Wednesday, October 15, 2014
11:00 a.m. Conference registration (until 7:00 p.m.)
2:00 p.m. Welcome
Robert Barchi, President, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Introduced by Carl Van Horn, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy, and Director, John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University
2:15 Business and Industry Perspectives on Workforce Policy

Debbie Hart, President and CEO, BioNJ
Chris Peck,
Vice President, UPS
Mike Wiggins, Executive Vice President (retired), Southwire
Moderator: Oliver Quinn, Principal and Senior Counselor, Taft and Partners
3:30 Break
3:45 New Economic Realities Require New Policies

Panel:
Harry Holzer, Professor, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy
Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
Elizabeth Shuler, Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO
Moderator: Carl Van Horn, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University
5:30 Networking reception
Hosted by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University, with James W. Hughes, Dean

Thursday, October 16, 2014
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 Welcome
Tammy Edwards, Vice President, Public Affairs and Community Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
9:05 Keynote remarks

Strategic Workforce Development: Training for Employability
Dennis Lockhart, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Introduced by Stuart Andreason, CED Adviser on Human Capital and Workforce Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
9:30 Reforming Workforce Development Policies for American Workers
Session Summary pdf document

Panel:
Larry Good, Cofounder and Chair, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
Richard Hobbie, Visiting Scholar, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Former Executive Director, National Association of State Workforce Agencies
William J.T. Strahan, Executive Vice President, Comcast Cable, and Chairman of the Board, Philadelphia Works
Mara Swan, Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Talent, ManpowerGroup
Moderator: Kathy Krepcio, Executive Director, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University
10:45 Break
11:00 Concurrent sessions
Session 1
Credentials, Competencies, Curriculum Reform
Session Summary pdf document

Panel:
Maureen Conway, Vice President, The Aspen Institute
Steve Crawford, Research Professor, George Washington University Institute of Public Policy
James Jacobs, President, Macomb Community College, Michigan
Judy Mortrude, Director, Alliance for Quality Career Pathways, Center for Law and Social Policy
Moderator: Rochelle Hendricks, Secretary of Higher Education, State of New Jersey

Session 2
Intelligent Workforce Development Systems
Session Summary pdf document

Panel:
David Berman, Director of Program Management and Policy, New York City Center for Economic Opportunity
Amanda Cage, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Policy, Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
William Mabe, Director of Research and Evaluation, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University
Moderator: Rachel Zinn, Director, Workforce Data Quality Initiative, National Skills Coalition

Session 3
Workforce Policies for the Long-Term Unemployed
Session Summary pdf document

Panel:
Emily Allen, Vice President, Income, American Association of Retired Persons Foundation
Joe Carbone, President and CEO, The WorkPlace
Steve Wandner, Visiting Fellow, Urban Institute
Moderator: Genie Cohen, CEO, International Association of Jewish Vocational Services
12:15 p.m. Break
12:30 Lunch
Video welcome by Esther George, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Introduced by Steven Shepelwich, Senior Community Development Adviser, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

1:00 A Governor's Perspective on Workforce Development
Philip Bredesen, Former Tennessee Governor
Moderator: Tammy Edwards, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

1:45 Break

2:00 Concurrent sessions

Session 4
Federal Policy: New Laws, New Opportunities

Panel:
Portia Wu, Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training, U.S. Department of Labor
Earl Buford, Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board
Mary Alice McCarthy, Senior Policy Analyst, New America Foundation
Ron Painter, CEO, National Association of Workforce Boards
Moderator: Martin Simon, Director, Workforce Development, National Governors Association

Session 5
Aligning Employers and Workforce Development Strategies
Session Summary pdf document

Panel:
Burt Barnow, Amsterdam Professor of Public Service and Economics, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, George Washington University
Kevin Hollenbeck, Vice President, Senior Economist, and Director of Publications, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Chris King, Lecturer, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, and Senior Research Scientist, Ray Marshall Center, University of Texas–Austin
Moderator: Robert Giloth, Vice President, The Annie E. Casey Foundation

Session 6
Workforce Policies for Disadvantaged Populations
Session Summary pdf document

Panel:
Paul Harrington, Director, Center for Labor Markets and Policy, Drexel University
Elaine Katz, Senior Vice President, Grants and Communications, Kessler Foundation
William M. Rodgers, Professor and Chief Economist, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University
Mala Thakur, Senior Adviser, National Youth Employment Coalition
Moderator: Edwin Meléndez, Director, Hunter College Center for Puerto Rican Studies

3:15 Break

3:45 European Workforce Development Policies: Lessons for the United States
Session Summary pdf document

Panel:
Kari Hadjivassiliou, Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Employment Studies, United Kingdom
Ellen Hansen, Former Senior Expert, International Labour Organization, Switzerland
Regina Konle-Seidl, Senior Researcher, Institute for Employment Research, Germany
Sebastian Patta, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Volkswagen of Chattanooga, Tennessee
Moderator: Philip Murphy, Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany

Friday, October 17, 2014
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 Welcome
Todd Greene, Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
8:40 Building a Foundation for Transformative Change with Data and Research
Session Summary pdf document

Panel:
Randall Eberts, President, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Richard Hendra, Senior Research Associate, MDRC
Neil Ridley, Director, State Initiative, Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University
Moderator: Demetra Smith Nightingale, Chief Evaluation Officer, U.S. Department of Labor
9:45 Break
10:00 What American Workers and Employers Need to Succeed
Session Summary pdf document

Panel:
John Engler, President, Business Roundtable
Sara Horowitz, Founder and Executive Director, Freelancers Union
Carl Van Horn, Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University
Moderator: Todd Greene, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
11:15 Keynote remarks
Eric Belsky, Director, Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Introduced by Heidi Kaplan, Senior Community Development Analyst, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
11:40 Closing remarks
Erika Ramirez, Assistant Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
11:45 Adjournment