A Defining Moment for Good Jobs
Description
Recognizing the urgency and potential for advancing good jobs, the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Families and Workers Fund convened the Good Jobs Champions Group — a diverse, cross-sector group of leaders in business, labor, advocacy, academia, nonprofits, and philanthropy — to develop a common definition of a good job.
For too long, the success of the economy has been judged by how much it produces or the number of jobs available. This focus on quantity, and not quality, has led to a less resilient and less equitable economy, where millions of people struggle in bad jobs and people in all roles face rising insecurity. The current moment of economic transition presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to center good jobs for a robust, equitable economy. This vision requires a foundation of a broadly shared definition of what defines a good job – a definition that has remained a missing piece of the puzzle for too long.
Join the Families and Workers Fund and the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and our panel of experts from business, labor, and philanthropy, who will discuss how this shared definition will help advance effective action and accountability for good jobs, the significance of commitments by signatories to take action in their respective sectors, and what’s next in the renewed movement toward ensuring good jobs for all.
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Tweet Join me on Oct 12 with @FamiliesWorkers, @AspenJobQuality, and experts from business, labor, and philanthropy to discuss how a shared definition of #goodjobs will help advance effective action and accountability for good jobs.
Tweet For too long, we’ve judged our economy by job quantity, not #jobquality — leading to less equity, rising insecurity, and millions of people struggling in bad jobs. Let’s create a shared definition of #goodjobs and begin to build a more equitable economy.
Tweet Oct 12: A Defining Moment for #GoodJobs. Feat @DanPorterfield @AspenInstitute, Damien Dwin @lafayetteholdco, @aprildverrett @SEIU, @darrenwalker @FordFoundation, and @lydiadepillis @nytimes. Hosted by @AspenJobQuality & @FamiliesWorkers.
Speakers
Maureen Conway @conway_maureen (co-host)
Vice President, The Aspen Institute; Executive Director, Economic Opportunities Program @AspenJobQuality
Maureen Conway serves as vice president at the Aspen Institute and as executive director of the Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program (EOP). EOP works to expand individuals’ opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. View Maureen’s full bio.
Rachel Korberg @RachelKorberg (co-host)
Executive Director and Co-Founder, The Families and Workers Fund @FamiliesWorkers
Rachel Korberg is the executive director and co-founder of the Families and Workers Fund, a coalition of more than twenty diverse philanthropies working together to build a more equitable US economy that uplifts all. Co-chaired by Ford Foundation President Darren Walker and Schmidt Futures CEO Eric Braverman, the more than $50 million fund invests and builds strategic partnerships to advance good jobs and deliver equitable, effective public benefits.
Previously, Rachel served in program leadership roles at the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation, where she worked to advance economic opportunity, mobility, and equity. Earlier, she was vice president of a boutique investment firm and also a global development and humanitarian aid worker serving in communities coping with disasters. Her commentary has appeared in, or her work has been profiled by, the New York Times, Washington Post, Fortune, TechCrunch, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Newsweek, and more. She has been a featured speaker at the Federal Reserve, United Nations, National League of Cities, Aspen Institute, and many universities. In 2021, she received Crain’s New York’s award for notable leaders in philanthropy for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a “Stevie Award” for female nonprofit executive of the year.
Rachel is president of the board of the Stonewall Community Foundation, one of the largest funders of LGBTQIA+ causes. She has a master’s in public policy from Yale University and executive training in human-centered design from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Rachel also brings lived experience to her leadership of the Families and Workers Fund as a working parent, survivor of workplace sexual harassment, and a family member who has seen loved ones navigate the inadequate public benefits system and a job market that too often writes off those who don’t hold college degrees.
Daniel R. Porterfield @DanPorterfield (opening remarks)
President and CEO, The Aspen Institute @AspenInstitute
Daniel R. Porterfield is president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. He has been recognized as a visionary strategist, transformational leader, devoted educator, and passionate advocate for justice and opportunity.
At the Aspen Institute, Porterfield has worked to build upon the organization’s legacy of societal influence and commitment to human dignity while positioning it for a future where it can make its most profound and lasting impacts. View Dan’s full bio.
