Building a Resilient Workforce
In order to make a strong, resilient economy for the future, the public and private sector must partner to empower the workforce to narrow skills and opportunity gaps. This encompasses everything from creating high-quality jobs and a workforce with the skills to match them, to the resources and benefits which allow workers to plan and plant seeds for their futures. While most agree these issues are critical, the path forward is unchartered. This Capital Exchange will examine potential policies and applications to create a successful modern workforce and the partnerships needed to reach these goals.
Who should attend: Institutional investors, asset managers, government agency staff, BDMs, policymakers, congressional aides, lobbyists, think-tank leaders
Kristen Silverberg is Executive Vice President, Policy at Business Roundtable, where she leads the Policy team. She previously served as a Managing Director at the Institute of International Finance. She served in the George W. Bush Administration as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union from 2008 to 2009 and as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from 2005 to 2008. Prior to her time at the State Department, she held a number of senior positions at the White House including Deputy Domestic Policy Advisor. Ambassador Silverberg served in 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq for which she received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. She formerly practiced law at Williams and Connolly, LLP in Washington, DC and served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Judge David Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals. She attended Harvard College and the University of Texas School of Law, where she graduated with High Honors. Ambassador Silverberg serves on the Board of Directors of the CDC Foundation, the Board of Directors of the International Republican Institute, the Board of Directors of Vorbeck Materials, the Advisory Board of the Texas National Security Review, the National Advisory Council of the Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative, and was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader.
Martin J. Walsh was sworn in as the 29th Secretary of Labor on March 23, 2021. A lifelong champion of equity and fairness, and a proud product of the City of Boston, Secretary Walsh leads the U.S. Department of Labor with a strong connection to working people, and a commitment to creating an economy that works for all.
In 1997, he was elected to serve as a State Representative for one of the most diverse districts in Massachusetts. There, he focused on creating good jobs, protecting workers' rights, expanding mental health treatment, and investing in public transit.
Following his time as a State Representative, Secretary Walsh spent the last seven years as the Mayor of the City of Boston. While mayor, he led the creation of close to 140,000 jobs and helped secure a statewide $15/hour minimum wage, paid sick leave, and paid parental leave. He established Universal, high-quality Pre-Kindergarten for all children, and free community college for low-income students.
Secretary Walsh was a national leader in the response to COVID-19, getting PPE to first responders and nursing homes; funding emergency child care for healthcare and frontline workers; halting evictions and providing rental relief; and setting up multiple funds to help small businesses survive. His work early in the pandemic to pause construction and establish safety requirements has been lauded as a model by both unions and employers alike.
As Mayor of Boston, Secretary Walsh also made his mark as a labor leader. After following his father into Laborers Local 223 in Boston, he rose to head the Building and Construction Trades Council from 2011 to 2013. He worked with business and community leaders to promote high-quality development, and he created a program called Building Pathways that has become a model for increasing diversity in the workplace and providing good career opportunities for women and people of color.
Born and raised in the neighborhood of Dorchester by immigrant parents, Secretary Walsh is driven to ensure our nation's economy works for everyone. Secretary Walsh is a survivor of Burkitt lymphoma and is a proud member of the recovery community who has worked to expand addiction treatment throughout his career. While working full-time as a legislator, he returned to school to earn a degree in Political Science at Boston College.
Dr. Jason Wingard was previously the dean and professor of the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University, and Vice Dean of the Wharton School. His academic career includes teaching and senior leadership posts at Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. Wingard also served as Chief Learning Officer of Goldman Sachs and as founder and chair of The Education Board, Inc., a management consultancy specializing in executive coaching and corporate advisory services. He has lectured and written extensively on the topic of strategy, learning and leadership, and he has authored several books, including “The Great Skills Gap: Optimizing Talent for the Future of Work“ and “Learning to Succeed: Reinventing Corporate Education in a World of Unrelenting Change, Learning for Life: How Continuous Education Will Keep Us Competitive in the Global Knowledge Economy”
Wingard holds a BA in sociology from Stanford University, a master’s in education from Emory University, an EdM in technology in education from Harvard University and a PhD in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ylan Q. Mui is CNBC’s Senior Congressional Correspondent based at the network’s bureau in Washington, D.C., reporting on Capitol Hill and economic policy. She also plays a key role covering the power struggle between Big Tech and Washington as they continue to debate on Capitol Hill. Her reporting appears on television and CNBC’s digital platforms. Mui joined CNBC in February 2017 as a reporter focusing primarily on economic and regulatory policy.
Prior to CNBC, Mui spent nearly 15 years at The Washington Post, most recently as White House economic policy correspondent. She previously covered the Federal Reserve and the macroeconomy, subprime lending, consumer finance, retail and education. In addition, Mui reported on major international stories, including the Greek financial crisis and Brexit, as well as national disasters such as the BP oil spill and Hurricane Katrina.
Mui began her career as a receptionist and obituary writer at The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, where she was born and raised.
Mui graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a major in communications and a double minor in biology and philosophy. She is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association, where she is a past vice president of the Washington, DC chapter. She is also a graduate of AAJA’s Executive Leadership Program.
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