By Shannon Holmes
July 25, 2005

As part of the ongoing partnership between The United States Conference of Mayors’ Workforce Development Council (WDC) and the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), 40 workforce directors and staff from across the country met in Denver July 18 and 19 to participate in a successful day and a half forum.

The forum, Putting America To Work: Highlighting the Innovations of the Public Workforce System, was the second of two “roll-up-the'sleeves” working sessions. Both were held to address the unexplored nexus between AECF’s investment in research and learning on promoting economic opportunity for low-income and low'skilled workers and WDC’s collective and individual member activities with the same population.

The forum was designed to develop a set of solutions and identify best practices on career advancement for the working poor, out-of-school youth and literacy. To lead off the forum, researchers presented the latest research and best practices in the workforce system that correlated with each topic.

The researchers were followed by two or three WDC members highlighting their own best practice in each topic area. Facilitated small group discussions in each topic area provided the opportunity for attendees to exchange ideas and identify strategic elements for successful best practices. On the second day individual group reports with concrete solutions were presented in each topic area. These solutions were then cultivated by the entire group to be included in a final recommendation report to the AECF Knowledge Workforce Conference in December.

Participating researchers included Amy-Ellen Duke, Policy Analyst for Family Policy at the Center for Law and Social Policy; Linda Harris, Senior Policy Analyst at Center for Law and Social Policy; and Margaret Doughty, Consultant for Literacy USA. WDC practitioners presenting were:

• Jeff Crain, Center Manager for Houston Works USA;

• Cec Ortiz de Sanchez, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development for the city of Denver; and

• Priscilla Bohl, Manager for Denver International Airport One-Stop, Office of Economic Development at the Division of Workforce Development for the city of Denver;

• Ray Worden, Workforce Development Bureau Manager for the city of Long Beach and WDC President;

• Allison Motz, Director of Workforce Development for the city of Cleveland; and

• Robert Sainz, Assistant General Manager of Community Development Department for the city of Los Angeles;

• Michael Gritton, Executive Director of KentuckianaWorks in Louisville Metro; and

• Denise Dillard Chief Executive Officer of Workforce Development Services for the city of Gary.