Workforce Summit: Removing Barriers and Building Skills Together

 

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Please email events@slchamber.com for questions.

The number one economic issue coming out of the pandemic is a skilled and work-ready workforce. The workforce shortages across the state and nation are causing employers and business leaders to rethink hiring strategies. The Salt Lake Chamber is hosting the workforce summit "Removing Barriers and Building Success" on August 12, 2021. The event will be held in person. The half-day event will look at removing barriers and allowing employees to enter the workforce seamlessly. The summit will also discuss creative skill development and the future infrastructure of the workforce.    

CEOs and HR Directors who attend the event will discover unique solutions to their recruitment challenges.  

AGENDA:

8:30 AM
WELCOME & BREAKFAST

8:40 - 9:00 AM
OPENING KEYNOTE
The presentation will be centered on the current state of the adult learner, how the state is addressing the workforce shortage and issues, and the need for businesses to be innovative and nimble during this post-pandemic era.
Keynote:

• Commissioner David R. Woolstenhulme, Utah System of Higher Education

9:00 - 9:50 AM
PANEL DISCUSSION #1
Adding Workers by Removing Barriers
A potential employee may be a good candidate for the position, but barriers to employment like childcare, transportation or the ability to access training could stop talented individuals from accepting the position. This panel will address these barriers and provide potential solutions for employers. In addition to how employers can provide inmates and ex-offenders the training and support they need to re-enter the workforce.

Moderator: Linda Wardell, General Manager, City Creek Center

Panel:

• Margaret Busse, Executive Director, Utah Department of Commerce
• JoJo Liu, Director, Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice Initiatives and Director, Salt Lake County Criminal Justice Advisory Council
• Loggins Merrill, Workforce Development Director, Utah Department of Workforce Services
• Carol Miller, Head of Employer Partnerships, Wonderschool
• Cory Pearson, Deputy Director of Veteran Services, Utah Department of Veterans & Military Affairs

10:00 - 10:50 AM
PANEL DISCUSSION #2
Navigating the Current Training and Development Landscape
Now more than ever, talent development strategies and investment in employees are critical for organizations to maintain a competitive advantage. However, gaps and challenges in training and development persist -- exacerbated by the COVID19 pandemic. This panel of experts will provide insights to employers and others on the front lines of training the labor force that explores the current training and development landscape.

Moderator:  Amanda Tullis, Director, Business and Economic Division, Davis Technical College and Chair, State Custom Fit Training 

Panel:

• Ben Hart, Deputy Director, Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity
• Steve King, Business Development Leader, Apprenti
• Trina Limpert, CEO & Founder, RizeNext
• Cyd Tetro, CEO, Brandless

11:00 - 11:50 AM
PANEL DISCUSSION #3
The Future Infrastructure of Workforce
The infrastructure of workforce development is evolving at a rapid pace. This panel addresses the evolving environment of the workforce and discusses innovative, employer-led opportunities to better prepare workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Moderator:  Wes Smith, Senior Vice President Policy and Government Affairs, Western Governors University

Panel:

• John Graham, CEO, 1-800 Contacts
• Aaron Osmund, US Lead - Education to Workforce Team, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Timothy Ruff, Co-Founder & CEO, Credential Master
• Alana Dunagan, Director of Higher Education and Workforce Policy, Western Governors University

12:00 PM
ADJOURN

SPEAKERS:

Commissioner David R. Woolstenhulme, Utah System of Higher Education
Dave R. Woolstenhulme, Ed.D became Commissioner of Higher Education on July 1, 2020, after serving as Interim Commissioner of Higher Education since July 2019 for the Utah System of Higher Education. Previously, he served as Vice President of Statewide Campuses for Utah State University, a position he held since 2018. Prior to that, he served as the Utah Commissioner of Technical Education where he was the CEO for the Utah System of Technical Colleges, providing state-level leadership and oversight for the eight technical colleges in Utah. He also served as Executive Vice Provost at USU, as well as the President of Uintah Basin Applied Technology College. Woolstenhulme received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Utah State University and his Doctorate of Education from the University of Wyoming.
 

Margaret Busse, Executive Director, Utah Department of Commerce
Margaret Woolley Busse is the Executive Director of Utah?s Department of Commerce.  Prior to her appointment to Commerce, Ms. Busse was an adjunct faculty member for BYU?s Political Science Department as well as an advisor to social impact organizations. Ms. Busse also served for several years as the Associate Director of the Social Enterprise Initiative at Harvard Business School, where she worked on issues such as the future of work, opportunity and prosperity for all, and educational improvement.  In addition, Ms. Busse worked as a strategy consultant at the Bridgespan Group and spent several years at the U.S. Treasury Department as a Presidential Management Fellow. Ms. Busse developed her passion for public service by serving for many years in leadership roles in local government. 
 

