8:30 A.M.

Buffet Breakfast

9:30 A.M. - 10:30 A.M.

BILL BURNETT: THINK LIKE A DESIGNER

Bill Burnett, co-author of the bestselling book Designing Your Life and Executive Director of the Life Design Lab at Stanford University, will kick off the conference by helping us think like designers during his keynote.

Designing clear, streamlined pathways to opportunity and economic mobility for learners and earners has never been easy. And as industries evolve and policies shift, getting it right has never been more important. 

Bill will bring his interactive, design-thinking approach to help us explore new ways to approach this complex work — and build career pathways that lead to lives with purpose, joy and meaning for learners and earners. 

Learn more about Bill and his design-thinking approach. 

10:40 A.M. - 11:30 A.M.

BREAKOUT 1

The Local Advantage: Community College Innovations

Moderator: Melanie D’Evelyn, Executive Director, Advisory and Capacity Building, One Million Degrees

Panelists:

Dr. Lance Bolton, President, Pikes Peak State College

Dr. Mordecai Brownlee, President, Community College of Aurora

Dr. Rosana Reyes, President, Lamar Community College

Community colleges are at the forefront of innovation in education-to-workforce systems. Across the state, they are no longer simply institutions of higher education — they are becoming regional workforce intermediaries, innovation hubs, and economic engines. Yet too often, the full strength of this system remains underleveraged, with promising models operating in pockets rather than at scale.

EVIDENCE BUILDERS: Laying the groundwork for evidence-based decision making

Presenter: David Anderson, Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative (CEEMI)

Colorado is often held up as a leader in evidence-based policymaking and decision-making, but the term "evidence-based" itself has become a buzzword — used often, but rarely defined. Too often, programs claim the label without the underlying rigor to back it up, leaving funders, policymakers, and practitioners without a clear way to tell credible evidence from convenient language.

This panel discussion cuts through the jargon to examine what it actually means for a program to be evidence-based, and why it matters.

Participants will learn the steps to building evidence: starting with a clear theory of change, collecting reliable data on implementation and outcomes, analyzing trends, and ultimately establishing causal impact. Understanding where a program sits on the evidence-building journey — and what it takes to move to the next stage — is the first step toward more credible, fundable, and effective programming.

From Training to Mobility: How Durable Skills + Coaching Can Improve Workforce Outcomes

Presenter: Mirna Villa, Upskilling U Consulting & Training LLC

See how durable skills training and coaching can improve retention, advancement, and mobility.

ACCELERATING CAREER PATHWAYS & WBL: Integrating Quality Frameworks, Youth Voice, and State Tools for Regional Impact

Sponsored by Colorado Workforce Development Council

Presenter: Dr. Thomas Hartman, Colorado Workforce Development Council

Discover practical strategies for integrating high-quality work-based learning into career pathway programs aligned to Colorado's workforce needs.

From Idea to Implementation: Lessons from Launching Colorado’s Pay It Forward Workforce Fund

Presenters: Joshua Nathan, Social Finance, Hollis Salway, Denver Health Foundation; Erika Williams, The Colorado Health Foundation

Learn lessons from launching Colorado’s innovative Pay It Forward workforce funding model.

Closing Colorado's Cybersecurity Gap: By Building the Workforce to Defend It

Presenters: Richard MacNamee, MSU Denver, Helen Young Hayes, ActivateWork

Learn how a partnership between higher education and workforce development is creating cybersecurity career pathways while strengthening community resilience.

Building Green Pathways: A Toolkit for Embedding Sustainability and Durable Skills into Career-Connected Learning

Presenters: Elizabeth Harbaugh, Lyra Colorado; Kelly Mitchell, Inclusive Design Group

Learn how to integrate in-demand green and durable skills into existing career-connected learning pathways using a ready-to-use educator toolkit.

Making Demographic Data Work for You: Utilizing the State Demography Office Website

Presenter: Nancy Gedeon, Colorado State Demography Office

Learn how Colorado's State Demography Office data can help answer questions about population change, workforce participation, and regional growth.

11:40 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.

Pathways to Practice: Cross-Sector Lessons from an Industry-Sponsored Project Pilot in El Paso County

Moderator:

Jessica Warren, Innovate Pikes Peak

Panelists:

Lindsay Pack Moll, CEO, InnovaFlex Foundry
Geoffrey Carrigan, Strategic Projects Director, Bluestaq

Justin Weiler, Lead Cloud Architect, Infinity Systems Engineering

Hear firsthand lessons from students, employers, and regional partners who collaborated to bring real-world industry projects into the classroom.

