Searching In San Diego

In this episode of KRA's The Hub, host Jonathan Overall sits down with Jaime Cruz, Executive Director of Workforce Connections in Southern Nevada, to discuss how Las Vegas is transforming its workforce system to meet a rapidly evolving economy. Jaime shares his journey from hospitality to workforce leadership and highlights how a demand-driven approach, strong business engagement, and innovative partnerships are building talent across key industries. As NAWB's 2026 Forum heads to Las Vegas, this conversation offers a preview of what's ahead and what it takes to ignite innovation and drive real workforce impact.

In this Getting to Know KRA episode, we turn the tables and interview KRA's The Hub host Jonathan Overall, Director of Communications and Innovation at KRA, to explore the organization's expanding work in consulting. Jonathan shares how KRA is building on its deep experience in workforce services to help agencies, boards, and nonprofits navigate complexity, strengthen performance, and translate policy into practice. The conversation highlights KRA's relationship-driven, solution-focused approach—grounded in listening, collaboration, and implementation—and offers insight into when organizations should seek consulting support, what success truly looks like, and how KRA is preparing partners for the future through data, AI, and strategic innovation.

Tune in for a conversation with Andrew Bercich, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB), as he shares his vision for the future of the workforce system and the leadership needed to navigate a rapidly changing economy. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in talent operations with companies like Amazon and IBM, Andrew discusses how workforce boards can adapt to accelerating technological change, including the growing impact of artificial intelligence on jobs and skills. He also reflects on stepping into his new national leadership role, the priorities shaping NAWB's next chapter, and how workforce leaders can build more responsive, innovative systems that support both employers and job seekers in the years ahead.

In this special episode of Getting to Know KRA, we sit down with Mr. Knowlton Atterbeary, Founder, President, and CEO of KRA, to celebrate the organization's 45th anniversary and reflect on the vision that launched KRA in 1981. Hosted by Jonathan Overall, the conversation explores Mr. Atterbeary's early inspiration to strengthen disadvantaged communities through workforce development, the core values that have guided KRA through decades of economic change, and the leadership lessons learned through growth and national expansion. Mr. Atterbeary also shares defining milestones, including national recognition from NAWDP, and offers a forward-looking perspective on how KRA is positioned to lead through today's evolving workforce challenges—from technology and labor shortages to long-term economic mobility and resilience.  

In this episode of Getting to Know KRA, we sit down with Zaskia Ruiz, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, for a behind-the-scenes look at how KRA's operations support its mission and nationwide impact. Hosted by Jonathan Overall, the conversation explores operational strategy, fiscal oversight, compliance, and internal systems that ensure programs run effectively across diverse regions. Zaskia shares insights on leading through complexity, strengthening organizational infrastructure, and aligning people, processes, and resources to support workforce programs that serve communities with integrity and accountability.

In this episode, we're joined by Jermaine Donaldson, Director of Business Development for Genesys Works, to explore how human-centered leadership and intentional workforce design can turn access into real opportunity—and jobs into sustainable careers. The conversation examines the critical role employers play in building equitable talent pipelines, the importance of meeting young people where they are, and how thoughtful partnerships can create long-term career mobility. Tune in to gain insight into how people-first strategies, strong employer engagement, and intentional program design can drive meaningful outcomes for both individuals and the workforce ecosystem.

Recorded live at the 2025 Raising the Bar Conference, this episode features Fahim Karim, Manager of Business Services for Employ Prince George's, sharing insights on how effective employer engagement drives stronger workforce outcomes. Fahim discusses how his team supports businesses through economic uncertainty, responds to federal workforce disruptions, and helps employers recognize transferable skills and emerging talent. Listeners will also learn how Prince George's County is approaching recruitment, business partnerships, and the practical integration of AI to improve efficiency and growth. This conversation highlights how listening, collaboration, and innovation can turn workforce challenges into real opportunity.

In this episode of Getting to Know KRA, we sit down with Reena Singh, Program Director for KRA's Northern Nevada region, to take a closer look at the role of one-stop operations in delivering a seamless, client-centered workforce experience. Hosted by Jonathan Overall, the conversation explores how EmployeeNV Career Hubs coordinate partners, community resources, and referral systems to meet individuals where they are and support meaningful job placement and career growth. Reena shares insights on serving a rapidly evolving regional economy, strengthening customer experience, and using continuous quality improvement to drive impact across Northern Nevada. 

In this episode, we're joined by Kirkland Murray, President & CEO of the Maryland Workforce Association and Executive Director of the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Board, for a wide-ranging conversation recorded live at the 2025 Raising the Bar Conference. Kirkland reflects on a year marked by rapid change—federal layoffs, AI disruption, shifting economic conditions—and highlights how Maryland's workforce system continues to respond with resilience, collaboration, and innovation. He discusses the vital role workforce professionals play as the "superheroes" of their communities, the importance of self-care in a demanding field, and the expanding partnerships between workforce boards, schools, and businesses to build future talent pipelines.