JoJo Liu, Director, Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice Initiatives Director, Salt Lake County Criminal Justice Advisory Council
Jojo is the Director of the Salt Lake County Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice Initiatives where she is the Director of the Criminal Justice Advisory Council and criminal justice policy advisor to Mayor Jenny Wilson.  A lawyer by training Jojo previously served as the Assistant Director of the Utah Indigent Defense Commission and as a law professor at the S.J. Quinney School of Law.  She started her career as a lawyer for court involved youth, and was the Co-Director of the Loyola Law School Center for Juvenile Law and Policy from 2008-2015. 
 

Loggins Merrill, Workforce Development Director, Utah Department of Workforce Services
Loggins Merrill is the Workforce Development Division Director at the Utah Department of Workforce Services. In 21 years with the department, he has served in various positions and divisions including the Auditing & Contracts, Eligibility Services, Unemployment, and Workforce Development divisions. For several years, he has been working with people experiencing homelessness to help connect them to employment and resources to move out of homelessness. Loggins received the Governor's Award for Excellence in 2018 and the Statewide Community Connection Award in 2014 for partnerships in the homeless community and implementation of employment services in shelters.


Carol Miller, Head of Employer Partnerships, Wonderschool
Carol Miller is the Head of Employer Partnerships with Wonderschool focusing on partnering with employers looking to provide high-quality child care benefits to their employees.  Wonderschool has a network of home-based child care and preschool programs offering employers a concierge service assisting your employees in finding care, as well as priority enrollment and creative tuition support programs.  With a passion for early education and creating successful client partnerships, Carol is always looking to create high-quality, customized child care solutions for her clients. With over 20 years of experience in employer sponsored child care and early education, Carol has strategically partnered with an array of clients in varying industries such as technology, entertainment, healthcare, and higher education.   Early in her career, Carol enjoyed her experience in the classroom working with children of all ages.  Carol worked for Children’s Creative Learning Centers, Knowledge Universe, and Bright Horizons and held many roles within the industry such as Center Director, Regional Manager, and Client Manager where she was responsible for contracts, reporting, and overall client satisfaction.  In her current role as Head of Employer Partnerships, Carol can bring her experience and knowledge from both the provider level and the client perspective. Carol earned her B.A. in Government from Saint Mary’s College of California and a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from California State University, East Bay and resides with her family in the San Francisco bay area. 


Ben Hart, Deputy Director, Utah Governor's Office of Opportunity
Benjamin Hart is deputy director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED). He oversees the Talent Ready Utah program, corporate recruitment, and the International Trade and Diplomacy Office. Mr. Hart also oversees state-wide partnerships with the Economic Development Corporation of Utah and the World Trade Center of Utah. 
 






Steve King, Business Development Leader, Apprenti
As the Apprenti Business Leader for the Mountain Region, Steve is responsible for the expansion of Tech Apprenticeship in Utah and surrounding states. Teamed with UTAP (Utah Technology Apprenticeship Program) and partnered with the Utah Department of Workforce Services, various businesses and community groups, Apprenti helps businesses meet their Tech Talent needs through Apprenti's Registered Apprenticeship Program.
 







Trina Limpert, CEO & Founder, RizeNext
Trina Limpert is the CEO & Founder of RizeNext Corporation, a business strategy and education consulting company assisting organizations to successfully execute equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. Trina is a passionate leader and her company offers a unique blend of experience in driving engagement and operational execution to meet diversity & inclusion objectives. Her prior corporate technology career spans across multiple industries and businesses at Novell, eBay and lastly at Oracle as the Senior Director of CX Consulting. In her prior role as President of Women in IT at eBay she lead an organization of 1500 members across 17 countries. In 2020 Trina co-founded Tech-Moms.org an organization that educates and assists women re-entering or transitioning their careers into the technology industry.
 

Cyd Tetro, CEO, Brandless
Cydni Tetro is recognized as an innovator of experience, a growth leader, technologist, STEM advocate, author, and speaker. Creating immersive customer experiences through technology and product innovation for business growth and market leadership is woven through her career. Cydni is currently the CEO of Brandless, a technology-enabled consumer platform that is building the largest digitally native roll-up of mission-based brands. Prior to that she was CEO of ForgeDX, a customer acceleration platform used by companies like Verizon, Adobe, Microsoft, Dell and other large tech companies to transform customer experience. She also founded and was the CEO of 3DpulsMe, which was acquired, and was a 3D printing personalization platform, where you could become an Ironman action figure and more in partnership with Marvel, Star Wars, NFL, MLB and Hasbro, Walmart and Target.


