DATA & EVIDENCE BUILDING
We can’t defend what we can’t measure.
Data is shaping what gets funded, scaled, and sustained. Sessions highlight how leaders are using wage outcome data, statewide tools, and emerging AI-supported evidence models to guide decisions and prove impact. Go beyond dashboards to explore how data is driving policy and enabling stronger alignment across education and workforce systems.
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.
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.
Connecting the Dots: A Guided Tour of Colorado Data Connections
Presenter: Michelle Kincaid, Colorado Data Connections (COdata)
Get a first look at COdata's newest dashboard, which connects high school, postsecondary, and workforce data to better understand learner journeys and outcomes.
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.
Evidence Builders Part 2: Interactive workshop
Presenters: David Anderson, Jessica Corvinus, Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative (CEEMI)
Discover the role workforce data and cross-sector collaboration plays in shaping Colorado's economic development strategies and policy decisions.
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.
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.
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.
From Idea to Implementation: Lessons from Launching Colorado’s Pay It Forward Workforce Fund
Presenter: Joshua Nathan, Social Finance
Learn lessons from launching Colorado’s innovative Pay It Forward workforce funding model.
From Paycheck to Pathway: A Hands-On Workshop for Mapping On-the-Job Skills to Academic Credit
Presenter: Kim Eckert, Craft Education
Learn practical strategies for translating workplace learning into academic credit and creating more seamless pathways between employment and education.
From Prototype to Scale: Unlocking Wage Outcomes for Career Development Programs
Presenters: Ernest Boffy-Ramirez Ph.D, 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.
Funding What Works: How Colorado Is Building the Infrastructure to Know Whether Workforce Programs Deliver
Presenter: Alison Griffin, FutureRise
Explore how outcomes-based funding models are reshaping workforce investments and accountability in Colorado.
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.
Modeling Workforce Investments: A Simulation Approach to Cross-Sector Decision-Making
Presenters: Lauren Kerr, MPH, Sarah Scott, MD, MSC, Josh Barocas, M.D., 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.
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
Hear how national employment and earnings data can inform education and workforce decisions.
Sunsetting or Slaughtering Sacred Cows? Why Every Career Technical Education Program Needs a Pathway Audit
Presenters: Dr. Ryan McCoy, Westminster Public Schools; Michelle Pacheco, Community College of Aurora
Explore a practical framework for assessing pathway quality, aligning resources, and making strategic program decisions with confidence.
The Role of Early Wealth Building in Unlocking Career & Economic Mobility
Presenters: Jourdan McGinn, Asha Muhammad, Samantha Shefflo, Impact Charitable
Consider what changes when wealth-building becomes part of the strategy for economic mobility.
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.
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