Economic Opportunities Program

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals’ opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity.

We collaborate with national and local leaders across the United States – nonprofit leaders, policymakers, labor leaders, business leaders, educators, academics, and more – and we actively seek input and ideas from individuals and communities affected by proposed approaches to address economic opportunity challenges. Through our leadership and fellowship programs; applied research and evaluation; data and analysis; and dialogue with diverse stakeholders, we work at both local and national levels to build understanding and galvanize action to address the challenge of economic opportunity in America.

National Job Quality Practitioner Survey

We’re in the last month of our #JobQuality Survey. If your organization is improving #JobQuality, add your voice to this survey from The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program by December 31st.

Aspen institute Economic Opportunities Program

Events

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Economic Opportunity employee ownership

Employee Ownership Ideas Forum 2026

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Blog Posts

Blog Posts

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

“We are delighted to welcome this new class of Fellows,” said UpSkill America Senior Director Haley Glover. “Supporting these leaders, who are joining a thriving community of alumni, to advance in their work and careers creating real value for their organizations and opportunities for their workforces is so rewarding. This is an incredibly impressive group.”

Blog Posts Of Interest

National Job Quality Practitioner Survey

We’re in the last month of our #JobQuality survey. If your org is improving #JobQuality, add your voice to this survey from The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program by December 31st.

Blog Posts

Institutional Investment and Employee Ownership

Blog Posts

Job Quality Newsletter – Low Quality, High Costs

In this edition of the Job Quality Newsletter, we unpack why manufacturing jobs are often seen as desirable yet don’t consistently deliver on that promise, highlight research that shows how efforts to strengthen businesses can also improve the quality of jobs they provide, and consider how government purchasing power can be used to set higher job standards across the sector.

Blog Posts
Blog Posts

Economic Opportunities Program Monthly Digest — October 2025

We are pleased to present a selection of our work from the past month.

Publications

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Publications

Upskilling Playbook: AI, Skill Development, and the Workforce

Leaders must view AI adoption as a development opportunity to redefine how capability is built, focusing on outcomes and consciously reinvesting capacity freed by automation to ensure growth and resilience for both the business and its people.

Publications

Integrating a Job Quality Practice in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs): A Q&A

This Q&A provides insights and lessons from the work of 11 CDFIs that participated in Shared Success, a job quality demonstration led by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program (EOP).

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Publications

Job Quality Insights from Small Business Employees

Findings from this survey reinforce the importance of job quality for employee satisfaction.

Publications
Publications

Durable Skills, Strong Starts: What Employers Really Want from Early- Career Talent

This piece is the first in a series. We will release additional briefs over the coming months that dive deeper into findings.

Publications

Employer-Friendly Practices: Bridging Higher Ed Practices and Employer Realities

This paper is the first in a series. It elevates the specific issues that employers indicate are key enablers or inhibitors in their relationships and partnerships with colleges and universities.

Videos

Podcasts Videos

Backsliding on Child Protections: The Return of Child Labor in the US

For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or subscribe to our podcast to listen on the go.

Podcasts Videos

Big Impact, Big Challenges: Lessons from Collaborating with Large Businesses to Improve Job Quality

This event is part of our Job Quality in Practice webinar series. For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or subscribe to our podcast to listen on the go.

Podcasts Videos

Banking on Skills: Cara Collective and BMO Bank Partner for Change

BMO Bank partnered with Cara Collective, a comprehensive workforce development nonprofit, to get qualified talent through the door and on the path to economic mobility.

Videos

The Future of Equal Opportunity

A core shared value in American society, one deeply woven into our national narrative, is the belief in equal opportunity — the idea that everyone should have a fair chance to succeed based on their effort, talent, and ambition, regardless of their background.

Videos

Feeling the Heat: Workplace Safety in a Warming World

In this event — hosted by the Economic Opportunities Program on July 30, 2025 — we learn how the warming climate is affecting workers, and what policymakers, businesses, and labor are doing to keep workers safe.

Videos

Fixing Work: Recent Lessons from the Field

This webinar, which EOP hosted on July 22, 2025, offers fresh insights, practical lessons, and inspiration to advance job quality in your own work. It features opening remarks from the Aspen Institute’s Matt Helmer, followed by a panel discussion.

Podcasts Videos

Advising Small Businesses on Job Quality: Lessons From CDFIS

This webinar, which EOP hosted on June 26, 2025, features highlights from the guide, as well as insights from CDFI leaders about their approaches to building job quality advising into their work. It features opening remarks from the Aspen Institute’s Maureen Conway and Bryn Morgan, followed by a panel discussion with Amanda Blondeau (Northern Initiatives), Cynthia Murphy (Coastal Enterprises, Inc.), and Delphine Ntegeye (African Development Center).

Our team


Maureen Conway

Vice President; Executive Director

Matt Helmer

Director of Job Quality and Worker Well-Being

Joyce Klein

Senior Director

Haley Glover

Senior Director

Colleen Cunningham

Director of Grants Management and Publications

Merrit Stüven

Associate Director

Chelsea Miller

Associate Director

Tony Mastria

Associate Director of Communications

Natalie Foster

Senior Fellow

Louis Caditz-Peck

Senior Fellow

Dee Wallace

Senior Fellow

Leila Brown

Senior Project Manager

Bryn Morgan

Senior Research Associate

Amanda Fins

Senior Research Associate

Frances Almodovar

Communications Associate

Nora Heffernan

Digital Communications Associate

Maxwell Johnson

Research Associate

Maya Smith

Research Associate

Chris Huyck Trout

Senior Advisor and Consultant

Sinin Young

Grants Management Associate

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