Hudson County Workforce Leadership Academy to Hold ‘Meet the Fellows Reception’

October 21, 2019

The event will take place on Tuesday evening, with all 19 of the 2019-2020 Fellows present.

 

October 21, 2019, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) will host the Hudson County Workforce Leadership Academy (HCWLA) “Meet the Fellows Reception” on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. The event will take place at the College’s Culinary Conference Center, 161 Newkirk street in Jersey City, NJ. The reception will provide invited guests with the opportunity to hear about the Fellows’ experiences, celebrate their work, and network with workforce industry colleagues.

A 12-month fellowship developed through a partnership with the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, the HCWLA is designed to strengthen the local network of workforce leaders through a series of retreats and workshops that acquaint the Fellows with new tools and strategies.

The goals of the HCWLA are:

  • To support a 12-month fellowship among leaders from across the workforce development system including leaders from nonprofit organizations, business associations, community colleges and universities, union-based training efforts, and public (city and state) agencies;
  • To provide a forum to work collaboratively to identify local and regional systems-based challenges and create shared solutions;
  • To build the capacity of participating institutions to collaborate more deeply with employers and other strategic partners; and
  • To deepen skills and competencies of workforce practitioners to lead within their organizations and work collaboratively with stakeholders across the local workforce system.

The HCWLA is the latest in a series of Workforce Leadership Academies hosted in communities throughout the United States and Canada. The HCWLA is the first in Hudson County, the first to be held in partnership with a local community college, and the first publicly- and privately-funded Workforce Leadership Academy. It is one of four Workforce Leadership Academies launched this year through the support of JPMorgan Chase, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Local funders include the County of Hudson, Lefrak Family, Mack-Cali, and Hudson County Community College.

HCCC President Dr. Chris Reber will offer welcoming remarks at the reception. Also scheduled to speak are Sheila Maguire, Senior Fellow of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and Director of the local network of Workforce Leadership Academies; Vivian Brady-Phillips, Executive Director of the Jersey City Housing Authority and HCWLA Advisory Board Member; HCWLA funders; and Nicholas Chiaravalloti, HCCC Vice President of External Affairs and Senior Counsel to the President.

The 2019-2020 HCWLA Fellows are:

  • Vid Bahadur, Director of Workforce and Community Development, New Jersey City University;
  • Jason Bing, Chief Academic Officer, Jersey City Public Schools;
  • Susanne Byrne, Executive Director, York Street Project;
  • Elaine Dawson, Director, Family Support Services/Youth & Education Development, Urban League of Hudson County;
  • Heather DeVries, Assistant Dean of Curriculum and Academic Assessment, Hudson County Community College;
  • Jamie Ding, Grant Research and Data Analyst, City of Jersey City Division of Community Development;
  • Esmeralda Doreste-Roman, Director of Union City Adult Learning Center, Union City Adult Education;
  • Kerri Gatling, Chief, New Jersey Industry Partnerships, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development;
  • Anna Lukasiak, Business Development Director, Morrison Technologies LLC;
  • Tom Masnaghetti, Chief Operating Officer/EVP, Hudson Community Enterprises;
  • Victoria Marino, Director of Career Services, Hudson County Community College;
  • Catherina Mirasol, Director, Continuing Education and Workforce Development, Hudson County Community College;
  • Samantha Moore, Administrator, Office of Children and Youth Services, Hudson County Department of Health and Human Services;
  • Linda Nation, Manager of Workforce Development Training Center, WomenRising, Inc.;
  • Michael Rasmussen, Program Director, NPower;
  • Jamie Rudolph, Director of Grants and Innovation Projects, Rising Tide Capital, Inc.;
  • Timothy Sheridan, Assistant Director, Hudson County One Stop Career Center;
  • Carlton Smalls, Director of Revenue Cycle Operations, RWJBarnabas Health; and
  • Vivian Teran, Executive Assistant, Hudson County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.