Building Colorado's Work-Based Learning Ecosystem: From Individual Programs to Community-Wide Impact

Presenters: Dr. Jim DeLung, Community College of Aurora; MacKenzie Fair, Colorado Department of Higher Education; Doug Heckman, Riipen; Beverly Orton Jones, Colorado Department of Higher Education; Erin Silver, Envision Strategy Group

See how Colorado leaders are building the partnerships and infrastructure needed to scale work-based learning opportunities.

Outreach to Employment, By Design: How Commerce City and the Community College of Aurora Aligned Public Dollars Behind One Workforce System

Presenters: Sarah Mondesire, City of Commerce City, Emily Sanders, Rocky Mountain Partnership Cradle to Career, Erica Cushmore, Community College of Aurora

Discover how local leaders aligned funding, partnerships and workforce services to create a more coordinated system connecting residents to employment.

The Two-Way Street of Modern Matching: Inside the New Connecting Colorado

Presenters: Stephanie Mufic, Julie Palacios, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment

Explore how Colorado's modernized Connecting Colorado platform is helping learners and job seekers translate skills into career opportunities through smarter matching and career pathway tools.

Leveraging CTE Centers to Build CE Credential Pathways

Presenters: Tara Bell, Cherry Creek School District, Shari Culver, Arapahoe Community College, Dana Levesque, Littleton Public Schools

Explore how Career and Technical Education centers are expanding access to college credentials while creating stronger pathways into high-demand careers.

Scaling Career-Connected Learning: Integrating Career Readiness into Curriculum and Student Employment

Presenters: Alexi Ginther, Sarah Trzeciak, and Danny Young, University of Colorado Denver

Learn how career readiness is being embedded into curriculum and student employment to strengthen workforce outcomes.

Beyond the Pipeline: How TPM Rewires Talent Supply and Demand

Sponsored by Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce

Presenters: Janel Highfill, Front Range Community College; Yvonne Myers, Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce

See how Northern Colorado employers are partnering with education and workforce providers to build more responsive talent pipelines.

From Coursework to Workforce: Reimagining Teacher Preparation Through Career-Connected Learning

Presenters: Courtney Anderson, Michelle Pacheco, Community College of Aurora

See how industry experiences are helping prepare future educators to bring career-connected learning and workforce relevance into their classrooms.

Entry Points: Bringing Learners and Earners into the Quantum Ecosystem

Presenters: Jaden Michael Brewer, Northern Arizona University, CarrieAnn Mathis, Colorado Community College System, Dr. Inès Montaño, Northern Arizona University, Dr. Boaz Nash, Emily Griffith Technical College, Sarah Young, University of Arizona

Explore how educators and industry partners are creating hands-on learning opportunities that help learners and earners access emerging careers in quantum technology.

Building a Future-Ready Colorado for Adult Learners

Presenters: Dr. Ally Garcia, Colorado Department of Education, Georgia Reagan, Lumina Foundation

Explore strategies for helping adult learners build foundational skills, earn credentials of value, and access stronger education-to-career pathways.

Listening to Learners

Presenters: Nancy Westfall, South Central BOCES, Amanda Cornelius, Fremont Multidistrict Initiative

Hear directly from learners about what supports—and hinders—their education and career pathways.

Building the Healthcare Workforce: PCC's Medical Coding Apprenticeship Program

Presenter: Ronda Gasperetti, MBA, RHIT, Pueblo Community College; Kris Green, Exceptional Care for Women

Learn how a medical coding apprenticeship is creating accessible pathways into healthcare careers while helping build a diverse and sustainable talent pipeline.

12:45 P.M. - 2:00 P.M.

Strengthening Career Navigation: Connecting Policy, Practice and Lived Experience

Moderator:

Michelle Camacho Liu, Director of Partnerships & Systems Strategy, The Attainment Network 

Panelists:

Jonathan Cowan, Chief Strategy Officer, One Goal

David Ford, Vice President, Quality Coaching, State Initiatives, Strada Education Foundation

Chelsea Miller, Associate Director, UpSkill America, Economic. Opportunities Program, The Aspen Institute 

Cherri McKinney, STAR, from Opportunity @ Work 

Lisa Richardson, Senior Principal, Common Group

Career advising and navigation systems are at a critical inflection point. Across the country, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers are rethinking how learners access clear, actionable guidance that leads to high-quality education and career pathways. Yet too often, systems remain fragmented — leaving learners to navigate complex transitions between education and work on their own.

