Applications Open: Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy Returns to Advance Workforce Innovation and Economic Prosperity

Today, Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) announces the return of the Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy (Academy) in partnership with Pima Community College and the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Building a skilled and adaptable workforce is crucial for Arizona’s economic growth and for meeting the needs of employers and communities alike. The Academy is an application-based professional development program that empowers local workforce leaders to drive economic growth and create a more responsive, high-capacity workforce system in Arizona. Applications are open now through Dec. 6, 2024.

The workforce development system is a set of organizations and activities that prepares people for employment, helps workers advance in their careers, and seeks to build a skilled workforce to support employers and their local economy. Strengthening workforce development contributes to creating a stronger and brighter future for Arizona.

Designed to equip and empower workforce development leaders, the Academy provides valuable mentorship from senior leaders across the region and connects participants to a national network of changemakers. Selected Fellows will receive hands-on guidance as they address system-based challenges impacting their communities.

Workforce Leadership Academies bring together emerging leaders in workforce development for in-depth learning and collaboration. Through a series of workshops, action-learning projects, and immersive sessions, participating Fellows deepen their networks, gain insights from leading experts, and develop advanced skills in applying racial equity frameworks, systems change approaches, and data-driven decision-making using tools like the Arizona Progress Meters. Alums of the Academy join the esteemed Aspen Institute Economic Opportunity Fellows Network.

Twenty-four Fellows will be selected through a competitive application process to join the ten-month Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy in 2025. The program encourages applications from mid- to senior-level managers from nonprofit and community-based organizations, economic development and business associations, union-based training efforts, public agencies, and educational institutions who are ready and positioned to foster change within their organizations, communities, and Arizona’s workforce development system.

"We are pleased to partner with Pima Community College and the Aspen Institute to bring the Workforce Leadership Academy to the Southern Arizona area,” stated Dr. Sybil Francis, Chair, President & CEO of CFA. “A high-capacity, responsive, and adaptable workforce system is essential to developing and sustaining the equitable and strong economic growth that Arizonans want. The Academy program expands and strengthens the capacity of our local workforce leaders to address system-based challenges.”

"We at Pima Community College are so proud to partner with the Aspen Institute and Center for the Future of Arizona to launch the second cohort of the Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy. I want to thank all of the members of our advisory council who are helping us identify and mentor the next generation of leaders in workforce development," said Ian Roark, Vice Chancellor of Workforce Development & Innovation at Pima Community College.

The Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy is the latest in a series of Academies held across the United States and Canada. After hosting two impactful Workforce Leadership Academies for Arizona –one in the Greater Phoenix area from 2021 to 2022 and another in Southern Arizona in 2023– CFA is thrilled to continue hosting this important opportunity for Arizona professionals.

The Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy will be conducted in a hybrid format, with opening and closing retreats in person, and the majority of monthly sessions online. The program will be led locally by Holly Kurtz, Workforce Development Director at CFA, Amanda Abens, MC, Dean of Workforce Development, Tennille Penaloza-Hagen, Project Manager, Workforce Development at CFA, and Lifelong Learning at Pima Community College. The local Advisory Council includes:

Maria Ahumada — Deputy Administrator, Arizona Department of Economic Security, Workforce Development Administration

Barbra Coffee — Economic Initiatives Director, City of Tucson

Susan Dumon — Executive Vice President, Sun Corridor Inc.

Rob Elias — President & CEO, Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Dr. Francisco Garcia — Deputy County Deputy County Administrator & Chief Medical Officer, Pima County

Mark Gaspers — Director, Government Operations, Boeing; Chair, Workforce Arizona Council, Arizona@Work

Michael Guymon — President & CEO, Tucson Metro Chamber

Dr. Melissa Hernandez — Associate Vice President, Cradle to Career Partnership, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona

Todd Jaeger — Superintendent, Amphitheater Public Schools

Merrill Kemp-Wilcox — Director of Research & Development, Pima JTED

Greg Madril — Director, Workforce Development, Tribal Nations, Pascua-Yaqui

Ted Maxwell — President & CEO, Southern Arizona Leadership Council

Krista McGarvey — Business Operations Manager, Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity

Kathy Prather — Superintendent, Pima JTED

Dr. Ian Roark — Vice Chancellor, Workforce Development & Innovation, Pima Community College

Dr. Kasey Urquidez — Vice President, Enrollment Management & Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, University of Arizona

Interested applicants can learn more about the Academy and gain valuable insights by attending complimentary informational sessions on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 12:00 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8:00 a.m. The deadline to submit applications is Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Learn more about the Academy & apply at arizonafuture.org/sawla2025.

###

About Center for the Future of Arizona
Center for the Future of Arizona is a nonprofit, nonpartisan "do-tank" that brings Arizonans together to create a stronger and brighter future for our state. Through survey research & reports, Arizona Progress Meters, and impact initiatives & programs, CFA listens to Arizonans to learn what matters most to them, shares trusted data about how Arizona is doing in those priority areas, brings critical issues to public attention, and works with communities and leaders to solve public problems. CFA leads impact initiatives and programs across the state and has deep and ongoing engagement in education, workforce development, and civic health, recognizing how essential these are to advancing economic prosperity, quality of life, and opportunity for all. Learn more at arizonafuture.org.

About Pima Community College
Pima Community College is a comprehensive two-year institution serving students and employers throughout Pima County in Arizona and beyond. We welcome everyone striving to achieve a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities. Students have access to a broad range of high-quality programs that prepare them with the skills needed by today’s employers and to transfer successfully into four-year programs. Students benefit from Pima’s lower tuition costs and thrive at the highest levels once they transfer. Pima is in rapid transition to a high-tech institution serving the needs of our region’s growing aerospace, defense, and healthcare industries. Developing Centers for Excellence in key areas such as Applied Technology, Information Technology, and Health Professions, Pima is focused on strengthening partnerships and expanding employer engagement in order to ensure that today’s students are prepared now and for many years to come. For more information, visit pima.edu.

About the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington DC. Its mission is to spark intellectual inquiry and exchange, create a diverse worldwide community of leaders committed to the greater good, and provide a nonpartisan forum for reaching solutions on vital public policy issues. The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances promising strategies and policies to help low- and moderate-income Americans connect to and thrive in a changing economy. Over its 25 years of work, the Economic Opportunities Program has focused on expanding individuals' opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and to build assets and economic stability.