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Erin Anderson Williams for a powerful conversation about what it truly takes to support and engage youth in a rapidly changing world. Dr. Williams breaks down how workforce leaders can meet young people where they are—through fun, relevance, co-creation, and authentic connection—while also confronting the "superhero complex" that so often leads to exhaustion and burnout in our field. She invites us to pause, reflect, and reset, reminding leaders that caring for themselves is essential to doing meaningful, sustainable work. From the accelerating pace of innovation to shrinking resources, Dr. Williams offers wisdom, practical strategies, and a refreshing mindset shift for anyone committed to helping the next generation thrive without sacrificing their own wellbeing.

In this episode of Getting to Know KRA, we are joined by Program Director Mike Longo, as he highlights how his decades of experience in workforce development inform the way his team meets job seekers with empathy, structure, and personalized support. You'll learn how career coaches, business services staff, and community partners work together to make the OhioMeansJobs centers in Summit and Medina counties accessible, welcoming, and effective for anyone seeking employment. From innovative outreach tools to real success stories that show the impact of strong relationships, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes understanding of how KRA's values, people, and processes come together to support both job seekers and employers across the region.

In this episode, host Jonathan Overall speaks with Brandon Tigges, CEO and Co-Founder of Job Machine, an AI-powered platform transforming how workforce organizations place people in jobs. Recorded live at the CWA Meeting of the Minds Conference in Monterey, they explore how Job Machine automates key parts of the job search—creating resumes, applying to positions, scheduling interviews—so career services teams can focus on human connection rather than data entry. Brandon shares how AI can augment, not replace, workforce professionals, the impressive placement results achieved with partners like Goodwill Southern California, and his company's big, audacious goal: making it possible for any American who wants a job to get one.

In this episode of The Hub, recorded live at the CWA's Meeting of the Minds conference, host Jonathan Overall sits down with Nia Ford, Workforce Services Specialist for the Alameda County Workforce Development Board. Nia shares how her team is advancing innovation through apprenticeships, medical assistant training, and a groundbreaking wellness and job-quality initiative that puts people at the center of workforce development. Reflecting on the conference theme "Fearless Forward," she opens up about stepping beyond her comfort zone, embracing new challenges, and redefining what career growth means in a rapidly changing world.

In this episode of Getting to Know KRA, we sit down with Donna Eissoh, Business Services Manager for KRA’s AJCC Rancho Dominguez program in Los Angeles County, and Thomas Thornton, Business Services Manager for Summit and Medina Counties in Ohio. Together, they offer an inside look at how KRA’s business services teams are helping employers thrive in two very different regions—one rooted in manufacturing and polymers, the other in logistics and healthcare. Tune in for a rich conversation about employer engagement, building authentic relationships, and workforce development strategies that embody The KRA Way.

In this episode, originally recorded at CWA's Meeting of the Minds conference, we are joined by Latoya Reed-Adjei, from the Alameda County Workforce Development Board, to explore what it means to lead through change with courage, creativity, and purpose. Discover how workforce systems can evolve from compliance-driven bureaucracy into proactive, relationship-focused engines of equity and opportunity. Latoya also explains how social capital can close gaps in access in the age of AI, and shares her vision for reframing employer engagement as partnership—not transaction. This is a conversation about navigating uncertainty, transforming systems, and leading “fearless forward.”      

Tune in to hear from guests Alexis Franks and David Barch from The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) as they take you inside the 2025 Business Services Academy. You'll hear about how workforce professionals come together to exchange best practices, strengthen strategic employer relationships, and push past the limits of “business as usual” to reimagine what exceptional business services in workforce development can look like. 

In this episode of Getting to Know KRA, we sit down with Patrick T.J. Boxall, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at KRA Corporation, to explore how strategic partnerships fuel workforce innovation. Patrick shares how KRA integrates mental health resources, strengthens business engagement, and adapts to an evolving labor market to align talent with business needs. Tune in to gain insight into KRA’s forward-thinking approach to collaboration and the dynamic relationships that deliver real results.

Tune in for a powerful conversation with Robert DeJournett, President and CEO of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Summit County, Ohio. Robert shares how the chamber is closing opportunity gaps, fostering collaboration, and empowering Black entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses and generational wealth. Discover how community partnerships, workforce connections, and intentional resource sharing are driving inclusive economic growth—and learn how the Summit County Black Chamber is becoming a trusted hub for innovation and impact across the region.

Maryland’s workforce system is rising to the moment—celebrating the people who make a difference every day, embracing innovation to meet new challenges, and adapting for a future full of change. In this episode, discover how workforce leaders and professionals are coming together at the Raising the Bar conference to honor frontline heroes, highlight the power of youth engagement, explore the role of AI and storytelling, and strengthen resilience across communities. Tune in for a conversation about connection, creativity, and the collective effort to shape a stronger tomorrow. 

Discover how workforce development is evolving to meet the needs of diverse communities through innovation, inclusion, and resilience. In this episode, Lubna Hanif, WIOA Team Supervisor at Rubicon Programs, shares her journey from frontline career coach to team supervisor, reflecting on the power of mentorship, cultural responsiveness, and trauma informed care in supporting participants. She discusses how programs like WIOA are adapting to legislative change, the role of AI and virtual services in expanding access, and the importance of empowering both clients and staff. Listeners will gain insights into balancing technology with humanity while building inclusive pathways to employment and opportunity.