This session brings together national thought leaders and learners themselves to examine what it takes to design advising and navigation systems that are coherent, equitable, and outcomes-driven.

Panelists will frame emerging trends around advising innovation, belonging, and meaning-making. The session will culminate in a fireside chat with a STAR (Skilled Through Alternative Routes)  learner, offering a real-world perspective on navigating systems, and accessing opportunity.



2:10 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.

Shifting Mindsets: What Our Own Kids Taught Us About Success After High School

Moderator:

Curtis Esquibel, Sr. Director of Communications & Community Engagement,  Boettcher Foundation

Panelists:

Kristin Todd, President and CEO, Community Foundation of Northern Colorado

Nate Cadena, Chief Impact Officer at Denver Scholarship Foundation 

Nate Easley, College Track's Regional Executive Director, Colorado State University System 

Colorado's understanding of "college success" is being tested and redefined. Across the state, parents who have spent their careers promoting college access are navigating something deeply personal in their own homes: supporting their own children as they pursue pathways that don't follow the traditional college route — apprenticeships, technical programs, certificates, military service, or other career-connected options. Yet too often, the systems built to support learners remain narrowly defined, leaving little room for the multiple, equally valuable paths young people are choosing today.

This session brings together a small group of parents — each a longtime advocate for college access — to examine what it takes to build systems that truly embrace multiple high-quality pathways.



Together, panelists will offer a candid, personal perspective on what it means to hold both professional expertise and parental uncertainty — and what it will take to build a system that works for every learner and earner, no matter the path they choose.

Building and Scaling the CUNY ASAP Model Across Colorado

Presenters: Crystal Annan, Alison Grendhal, Colorado Department of Higher Education, Brandy Baze-Ballard, Colorado Mountain College

Learn lessons from Colorado's effort to expand a proven student success model through coordinated supports and innovative funding strategies. 

Careers in Construction Colorado: An Authentic Industry Sponsored CTE Pathway

Presenters: Nikki Carter, Widefield School District 3; Glenn Hard, Careers in Construction Colorado; Kolleen Johnson, Pikes Peak BOCES

Learn how Colorado's Careers in Construction model connects students to industry-recognized credentials, authentic work-based learning, and direct employer engagement.

The Stakeholder Engagement Process: A Relationship-based System Building Approach to Cross-Sector Collaboration

Presenter: Dakota Pawlicki, CivicLab

Explore practical tools for understanding complex systems, engaging stakeholders, and identifying opportunities for collaborative impact.

From Enrollment to Employment: How Pikes Peak State College and Advance EDU have partnered to impact student success outcomes

Presenters: Jarrod Lacy, Kira Maples, Lacey Meyerhoff, Nnena West, AdvanceEDU

A foundational session that demystifies what "evidence-based" actually means and equips attendees to move from program design and implementation monitoring to beyond tracking outputs toward measuring program outcomes and impact.

From Awareness to Access: Building Career-Connected Learning Pathways in Emerging Technology

Presenter: Rachel Johnson, The Washington Institute for STEM, Entrepreneurship & Research (WISER)

Explore practical strategies for helping learners navigate and access careers in quantum and other emerging technology fields.

From Evidence to Impact: What It Takes to Scale Programs Well

Presenters: Tiffany Madrid, Colorado Department of Human Services, Nathaniel Riggs, Colorado State University

Learn what separates promising programs from those that successfully scale.

Helping Students Design Their Way into Colorado’s Health Workforce

Presenters: Dr. Annajanette Alejano-Steele, Stefy Calero Ayala, Dr. Emily Matuszewicz, Mariana Pascual-Miranda, MSU Denver

Explore how Life Design principles can be integrated into career pathway programs to help learners build purpose, agency, and meaningful healthcare careers.

Launching Future Innovators: Connecting Classrooms to STEM Careers Through Mentorship

Presenter: Alex Grab, Space Foundation

Explore a high-impact model for for career-connected STEM learning through mentorship and real-world problem solving. 

Make It Work! Launching INDUSTRY SPONSORED PROJECTS and SCHOOL BASED ENTERPRISES Where Industry Partnerships Are Limited

Presenters: Katie Kraft, Kate Wagner, Colorado Education Initiative

Hear how Colorado districts are using Industry Sponsored Projects and School-Based Enterprises to create high-quality career-connected learning experiences with limited employer access.

