UpSkill America & Guild Announce Second Cohort of Education and Career Mobility Fellowship

The Fellowship brings together a community of HR professionals dedicated to creating upskilling opportunities and career pathways across the workforce

Contact: Lizette Olmos Godfrey
The Aspen Institute
[email protected]

Washington, DC, October 1, 2024 - UpSkill America of the Aspen Institute, and Guild are proud to announce the second cohort of the Education and Career Mobility Fellowship, a unique development program designed to support HR professionals in their efforts to build effective programs, connect opportunities, and create positive outcomes for employees across the workforce and the businesses that employ them.

"We are thrilled to welcome this new class of talent into the community," said UpSkill America Senior Director Haley Glover. "It has been so exciting to see corporations stepping up to support their entire workforce-particularly those on the frontline-through relevant, well-designed upskilling programs. By investing in these Fellows, we are investing in and supporting the long-term growth of the upskilling movement, which is transforming lives while creating business value."

The Fellowship is created in partnership with Guild, a national leader in opportunity creation for America's workforce, helping employers to attract and retain top talent, and build the workforce of the future through education and skilling. Participating Fellows will connect with experts on a range of issues, including human resources, corporate learning and development, higher education policy and systems, academic innovations, and state and federal policies.

The Fellowship is a nine-month program, convening from October 2024 through July 2025. Fellows will collaborate and solve problems with their peers and receive tailored coaching and mentoring from experts and practitioners. They will have opportunities to build their public profiles and influence, while building a professional network for future growth.

"Guild is deeply focused on unlocking human potential, and we believe it takes a community of innovators to achieve this goal and prepare America for the future. This is why we are committed to investing in these practitioners, whose work is shaping the talent strategies of America's most forward-thinking companies," said Guild CEO Bijal Shah. "We have seen tremendous engagement and ingenuity from the first cohort of Fellows and are thrilled to welcome this second group of leaders into the fold."

The first cohort concluded its final seminar in August, and members will remain engaged as mentors and guides going forward. The program was remarkably successful in its first year. 100% of Cohort 1 Fellows would recommend the program to a colleague and believe that the Fellowship influenced their ability to innovate and think differently about solutions for education and career mobility. Rosie Reyes, Learning & Development Director at Baptist Health South Florida and Cohort 1 Fellow commented, "Participating in this Fellowship has been an incredibly enriching experience. It provided a unique opportunity to deepen my understanding of educational practices, collaborate with inspiring peers, and work on projects that truly make a difference. The support from my leaders and the fellows has been invaluable, helping me to grow both personally and professionally. I'm leaving with new insights, skills, and a renewed passion for shaping the future of learning in my organization."

An esteemed committee of corporate learning and human resources leaders is providing strategic guidance to the Fellowship. The leadership committee includes Danette Howard,Ph.D., global education director, corporate responsibility at Cummins, Inc., Jackie Perez, vice president for human resources at Lennar, and KimArie Yowell, Ed.D. chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer of Rocket Companies and chief learning officer of Rocket Central.

The Fellows will meet in person for the first time October 7-8 in Nashville, TN. "This cohort is an amazing group of people who are poised to make a difference for the workforces they support, and for their communities," said Glover. "We are honored to have the opportunity to support them and to continue elevating the committed, caring professionals working to bring education and career mobility to employees across the country."

2024-25 Education and Career Mobility Fellows

Lauren Allen- Manager of Workforce Development, OSF HealthCare

Kirsten Andersen- Sr. Team Member Development Architect, University of Maryland Medical Center

Kieran Blanks- Principal, The Blankslate Group

Kimberly Douglas- Sr. Advisor, Learning and Leadership Development, The Cigna Group

Marissa Ellis- Director, Education & Opportunity, Global Talent & Learning, Walmart

Jamie Greene- Lead Consultant, Financial Well-Being, Target

Nate Gulley- Leadership Innovation Manager, M&T Bank

Tina Lam Walon- Director of HR Projects and Strategic Programs, Baptist Health

Maggie Lowenberg- Consultant, The Regis Company

Shelby Lyons- Senior Manager, People, iBusiness Funding

Jacqueline Martinez- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Senior, Meta

Chima Mbadugha- Project Director, Duke Corporate Education

Michelle McGrail- PM II Tech Learning, Amazon

Meredith Moore- Sr. Manager, Early Talent Hotel Operations, Hilton

Jonathan Pulley- Sr. Program Manager, Rocket Community Fund

Ana Rader- Director of Seasonal and Fellowship Recruitment, DREAM Charter Schools

Jarron Rice- Regional Head of Talent Practices & Learning Solutions, John Deere

Kelsey Roberts- Director of Program Management, Forage

Nahiem Rodriguez- Program Manager of Specialty Talent Development, Main Line Health

Andrea St. John - Senior Learning & Development Partner, Rocket Companies

Jude Watson- Impact & Insights Program Manager, Business Insights Team, Cisco Networking Academy

About UpSkill America

UpSkill America, an initiative of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, supports employers and workforce organizations to expand and improve high-quality educational and career advancement opportunities for America's front-line workers. We seek to create a movement of employers, civic organizations, workforce intermediaries, and policymakers working collaboratively to implement education, training, and development strategies that result in better jobs and opportunities for front-line workers, more competitive businesses, and stronger communities. Follow us on LinkedIn and learn more at upskillamerica.org

About Guild

The Guild Career Opportunity Platform™ enables forward-thinking employers to invest in their employees, unlocking life-changing opportunities for personal and professional growth through education and learning programs, career development, and one-on-one coaching. Guild partners with the nation's largest employers - including Walmart, Chipotle, Discover, Hilton, Target, The Walt Disney Company, and healthcare systems like Providence Health and UCHealth - to create cultures of opportunity that help them attract and retain top talent and build the workforce of the future. Guild offers a marketplace of curated education and learning programs designed for the success of working adults. Layered onto that is support, guidance, and resources at every step to help ensure the new skills employees are building translate into career pathways that are in demand at their companies - all without paying for tuition or career services on their own. For more information, visit https://www.guild.com.

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