The Scranton Area Community Foundation announced today that it will be hosting the Northeastern Pennsylvania Workforce Leadership Academy, a Fellowship program designed to support leaders in workforce development committed to advancement of the local workforce ecosystem. The Scranton Area Community Foundation was one of only eight organizations across the country selected to deliver an Academy in partnership with the Aspen Institute. Other cities selected as host sites include Tucson, Detroit, Cleveland, Memphis, San Antonio, Baltimore, and Buffalo.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Workforce Leadership Academy brings leaders – recognized as Fellows of the Academy – from across the local workforce ecosystem together for a year-long series of retreats, workshops, and action learning projects. Fellows work with leading practitioners throughout the country as they deepen networks; strengthen systems leadership skills; apply race, equity, and systems change frameworks to their work; and increase understanding of effective strategies and programs. Alumni of the Academy become part of the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, joining Fellows from fourteen previous Academies in eleven cities in the US and Canada.

“A high-capacity, responsive, and agile local workforce ecosystem is critical to increasing the chances of sustainable and equitable economic recovery,” said Sheila Maguire, Senior Fellow with the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. “The Academy provides leaders with the rare opportunity to think and act strategically across silos to advance outcomes for workers and businesses.”

Eighteen to twenty-four fellows in NEPA will be selected through a competitive application process. The Scranton Area Community Foundation and its partners encourage senior-level managers from across the workforce ecosystem of nonprofit organizations, business associations, union-based training efforts, public agencies, and community colleges that have the authority to implement changes to apply. Applications and Academy details are available online at www.safdn.org/WLA. The deadline for application submissions is Thursday, January 26, 2023, at 5:00 pm. Interested applicants can learn more about the Academy on an informational webinar to be held on December 20, 2022. Details can be found at www.safdn.org/WLA

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Workforce Leadership Academy is made possible by the generous support of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation in addition to the Scranton Area Community Foundation.

“The Scranton Area Community Foundation has decided to host this important leadership academy because of the need for a cross-sector, collaborative workforce effort aimed at systems change in NEPA,” said Laura Ducceschi, President & CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. “We established NEPA Thrives, an equity-based workforce initiative, and the NEPA Workforce Leadership Academy is a key part of this focus area. Fellows will identify challenges within the workforce ecosystem and work to develop solutions in key areas.”

Together with many community partners, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has created NEPA Thrives, an equity-driven workforce-based initiative focused on identifying opportunities and solutions to Northeastern Pennsylvania’s workforce challenges. The mission of NEPA Thrives is to find solutions to Northeastern Pennsylvania’s workforce challenges, including skills training, digital access and literacy, and affordable, quality childcare in order to create a robust and growing regional economy where individuals, families, and employers thrive. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Workforce Leadership Academy is a project of the NEPA Thrives initiative of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. To learn more about NEPA Thrives or the Northeastern Pennsylvania Workforce Leadership Academy, contact Jana Nelhybel, NEPA Thrives Manager, at jana@safdn.org.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Workforce Leadership Academy will be guided by an Advisory Council:

Karla Carlucci
Director
Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County

Lori Chaffers
Executive Director
Outreach

Eileen Cipriani
Director
Office of Economic and Community Development
City of Scranton

Bob Durkin
President & CEO
Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce

Yosara Gonzalez
Executive Director
Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress

Lindsay Griffin-Boylan
President & CEO
Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce

Christine Jensen
Administrator
PA CareerLink, Luzerne County

Rashida Lovely
Director of Operations
NEPA Black Chamber of Commerce

Jill Murray
President
Lackawanna College

Teri Ooms
Executive Director
The Institute

Carolyn Quinn
Executive Director
Educational Opportunity Centers of PA

Drew Simpson
Regional Manager
Eastern Atlantic States
Regional Council of Carpenters

Jocelyn Sterenchock
Director of Economic Development
CAN-DO Greater Hazleton

Virginia Turano
Executive Director
Lackawanna County Workforce Development Board

Debra Youngfelt
Executive Director
Northeast PA Area Health Education Center

PHOTO: The Scranton Area Community Foundation announces the launch of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Workforce Leadership Academy, a Fellowship program designed to support leaders in workforce development committed to advancement of the local workforce ecosystem. Members of the NEPA Workforce Leadership Academy Advisory Council gather during a press conference announcing the launch of the Workforce Leadership Academy. (l-r): Bob Durkin, Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce President & CEO; Laura Ducceschi, Scranton Area Community Foundation President & CEO; Scranton Mayor Paige Cognotti; Teri Ooms, The Institute for Public Policy Executive Director; Rashida Lovely, NEPA Black Chamber of Commerce Director of Operations; Barbara O’Hara, Scranton Area Community Foundation Board Chair.

ABOUT THE SCRANTON AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
The Scranton Area Community Foundation is on a mission to enhance the quality of life for all people in Northeastern Pennsylvania through the development of organized philanthropy. With over $90 million in assets under management and more than 290 charitable funds, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has served as a steward, grant maker, charitable resource, and catalyst for change since 1954. The Foundation leads various initiatives including Women in Philanthropy, the Center for Community Leadership and Nonprofit Excellence, NEPA Moves, NEPA Thrives, and the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative. Additionally, the Foundation hosts and facilitates NEPA Gives and the NEPA Learning Conference. The Scranton Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization confirmed in compliance with National Standards of U.S. Community Foundations. More information about the Scranton Area Community Foundation can be found at www.safdn.org.

ABOUT THE ASPEN INSTITUTE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM:
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington DC. Its mission is to spark intellectual inquiry and exchange, create a diverse worldwide community of leaders committed to the greater good, and provide a nonpartisan forum for reaching solutions on vital public policy issues. The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances promising strategies and policies to help low- and moderate-income Americans connect to and thrive in a changing economy. Over its 25 years of work, the Economic Opportunities Program has focused on expanding individuals’ opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and to build assets and economic stability.