Virtual Event

Oct

18 - 20

Charting a Resilient Future for US Workers: Solutions to Navigate an Uncertain Economy

Tuesday, October 18, 2022 02:00 pm - 04:30 pm
Register

View event recordings below.

Amid seismic economic shifts, workers and families have experienced highs and lows. The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a once-in-a-lifetime economic shock, followed by a robust government response to stabilize the economy. Nearly three years later, a tight labor market has led to historic wage growth and better jobs—particularly for workers earning low wages. Inflation, however, has undermined these gains, and policies to control prices could lead to higher unemployment. Longer-term trends such as income inequality, automation, climate change, and demographic shifts pose uncertainty for the present and future of work.

And yet, with transformation comes opportunity. We invite you to join WorkRise and its partners for a virtual conference to explore the challenge and promise of the current moment, innovative policies and practices aimed at improving job quality and economic mobility, and creative, cross-sector solutions that are turning risk into resilience so that workers, businesses, and communities can thrive. Each day will be anchored around a specific theme, and leaders and doers from our stakeholder networks, including workers, employers, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and advocates, will share actionable insights and solutions to navigate the road ahead. Workers will share reflections on their experiences with economic uncertainty and their hopes about the future in vignettes woven throughout the program.
 

 

Full Conference Agenda

 

Day 1 - October 18, 2022: Meeting the Moment

2:00 p.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks  

  • Todd Greene, Executive Director, WorkRise, and Institute Fellow, Urban Institute
  • Shamina Singh, Founder and President, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and EVP, Sustainability, Mastercard
2:10 p.m.

Signature Panel: What is happening now, and what is ahead for workers?  

  • Raphael Bostic, President and Chief Executive Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
  • Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League
  • Beth Cobert, Acting President, Markle Foundation (moderator)
3:00 p.m.

Research-to-Action Panel: Applying evidence to inform and support resilience

  • Julian D. Miller, Director, Reuben V. Anderson Center for Justice, Tougaloo College
  • Sarah Miller, Principal Adviser for Community and Economic Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
  • Jake Rosenfeld, Professor of Sociology, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Tracy Wareing-Evans, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Public Human Services Association
  • Kimberly Brown, Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (moderator)
4:00 p.m.

Worker Voices: Perspectives on good jobs from essential workers  

4:25 p.m.

Closing Remarks

  • Don Howard, President and CEO, The James Irvine Foundation
 

Day 2 - October 19, 2022: Policies and Practices That Will Shape the Future of Work

2:00 p.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

  • Todd Greene, Executive Director, WorkRise, and Institute Fellow, Urban Institute
  • Maria Flynn, President and CEO, Jobs for the Future
2:10 p.m.

Signature Panel: Employer practices for a diverse and dynamic workforce

  • Julie Coffman, Chief Diversity Officer, Bain & Company
  • Wanda Hope, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Johnson & Johnson
  • Heather Jacobs, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Delaware North
  • Franz Paasche, Senior Vice President, Chief Corporate Affairs, PayPal
  • Dane Linn, Senior Vice President, Corporate Initiatives, Business Roundtable
3:00 p.m.

Research-to-Action Panel: Innovation for hiring, skilling, and job quality

  • Kristen Harknett, Professor, Social Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
  • Erin L. Kelly, Sloan Distinguished Professor of Work and Organization Studies, MIT Sloan School of Management
  • Kimberly Shin, Managing Director, FSG Talent Rewire
  • Shayne Spaulding, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
  • Cissie Lam, Learning and Evaluation Officer, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (moderator)
4:00 p.m.

Worker Voices: New pathways and institutions to grow talent 

  • Aisha Francis, President, Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology
  • Dayshon Brandao, Alumnus, Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology
  • Elisabeth Jacobs, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute and Deputy Director, WorkRise (moderator)
4:20 p.m.

Closing Remarks

  • Jean Accius, Senior Vice President, Global Thought Leadership, AARP
 

Day 3 - October 20, 2022: Transforming Risk into Opportunity

2:00 p.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

  • Elisabeth Jacobs, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute; Deputy Director, WorkRise
  • Ramiro Cavazos, President and Chief Executive Officer, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
2:10 p.m.

Signature Panel: Public and private investment for a resilient future

3:10 p.m.

Research-to-Action Panel: What should we ask and do now to prepare for the years ahead?

  • Alexander Wickman Bartik, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign  
  • Michelle Holder, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Washington Center for Equitable Growth
  • Carl E. Van Horn, Director, John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
  • Jason Walsh, Executive Director, BlueGreen Alliance  
  • Kristen Broady, Senior Economist and Economic Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (moderator)
4:20 p.m.

Closing Remarks

  • Julie Gehrki, Vice President of Philanthropy, Walmart and Chief Operating Officer, Walmart Foundation
4:25 p.m.

Thank you

  • Todd Greene, Executive Director, WorkRise, and Institute Fellow, Urban Institute

 

WorkRise is proud to cohost this event with following partners:

AARP logo
Business Roundtable logo
The Families & Workers Fund logo
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta logo
JFF logo
Rework America Alliance logo

Speakers