Employer Led InNOVATIONS
If employers aren’t leading pathways design, we’re already behind.
Industries are evolving in real time, and talent systems must keep up. Sessions showcase how employers are co-designing career pathways, expanding apprenticeships (including healthcare and teacher pathways), and shaping policy such as Workforce Pell. From internships and work-based learning strategies to sector-based collaborations in advanced and emerging industries, this strand highlights what it takes to build responsive, employer-driven talent pipelines.
EXPLORE WHAT'S POSSIBLE THROUGH PARTNERSHIP
Employer engagement is an essential part of building pathways that lead to meaningful opportunities. Explore the full conference agenda to see how employers, educators, and workforce partners are connecting innovation with action across the career-connected learning ecosystem.
The Future of Work: Connecting Innovation and Opportunity
Moderator:
Alison Griffin, Principal Consultant,
FutureRise; Contributor, Forbes
Remarks:
Phil Weiser,
Attorney General and Democratic Nominee for Governor of Colorado
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.
Panelists will frame emerging trends around AI adoption, with insights from Jonathon Liebert, alongside population and workforce shifts from the State Demographer's Office. Statewide coalitions — including Colorado Thrives and America Succeeds — will ground the conversation in efforts to drive employer engagement and skills-based hiring across the state.
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.
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, grounded in the experiences of employers leading OEDIT-supported initiatives like Opportunity Now — including employer-led partnerships, work-based learning, skills-based hiring, and new models for preparing learners and workers for careers in rapidly evolving industries.
The discussion will highlight shared workforce challenges and opportunities across Colorado's advanced industries, including:
- Building technical and durable skills through applied, hands-on learning.
- Creating pathways that prepare learners for transferable careers across related industries, not just a single occupation or employer.
- Expanding entry points into high-demand careers through employer-led training, apprenticeships, and work-based learning.
- The role of career advising and navigation in helping learners understand and access emerging opportunities.
- How employers, education, workforce, economic development, and intermediaries can work together to translate innovation into broadly shared economic opportunity.
Together, panelists will explore what it takes to build talent systems that are as forward-looking and adaptable as the industries they support—turning innovation into economic opportunity for every learner and earner.
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; Dr. Alana Olschwang, Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, 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.
Advising the Entrepreneurial Learner: Where Do You Send Them?
Presenters: France Hoang, BoodleBox AI; Jon-Michael Horst, Exponential Impact; Colin Lacy, Homegrown Pathways, Coral Laski, Exponential Impact, Zaneta Kelsey, Access Mode, Mark Madic, Startup Colorado
Learn how to connect aspiring entrepreneurs with the programs, resources, and support networks that help turn ideas into viable career pathways.
Apprenticeships That Work: Employer Strategies for Building Stronger Talent Pipelines
Presenters: Annette Gauna, 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.
Beyond the Pipeline: How TPM Rewires Talent Supply and Demand
Sponsored by Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce
Presenters: 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.
Building a Future-Ready Colorado for Adult Learners
Sponsored by Lumina
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.
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.
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.
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.
Entry Points: Bringing Learners and Earners into the Quantum Ecosystem
Presenters: Jaden Brewer, Northern Arizona University, Jennifer Cormier, 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
From Training to Mobility: How Durable Skills + Coaching Can Improve Workforce Outcomes
Presenter: Mirna Villa, Upskilling U Consulting & Training LLC, Alexandria Tannehill, University of Colorado Anschutz
See how durable skills training and coaching can improve retention, advancement, and mobility.
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.
Outreach to Employment, By Design: How Commerce City and the Community College of Aurora Aligned Public Dollars Behind One Workforce System
Presenters: Erica Cushman, Community College of Aurora, Sarah Mondesire, City of Commerce City, Emily Sanders, Rocky Mountain Partnership Cradle to Career
Discover how local leaders aligned funding, partnerships and workforce services to create a more coordinated system connecting residents to employment.
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.
Workforce Funding That Delivers: Employer-First Models for Colorado
Presenters: Katie Brown, EnGen; Watson Leffel, Guild; Sam Bailey, Amazon
See how employer-first workforce models are helping scale education and training programs that meet real labor market needs.
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