E-Squared: Education to Employment – Building a Talent Development Ecosystem That Works For All
With over 11 million job openings across the country, HR professionals and employers of every size and industry understand the challenge to recruit, retain, and develop a talented workforce. Strengthening and expanding the nation’s education-to-employment pipeline is essential to better prepare students, workers, and jobseekers to meet the needs of the modern workplace.
During this panel discussion, policymakers and industry leaders will offer their insight and perspective about the latest trends and ongoing efforts to ensure the talent pipeline remains open for HR professionals and their organizations.
Learning Objectives:
- Hear the latest industry and workforce development trends about how HR professionals can reskill and upskill their workforce.
- Understand how strengthening the education-to-employment talent pipeline can help address your organization’s talent acquisition and retention needs.
- Learn how organizations and HR professionals are engaging with education and skills-based training providers to ensure that they are providing a curriculum that meets the hiring and retention needs of today’s modern workforce.
In-person session offerings are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Honorable Bradley Byrne
Bradley Byrne has more than 30 years of experience as an attorney in private practice and more than two decades of public service. He served as an elected member of the Alabama State Board of Education and the Alabama State Senate and was appointed as the Chancellor of Alabama’s two-year college system. In that role, Bradley was tasked with reforming the system’s mission and processes, substantially increasing Alabama’s educational standards and accountability measures. He also chaired Alabama’s Workforce Planning Council.
Bradley spent four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives with his background as a labor and employment attorney and in education policy, Bradley was a natural fit on the Education and Labor Committee, where he chaired the Workforce Protections Subcommittee. His experience in labor law, workforce training, and education policy gave him a unique perspective. Bradley has led initiatives that have increased access to education and job training, benefiting both the workforce and businesses alike. As a former education policymaker and higher education leader, he has worked on significant issues with the Department of Education, as well as various workforce training and apprenticeship programs.
Bradley is an avid sportsman and small forest owner.
Troy Carter (D-02-LA)
The Honorable Troy A. Carter, Sr. is serving in his first term as the Congressman from Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, encompassing most of New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, and River Parishes including St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, Ascension, Assumption, Iberville, as well as portions of East Baton Rouge and West Baton Rouge Parish.
Congressman Carter currently serves on two House Committees, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, one of the largest committees in Congress that has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation, and the Small Business Committee, which has direct oversight and consideration over all matters affecting America’s backbone, small businesses.
The youngest of six children, Congressman Carter was raised in Algiers. He is a product of Orleans Parish Public Schools and went on to graduate from Xavier University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Business Administration. Additionally, Congressman Carter earned his MBA graduating Summa Cum Laude from Holy Cross University.
Soon after graduating from Xavier University, Congressman Carter served for six years as the Executive Assistant to Mayor Sidney Barthelemy. In 1991, Congressman Carter became the first African American to be elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 102nd District in Algiers, where he served as the youngest ever floor leader representing the City of New Orleans.
In 1994, Congressman Carter was elected to the New Orleans City Council, representing District ‘C’, which includes Algiers, and the historic French Quarter, again becoming the first African American elected to the position. After a hiatus from public office, Congressman Carter was elected to the State Senate for Louisiana’s 7th District, where he served as the Senate Minority Leader for the Democratic Caucus. During his time as a Legislator, Congressman Carter authored and co-sponsored hundreds of bills.
As a Louisiana state legislator, Congressman Carter championed large-scale infrastructure projects, economic development, and efforts to decrease homelessness drastically. He has also worked as a staunch advocate for criminal justice reform, women’s health care, and civil rights and equality on behalf of the LGBTQI+ community. As a Congressman, he actively continues his work to address the issues above and several others, including COVID-19 relief for individuals and small businesses, environmental justice reform, and reducing student debt.
Congressman Carter is a proud husband to wife, Brigadier General Andreé Navarro-Carter of the United States Army, and father to sons Troy Jr. and Joshua. They live in Algiers, New Orleans, where Congressman Carter was born and raised.
The Honorable Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. has enjoyed a series of historic firsts including:
• 1st African American elected to the Louisiana State House from District 102
• 1st African American elected to the New Orleans City Council representing District C
• 1st African American elected to the Louisiana State Senate from District 7
• 1st Congressman elected to Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District from the Westbank
• 1st Congressman whose spouse is a General Officer in the United States Army
Dr. Andréa Backman
Andréa Backman is dedicated to helping students achieve meaningful employment opportunities and economic mobility through education. At Strategic Education, Inc., she chairs the Office of Employability, focused on bridging the gap between graduates and employers, and ensuring that students achieve a positive return on their educational investments.
Andréa also serves as President of Strayer University, where she sets the vision for an innovative, impactful education that equips students with the skills needed to compete in a global economy. In this role, she is focused on educational access, holistic support and lasting employability gains for students and alumni.
As one of the first in her family to earn a college education, and as a single mother to two boys, Andréa understands that the complexities of balancing career, school and family requires hard work and dedication.
As a leader, Andréa is guided by her previous role as Dean of the Jack Welch Management Institute, where she was mentored by Jack Welch himself—an experience that significantly shaped her views on the role of education and mentorship for others.
Andréa holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.
Emily M. Dickens, J.D.
Emily M. Dickens, J.D., serves as SHRM Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs & Corporate Secretary. She is the executive responsible for coordinating staff to implement the CEO's vision, serving as corporate secretary for the SHRM Board and subsidiary boards, as well as managing external partnerships and providing oversight for the Government Affairs division.
Dickens is an attorney with significant and progressive experience in government, higher education and the non-profit sector. She has served as a member of the leadership team at the University of North Carolina system, the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Her prior roles include general counsel, chief relationship officer, senior vice president, vice president for public policy and assistant vice president for federal relations. Dickens has also worked at Duke University and Fayetteville State University in administrative and external affairs roles.
Emily is actively engaged in board service. She formerly served on the Fayetteville/Cumberland (NC) Chamber of Commerce (Secretary of the Board), the Cumberland County Workforce Development Board, the North Carolina Partnership for Defense Innovation Board, and the Educational Advancement Foundation. She is currently a member of the Advisory Council of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the Advisory Board of the College of Arts and Sciences at North Carolina Central University, and chairs the International HBCU Task Force for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
She is a graduate of North Carolina Central University and North Carolina Central University School of Law.