Damien Dwin
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Lafayette Square @lafayetteholdco
Damien Dwin is the founder and chief executive officer of Lafayette Square, a commercially scaled investment platform built for and enhanced by a commitment to impact. Founded in November 2020, Lafayette Square deploys long-term capital alongside impactful services to local communities across the US through its credit, real estate, and renewables divisions. The firm seeks to make positive social and economic impact in underserved communities. By increasing access to economic opportunity, we can build a more inclusive American economy.
Previously, Damien served as co-founder and co-CEO of Brightwood Capital Advisors from its founding in 2010 to October 2020.
Damien began his career as a trader with Goldman Sachs, New York & London, there earning the Michael P. Mortara Award for Innovation. He then further developed his investment expertise working for Credit Suisse, where he was the co-founder and head of the North American Special Opportunities business until 2010. At Credit Suisse, Damien also served on the Vice President Selection Committee and led the Fixed Income Division Credit Training Program.
He is an active thought leader on mass incarceration, economic inclusion, racial justice and representation, and the use of purpose and profit for good. He has written for Entrepreneur and Inc.com.
A committed philanthropist, Damien currently serves as chair of the board of trustees for Vera Institute of Justice. He also serves on the nonprofit boards of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Studio Museum in Harlem, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Woodberry Forest School, and Boys’ Club of New York.
Damien received a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, where he later served two terms on the board of regents.
April Verrett @aprildverrett
Secretary-Treasurer, SEIU @SEIU; President, SEIU Local 2015 @SEIU2015
April Verrett — elected to be SEIU International Secretary-Treasurer in June 2022 — also serves as president of SEIU Local 2015, California’s largest local union and the nation’s largest long-term care union, representing more than 400,000 long-term care providers working in both nursing homes and private homes throughout California.
Although now based in Los Angeles, April’s story begins proudly on the South Side of Chicago. She was raised by her grandmother who worked as a locker room attendant for the Chicago Park District.
Prior to joining SEIU Local 2015, April served as executive vice president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana, where she played an instrumental role in holding corporations accountable and advocating for them to pay their fair share in taxes. She helped start United Working Families, an organization that connects grassroots organizations to build political power and hold elected officials accountable.
April also leads nationally for SEIU International. She is an international vice president, chairs the union’s National Home Care Council, co-chairs the National Organizing Committee, and is a member of the Finance Committee.
Darren Walker @darrenwalker
President, Ford Foundation @FordFoundation
Darren Walker is president of the Ford Foundation, a $16 billion international social justice philanthropy. He is a member of the Reimagining New York Commission and co-chair of NYC Census 2020. He chaired the philanthropy committee that brought a resolution to the city of Detroit’s historic bankruptcy. Under his leadership, the Ford Foundation became the first nonprofit in US history to issue a $1 billion designated social bond in US capital markets for proceeds to strengthen and stabilize nonprofit organizations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before joining Ford, Darren was vice president at Rockefeller Foundation, overseeing global and domestic programs. In the 1990s, he was chief operating officer of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, Harlem’s largest community development organization.
Darren co-chairs New York City’s Mayoral Advisory Commission on City Art, Monuments, and Markers, and has served on the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform and the UN International Labour Organization Global Commission on the Future of Work. He co-founded both the US Impact Investing Alliance and the Presidents’ Council on Disability Inclusion in Philanthropy and is a founding member of the Board Diversity Action Alliance. He serves on many boards, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Hall, the High Line, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture. In the summer of 2020, he was appointed to the boards of Block, Inc, and Ralph Lauren. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society and is the recipient of 16 honorary degrees and university awards, including Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal.
Educated exclusively in public schools, Darren was a member of the first Head Start class in 1965 and received his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. He has been included on numerous leadership lists: Time’s annual 100 Most Influential People, Rolling Stone’s 25 People Shaping the Future, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, Ebony’s Power 100, and Out magazine’s Power 50. Most recently, Darren was named a Commander of the French Order of Arts and Letters, the highest rank of this order.
Lydia DePillis @lydiadepillis (moderator)
Economy Reporter, The New York Times @nytimes
Lydia DePillis is a reporter on the Business desk at The New York Times. Previously, she covered federal agencies at ProPublica, the national economy at CNN, the Texas economy at The Houston Chronicle, labor and business at The Washington Post, the technology industry at The New Republic, and real estate at the Washington City Paper. She grew up in Seattle and graduated from Columbia University with an undergraduate major in history.