The Education and Career Mobility Fellowship aims to create a community of next-gen talent and people leaders dedicated to upskilling and educating the workforces in their organizations to promote career advancement.
Contact: Lizette Olmos Godfrey
The Aspen Institute
lizette.olmosgodfrey@aspeninstitute.org
Washington, DC, October 10, 2023 – UpSkill America, an initiative of the Aspen Institute, and Guild, the leader in opportunity creation for America’s workforce, launched the Education and Career Mobility Fellowship, a learning and professional development program built specifically for administrators, managers, and directors of corporate education and talent development initiatives. Today, the two organizations announced the first cohort of Fellows.
“Over the last decade, corporations have stepped up, supporting hundreds of thousands of frontline employees with high-quality upskilling, education, and career mobility programs,” said UpSkill America Director Haley Glover, who leads the Fellowship. “But there is no clear pathway into the roles that support these programs, and there is no community of practice devoted to helping these professionals grow and move into leadership roles. 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 public benefit corporation that partners with the nation’s largest employers to build a bridge between education and employment, in order to help millions of Americans gain the skills and support they need to grow in their careers.
Participating Fellows will connect with one another and 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 2023 through July 2024. 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.
“We could not be more excited to partner with the UpSkill America at the Aspen Institute on this first of its kind Fellowship to foster community and create opportunity for professionals focused on broadening access to education and career mobility within their organizations,” said Dean Carter, Chief People and Purpose Officer at Guild. “By creating a space for collaboration and insights, we’re supporting their career development along with the career advancement potential of millions of employees across the U.S.”
An esteemed committee of corporate learning and human resources leaders is providing strategic guidance to the Fellowship.
The leadership committee includes Darci Hall, Vice President for Talent Effectiveness and Development at Providence Health, Usha Mirchandani, Chief Learning Officer at JPMorgan Chase, Tamla Oates-Forney, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at USAA, and Lorraine Stomski, Senior Vice President for Associate Learning and Leadership at Walmart.
“The education, skilling, and career mobility professionals inside our organizations play a critical role in driving the near and long-term strategy of our businesses,” said Darci Hall, Vice President for Talent Effectiveness and Development at Providence Health. “This investment in their work and development will shape employer workforce initiatives across our country, ensuring businesses have the skills they need to transform and succeed in the future of work.”
“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 contribute to the growing upskilling movement.”
2023-24 Education and Career Mobility Fellows
Della Adams – Frontline Learning Manager at Tyson Foods
Dan Ahern – Global Learning & Development Lead Consultant at Allstate
Joanna Anderson – Director of Career Development at USAA
Ian Bridges – Principal Program Lead for Education Strategies at Chick-fil-A, Inc.
Vashti Canty – Program Manager, Equity Strategy at Delta Air Lines
Jennifer Cardillo – Senior Project Manager, Talent & Learning at Citizens
Stacy Delapenha – Talent Senior Strategy Analyst at M&T Bank
Christina Huang – Manager, Learning & Development at Mastercard
Tuqwan Jordan – Director of Talent Acquisition at Wellstar Health System
Quincy Kissack – Learning & Talent Specialist at U.S. Venture
Nadya Lakirovich – Principal Learning Consultant at Discover Financial Services
Dorian Mastrogany – Director, Talent Acquisition at Guild
Evan McQuirns – People & Culture Partner at NeuroFlow
Chelsea Miller – Director, Education Portfolio & Opportunity at Walmart
Fred Papp – Leadership Development Manager at WM
Darlene Perkins – Program Manager at Rocket Central
Rosie Reyes – Director, Learning & Development at Baptist Health South Florida
Becky Ruban – Executive Director of Learning & Development at Wellstar Health System
Paula Seward – Senior Manager, Continuing Education at Hilton
Michael Shellabarger – Learning & Development Lead at Love’s Travel Stops
Emily Sjodin – Lead Talent Management Consultant at Target
Christina Sternhell – Manager, Organizational Learning at LCMC Health
Courtney Vandiford – Global Leadership Facilitator/Senior L&D Analyst at Whole Foods Market
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.