3:10 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Apprenticeships That Work: Employer Strategies for Building Stronger Talent Pipelines

Presenters: Annette Guana, Independent Electrical Contractors - Rocky Mountain; Dan Hendricks, DJEATC/WCJATC; Libby Klingsmith, The Attainment Network; Kevin Riebau, Emily Griffith Technical College; Bonnie Wright, Haynes Mechanical

Discover practical approaches to improving apprenticeship quality through stronger learner supports, partnerships, and continuous improvement.

Supporting Districts Through Implementation of Colorado’s Big Three

Presenters: Sara Butler, Empower Schools; Michelle Camacho Liu, The Attainment Network; Katherine Novinski, The Colorado Education Initiative

Discover how data, change management, and cross-sector collaboration can strengthen Big Three implementation and impact.

From Quantum to Kilowatts: A Cross-Sector Case Study on Colorado’s Teacher Externship Model

Presenters: Samantha Agoos, Colorado Department of Education, Megan Christensen, Colorado Energy Office, Kelly Reeser, Colorado Department of Labor & Employment

See how teacher externships are helping educators connect emerging industries to classroom learning through stronger industry and workforce partnerships.

Modeling Workforce Investments: A Simulation Approach to Cross-Sector Decision-Making

Presenters: Lauren Kerr, MPH, Sarah Scott, MD, MSC, University of Colorado Anschutz

Discover how microsimulation modeling shows how health research partners can bring insight to economic issues to enhance messaging and stakeholder investment.

Data Driven Workforce & Economic Development Policies

Presenters: Workforce Intelligence & Data Experts (WIDE) Patrick Holwell, Arapahoe/Douglas Works!, Derek Jones, City & County of Denver and Barbara Larsen, Boulder County.

Discover the role workforce data and cross-sector collaboration plays in shaping Colorado's economic development strategies and policy decisions.

Manage, Solve, Dissolve: Changing the Approach to Address Complex Social Problems

Presenter: Dakota Pawlicki, CivicLab

Explore strategies for addressing root causes, redesigning systems, and turning promising innovations into lasting change.

Trailblazing a New Nursing Pathway; Apprenticeship Degrees to Fuel Colorado’s Healthcare Workforce

Presenter: Christine Heitz, Colorado Thrives

Learn how Colorado is building nursing apprenticeship pathways to address workforce shortages.

From Prototype to Scale: Unlocking Wage Outcomes for Career Development Programs

Presenters: Elysia Versen, Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab at the University of Denver

See how wage and employment outcome data can be leveraged to improve programs and demonstrate impact.

Preparing Young People to Flourish in an AI-Shaped Labor Market

Presenters: James Cryan, Willow Education, Amanda Kanekuni, OneGoal, Scott Laband, Colorado Succeeds, Zach Rahn, Aurora Public Schools, Natalie Rubio, Rocky Mountain Prep

Explore how education and workforce leaders are preparing young people to succeed in an AI-driven economy.

Making Work Meaningful: Purpose Across Life, Work and Generations

Presenter: Andy Kemp, Gallup

Explore what research reveals about purpose across life and work, including how younger generations are finding meaning and connection in their careers.

Calling all Space Cadets: Incorporating Space Content into all Disciplines 

Presenters: Grace Cain-Wright, Amy Nave, Arapahoe Community College

Discover techniques for bringing aerospace concepts into any classroom.

Grow Your Own: Navigating the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (TDA) Journey

Presenters: Liz Qualman, Colorado Mountain College, Christina Randle, Harrison School District 2, MK Sagaria-Barritt, CareerWise, Alma Robinson, Apprentice

Hear firsthand perspectives from the partners and apprentices building Colorado's teacher apprenticeship pathway. 

4:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.

8:00 A.M.

Buffet Breakfast

8:45 A.M. - 9:00 A.M.

Chris Gardner: Rebuilding the American Dream

Bestselling author, entrepreneur, and workforce equity advocate Chris Gardner is known around the world as the inspiration behind The Pursuit of Happyness. His story of resilience, determination, and economic mobility has inspired millions. 

Gardner's keynote — “Rebuilding the American Dream, One Good Job at a Time” — could not come at a more important moment. As education, industry, policy, and community leaders work to strengthen pathways to economic mobility, Gardner will challenge attendees to rethink what it takes to ensure every learner and earner has access to meaningful careers and long-term success. 

9:00 A.M. - 9:30 A.M.

