadership in orchestrating an impactful event.

Now Open | Good Jobs Challenge Notice of Funding Opportunity This new FY24 investment will support sectoral partnerships for high-quality, locally led workforce training programs across America. #GoodJobsChallenge 📄 https://bit.ly/4cXuf47

This week, team members Peggy Wolff and Francesca Ioffreda attended the Jobs for the Future (JFF) Horizons conference to learn, share, and meet with leaders on talent development and career pathway approaches, cross-sector partnerships, and economic mobility strategies.

Too many young people are graduating from high school without clarity about where they are going or how they will get there. And with the vast array of choices available, it is particularly challenging for young people and their parents who want to explore nondegree options. That's why we were so excited to announce the brand new American Student Assistance Center for Career Navigation at Jobs for the Future (JFF) this week at #JFFHorizons! #ASAJFFChartYourPath The center will empower young people, ages 16-24, to better understand and navigate quality education and career pathways after high school by providing access to resources and opportunities that will lead them to meaningful, quality jobs, with a goal of reaching 20 million young learners by 2030. To achieve this, the center will raise awareness about career navigation and high-quality nondegree pathways for young people through convening thought leaders, market research, and advocating for key federal and state policy changes. Ultimately, these efforts will culminate in the development of a comprehensive, free digital platform designed to guide young people in exploring  education and career paths that do not require a college degree. Our decision to invest $25 million to create the ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF and support its North Star goal demonstrates our confidence that with this new center and our partnership, we can vastly improve learners’ ability to navigate the education and career options available to them. We invite employers, learning providers, workforce organizations, funders, policymakers, and others to join us with your ideas, skills, experience, and resources to build a future where all young people nationwide can access a variety of quality learning pathways that they are confident will lead to future success. Thank you to Maria Flynn and the wonderful team at JFF for their partnership in bringing this center to life. Check out the center here ➡ https://lnkd.in/etYDMCxu and please share far and wide!

On Tues 7/23 Assistant Secretary Alejandra Y. Castillo joins Jobs for the Future (JFF) and others for the Horizons 2024 Summit to discuss EDA's work supporting inclusive growth and workforce development across America. #JFFHorizons

This week, EDA welcomes leaders from all 31 Designated Tech Hubs and stakeholders like the NSF Engines in Washington DC for a Capital Convening to foster collaboration and innovation. #EDATechHubs #EconomicDevelopment #InvestingInAmerica

After much anticipation, the Tech Hub winners have been announced! Check out our latest The Brookings Institution reflections on the awardees and what's next with my colleagues Mark Muro and Joe Parilla. 12 Hubs across diverse U.S. regions, technologies, and institutions will receive implementation grants of between $19m and $51m to scale critical technologies and accelerate inclusive regional economic growth. As they move from vision to execution, governance and coordination will be key to delivering on these big bets. #TechHubs #Innovation