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.
FROM EVIDENCE TO ACTION
Data and evidence inform every part of building stronger education-to-career systems. Explore the full conference agenda to discover how leaders across education, workforce, and industry are using insights to shape decisions, improve outcomes, and scale what works.
Evidence Builders: Laying the Groundwork
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. The session will also address one of the field's most common gaps: the difference between outputs and 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.
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.
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.
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, Hollis Salway, Denver Health Foundation; Erika Williams, The Colorado Health Foundation
Learn lessons from launching Colorado’s innovative Pay It Forward workforce funding model.
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.
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, 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.
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.
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