Aaron Osmund, US Lead Education to Workforce team, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Aaron currently works as the US Leader for the Education to Workforce Team in the Global Public Sector division of Amazon Web Services. In this role, Aaron leads a team of workforce experts who assist state education and workforce leaders to design and implement workforce readiness programs that will prepare their students for future cloud careers. 
Prior to Amazon, Aaron served as the Vice President and General Manager of the Certiport division of Pearson from 2012 to 2020 where he led their global career and technical education business unit. From 1991 to 2012, Aaron built his expertise in IT education and workforce enablement through key leadership roles at WordPerfect, Novell, and Microsoft.
 

Timothy Ruff, Co-Founder & CEO, Credential Master
Timothy is the CEO and co-founder of Credential Master and General Partner of Digital Trust Ventures. Before Credential Master Timothy co-founded Evernym and co-invented Sovrin, a global blockchain-based initiative enabling "self-sovereign identity" through the use of digital verifiable credentials. Timothy is a husband, father, grandfather and decent racquetball player, and resides in Herriman.








John Graham, CEO, 1-800 Contacts
John Graham was appointed as the CEO of 1800-Contacts in 2018. He previously served as the president, COO, president of Glasses.com and SVP of business development. 1-800 Contacts is headquartered in Draper, Utah and currently employs about 1,200 people, many of which are located in the Salt Lake Valley. Under John’s leadership at the beginning of 2020, the majority of the workforce shifted to an at-home work environment. Many employees continue to enjoy a hybrid work model with great success. Before joining 1-800 Contacts in 2009, John was a Principal with The Boston Consulting Group where he advised clients in Dallas, Stockholm and Johannesburg.  He also spent time in marketing, e-commerce, and strategy roles at HP and Mrs. Fields, and began his career as an engineer for TheraTech, a pharmaceutical startup. John received an MBA from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in materials science & engineering from the University of Utah, both with honors. While John’s career has taken him to many countries and cities across the United States, he’s always returned to his home base in Salt Lake City, Utah where he currently lives with his wife in their rapidly emptying nest.


Wesley Smith, Senior Vice President of Policy and Public Affairs, Western Governors University
Wesley Smith is the Senior Vice President of Policy and Public Affairs at Western Governors University (WGU), where he directs external engagement to advance WGU’s mission to connect individuals to opportunity. In this role he is responsible for WGU’s work in the public policy, government relations, external communications, and community affairs practice areas. Previously, he served as Director of State and Federal Relations for Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert, where he represented Utah in Washington, D.C. As a senior advisor to Governor Herbert, he played a key role in the development of policy and strategy. During Gov. Herbert’s two-year term (2014-2016) as a leader of the National Governors Association (NGA), Wesley worked closely with NGA staff and governors to strengthen states and advance federal policy efforts on behalf of all governors. Prior to joining the Governor’s staff, Wesley was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Utah’s largest and longest serving business association, the Salt Lake Chamber. In addition to his work as General Counsel for the Chamber, he directed public policy and advocacy initiatives of the business community. Wesley also served as an appointee in the George W. Bush Administration at the Environmental Protection Agency and clerked in the Office of White House Counsel. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and received his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.


MODERATORS:

Amanda Tullis, Director of the Business and Economic Development Division, Davis Technical College
Amanda Tullis is the Director of the Business and Economic Development Division for Davis Technical College. She is currently the State of Utah Custom Fit Chair and oversees the Davis and Morgan Business Resource Centers, economic development, workforce development and training, small business development center, governor’s office programs, and more. Amanda is a dynamic leader who aims to empower and inspire with expertise and experience in leadership, public relations, marketing, conflict management and conflict resolution, team building facilitation, and professional speaking.



Linda Wardell, General Manager, City Creek Center
Linda Wardell is the general manager of City Creek Center, the retail portion of City Creek, one of the largest mixed-use downtown projects in the nation. With more than 30 years of experience managing and marketing shopping centers, Linda oversees retail operations for the landmark shopping and dining destination in the heart of Salt Lake City. A seasoned retail executive, Linda received her first taste of shopping centers at an Atlanta-based boutique advertising agency. Her clients included Taubman, owner and operator of City Creek Center. Linda has played a pivotal role in the grand openings of several high-profile properties across the United States and has served as the vice president of marketing for another major developer in the shopping center industry.  Linda has worked with Taubman Realty Group for 14 years and has now proudly called Salt Lake home for over a decade.