The Pursuit of Opportunity: A Conversation with Colorado Legislators

Moderator:

Emma Hudson

Panelists:

Representative Jennifer Bacon

Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer

Representative Jarvis Caldwell

This nonpartisan conversation will explore the bold vision our legislators hold for Colorado. At a time of rapid change in education, technology, and the workforce, how can Colorado build on its strengths, respond to emerging challenges, and ensure that every learner and earner has access to meaningful opportunities?

Panelists will share their perspectives on the policies, partnerships, and investments needed to strengthen education-to-career pathways, meet evolving workforce needs, and expand economic opportunity across the state.

Policymakers will explore how government, education, employers, and community partners can come together to build a state where every Coloradan has a real path to economic mobility and shared prosperity.

9:35 A.M. - 10:20 A.M.

The Future of Work: Connecting Innovation and Opportunity

Moderator:
Alison Griffin, Principal Consultant, FutureRise; Contributor, Forbes

Panelists:
Christine Heitz, Chief Executive Officer of Colorado Thrives
Tim Taylor, Co-Founder and President of America Succeeds
Jonathan Liebert, Chief Executive Officer at Better Business Bureau Southern Colorado

Artificial intelligence, demographic shifts, and state-level policy are reshaping the labor market — transforming how work gets done and who gets access to it. Colorado is emerging as a leading example of how to align education, workforce, and economic development systems for the future of work. Yet too often, the systems meant to prepare learners and employers for this change remain disconnected — leaving gaps between innovation, policy, and practice. 

This panel brings together leaders from policy, research, philanthropy, and industry to examine what it takes to build a talent system that is both adaptive and inclusive. Together, panelists will explore how Colorado can move beyond tracking trends to intentional system design — connecting policy, employers, and training pathways to respond to rapid technological change while widening access to economic mobility for every learner and earner.



10:20 A.M. - 10:45 A.M.

 A Vision for Colorado’s Education, Workforce, and Economic Future: Remarks and Q&A with Phil Weiser

What will it take to build a Colorado where more people can access meaningful, good-paying careers and businesses have the talent they need to thrive? As rapid technological change, evolving workforce demands, and new economic opportunities reshape the education-to-workforce landscape, the connections between education, workforce development, and economic growth have never been more important.

Join Colorado Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Phil Weiser for remarks and a Q&A exploring his vision for strengthening these connections, expanding opportunity for Coloradans, and helping shape a more a more prosperous future for Colorado.

11:00 A.M. - 11:50 A.M.

The New American Frontier: Building Colorado’s Quantum Workforce

Moderator:

Rachel Lipson, Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School

Panelists:

Jessi Olsen, CEO, Elevate Quantum;

Scott Davis, CEO & Co-Founder, Vescent;

Janel Highfill, Associate Vice President, Front Range Community College

Grounded in research for her forthcoming book, The New American Frontier: Job Training for the Next Technological Age, Harvard researcher and author Rachel Lipson joins Colorado leaders to explore how the state’s growing quantum ecosystem is building new pathways into the industry, including hands-on technical jobs that do not require advanced degrees.

What Young Adults Actually Need to Thrive: A New Framework for Program Design That Boosts Confidence & Readiness

Presenters: Richard Maez, Elijah Huff, Ednium: The Alumni Collective

Discover a research-based framework for building confidence, agency, and readiness among young adults.

When Credentials Cause Harm: Unpacking the Risks of Verifiable Learning and Work Records

Presenter: Dr. Kelly Page, LWYL Studio

See how communities are turning shared data into locally relevant career pathway strategies.

Who's Doing This Work in Your Region? Mapping Your Ecosystem With a Free New Tool

Presenters: Janelle Johnson, Colorado STEM Ecosystem; Theresa Klinitski, Business & Education Alliance

Explore an upcoming tool that helps communities visualize career-connected learning providers, identify gaps, and strengthen collaboration.

FIRESIDE CHAT: COLORADO'S DATA VISION

Presenters: Kate Akers, PhD, Data Quality Campaign, Heather MacGillivary, PhD, State Longitudinal Data System

Hear how Colorado is strengthening data systems to better connect education and workforce outcomes.

AI-Augmented Clearinghouse to Facilitate Evidence-Based Decision-Making and Workforce Development: A Conceptual Framework

Presenters: Pamela Buckley, PhD, University of Colorado Boulder, Diana Fishbein, PhD, National Prevention Science Council to Improve Lives

Explore a new approach that brings together living evidence reviews and artificial intelligence (AI) to make decisions about which programs to adopt, how to allocate limited resources, and how to demonstrate real impact.

From Policy to Practice: Colorado’s Post-Secondary and Workforce Readiness Landscape

Presenters: Anne Laesecke, Danielle Ongart, Michelle Romero, Colorado Department of Education

Explore key updates to Colorado's postsecondary and workforce readiness policies and their implications for local practice.

Building Bridges to Opportunity: An Overview of Workforce Services and Programming

Presenters: Larisa Romagnoli, Tanya Jo DeBardelaben, Sarah Pompeii, Arapahoe / Douglas Works!

Gain a practical overview of successful workforce services, programs, and partnership opportunities.

From Passage to Implementation: What You Need to Know About Workforce Pell

Presenters: Heather DeLange, Colorado Department of Higher Education, Alison Griffin, Future Rise, Pat Lane, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), Rachel Snyder, Colorado Governors Office

Understand what Workforce Pell means for learners, providers, and employers in Colorado.

Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO): Critical Data for L/Earners and Those Invested in Their Success

Presenters: Gina Johnson, Data EmpowerED Consulting, Christopher Peña, Postsecondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) Coalition, Ryan Lambert, Front Range Community College, David Ford, Strada Education Foundation

Hear how national employment and earnings data can inform education and workforce decisions.

Virtual Training-Real Opportunity

Presenters: Olivia How, Alamosa County Chamber of Commerce; Amy Raya, San Luis Valley BOCES

See how virtual reality is expanding access to career exploration and workforce training.

12:00 P.M. - 12:50 P.M.

Regional Talent Roundtables: Connecting Regional Priorities to Aligned Cross-Sector Action

Sponsored by Rocky Mountain Workforce Development Association

What will it take to turn Colorado's regional education-to-workforce priorities into meaningful action, and how can you be part of it? Join leaders from education, workforce development, industry, economic development, and community organizations for facilitated conversations across Colorado's seven Opportunity Now regions. Building on the 2025 Regional Talent Summits, these interactive roundtables will provide an opportunity to share progress, explore emerging challenges and opportunities, strengthen cross-sector partnerships, and identify ways to contribute to regional priorities. Come ready to share what's working, connect with regional partners, and explore where you can help move the work forward

Making the Big Three Work: Why Essential Skills Are the Missing Link for an AI-driven Workplace

Presenters: Jill Hrnicek, Junior Achievement - Rocky Mountain; Justin Beets, UMB Bank; Duane Roberson, Colorado Springs Schools D11

Discover practical strategies for embedding and measuring durable skills as a core component of postsecondary and workforce readiness. 

From Research to Practice: Creating a Coherent College & Career Advising Strategy Centering Student Agency

Presenters: Kevin McNulty, Denver Scholarship Foundation & Dr. Ryan Burton, DSST Public Schools

See how integrated college and career advising helps students make more informed postsecondary decisions.

From Data to Action: Building Community-Driven Career Pathways

Presenters: Kelly Mitchell, Chris Mitchell, Inclusive Design Group

Learn how communities are building and sustaining workforce pathways through cross-sector collaboration. tion and workforce decisions.

Building Climate Career Pathways from Schools to Community Ecosystems

Presenters: Lisa Eadens, Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education; Hayley Reynolds, Climate Democracy Initiative

Explore strategies for connecting classroom learning, community priorities, and youth leadership to build locally relevant climate career pathways.

12:50 P.M. - 2:00 P.M.

Advanced Industries & Emerging Pathways: Building Colorado's Talent Advantage

Moderator:

Rachel Lipson, Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School

Panelists:

Misti Ruthven, Director of Talent Innovation, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)

Samantha Baumgartner, Workforce Program Manager, MicroChip

Kelsey Baun, Director of Global Technical Training, Innosphere

Sean Grubb, Human Resources Manager, CoorsTek

Colorado is home to some of the nation's fastest-growing advanced industries, from aerospace and quantum to advanced manufacturing, defense, and emerging technologies. As these industries evolve from research and innovation to commercialization and growth, their success depends on more than technological breakthroughs. It depends on building a workforce that can grow with them.

This panel brings together leaders from Colorado's advanced industries alongside national workforce researcher Rachel Lipson, author of The New American Frontier, to examine what it takes to build talent systems that are responsive, adaptable, and built for long-term success.

Panelists will frame emerging approaches to workforce development, including employer-led partnerships, work-based learning, skills-based hiring, and new models for preparing learners and workers for careers in rapidly evolving industries.