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PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A TENTATIVE AGENDA – ALL EXACT TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

                                                                                             

May 8, 2025

Kellogg Conference Hotel Capitol Hill at Gallaudet University
Washington, D.C.

National Pathways Initiative is a national federation of a diverse group of cross-sector leaders from education, business, government, the Civil Rights community, non-profit organizations, and student groups, convinced our traditional educational approach is failing to help far too many students find, prepare, acquire, and sustain career success as the professional landscape rapidly changes around them.

Summit speakers will include Governors from both parties, CEOs, Administration officials, prominent educators, and student leaders. 


                                                                                                                                         AGENDA

8:30-9:00             Registration & Coffee

9:00-10:30           Opening

Welcome
Stan Litow, Chair of National Pathways Initiative

Morning Keynotes 

      • Governor Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah (via simulcast)
      • Governor Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York (Invited)

    Morning Discussion 

        • John B. King, Jr., Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), Former United States Secretary of Education 
        • Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers 
        • Mo Green, Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina (Invited)
        • Facilitated by Stan Litow, Chair of National Pathways Initiative

      Interaction with the Audience: TBD

      10:30-10:45            Break

      10:45-12:00            Morning Breakout Sessions

          1. P-TECH Highlights: Learnings from a Successful Global Education Model

                    Panelists 

          • Dr. Don Haddad, Superintendent, St. Vrain Valley School District

          • Rashid Ferrod Davis, Founding Principal of P-Tech Brooklyn 

          • Dr. Reo Pruiett, Chief Program & Engagement Officer, Educate Texas

          • Matt Grose, Superintendent, Grand Rapids Area Schools (Invited)

          • Laurie Newell, Superintendent, Paterson Public Schools (Invited)

          • Facilitated by Tina Kelley, Co-Author, Breaking Barriers: How P-TECH Schools Create a Pathway from High School to College to Career

          1. State Showcase: North Carolina & Virginia

        Panelists

          • Scott Fleming, Director, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia 

          • Scott Ralls, President, Wake Tech Community College 

          • Chip Bobbert, Colopy Entrepreneurship Program, Director, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

          • Heather McKay, SVP of Employer Engagement, Strada & Executive Director of the Strada Institute

          • Facilitated by Tom ap Simon, President – Higher Education and Virtual Learning, Pearson Education

          1. Aligning Postsecondary Education and Training with Employers’ Talent Needs 

        Panelists

          • Kristen Fox, CEO, Business-Higher Education Forum 

          • Brad Rhorer, President & CEO, Ascend Indiana 

          • Joe Mitchell, COO, SkillStorm

          • Laura Love, SVP, Work-Based Learning, Strada 

          • John Colborn, Executive Director, Apprenticeships for America

          • Facilitated by Ryan Craig, Managing Director, Achieve Partners 

          1. Business and Education Partnerships

        Panelists

          • TBA

          • Kim Allman, Head of Government Affairs, NortonLifeLock 

          • Facilitated by Amy Nakamoto, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Brand and Corporate Partnerships, Discovery Education

          1. Industry Innovation in Pathways

        Panelists

          • Tina Harkness, AMER Industries – Field Enablement Director, Databricks

          • TBA, Workforce Development Rep, Google 

          • Jay Nappy, Global Lead, Amazon Web Services (AWS) (Invited)

          • Facilitated by Utaukwa Allen, Global Head – Datacenter Economic + Community Development, Google

        12:15-1:30 Luncheon 

        Luncheon Welcome
        Carrie Addis, VP of Strategic Partnerships, Pearson Education 

        Luncheon Keynotes

          • Governor Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland (via simulcast)

          • Governor Kim Reynolds, Governor of Iowa (Invited)

          • Senator John Hickenlooper, U.S. Senate & Former Governor of Colorado (Invited)

          • Facilitated by John Harwood, American Journalist, Former White House Correspondent for CNN

        1:30-2:15 Afternoon Breakout Sessions

          1. Role of Community College in Pathways 

        Panelists

          • Kris Young, President, SUNY Orange 

          • Warren Hilton, President, Onondaga Community College

          • Anne Kress, President, Northern Virginia Community College

          • Facilitated by Corey Mitchell, Education Editor, The Conversation 

          1. State Showcase: New Jersey and Michigan 

        Panelists

          • Dr. Chris Reber, President, Hudson Valley Community College

          • Aaron Fichtner, President, New Jersey Council of County Colleges

          • Dr. Bob Bowden, Senior Director, CAR-T Manufacturing, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine

          • Dr. Philomena (Philly) Mantella, President, Grand Valley State University

          • Antonio R. Flores, President & CEO Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities 

          • Facilitated by Tameca Simpson, Senior Portfolio Manager, Ballmer Group

          1. Healthcare Pathways 

        Panelists

          • Shereyas Patel, DC HOSA State Advisor, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)

          • Edwin Fuentas Amaya, DC HOSA President-Elect, Student at McKinley Technology High School

          • Bryan Sisk, SVP and Chief Nursing Officer, Memorial Hermann 

          • Catherine Susko, Director of Talent Solutions and Strategy for Workforce Diversity and Workforce Development, Henry Ford Health

          • Facilitated by Kate Herman, Program Officer, Bloomberg Philanthropies

          1. ECS & NGA Panel 

        Panelists

          • Tom Keily, Policy Director, Education Commission of States 

          • Amanda Winters, Program Director, National Governors Association 

          • Facilitated by TBA

          1. College Student Leaders: Overcoming the Challenges and Embracing the Opportunities for the Next Generation  

        Panelists 

          • Alberto Plantillas, Chief of Staff, Graduate Student Government, & Arizona Student Association, Arizona State University 

          • Sean Behl, VP of Community & Technical College Student Affairs, Washington Student Association University of Washington Seattle 

          • Luca Rallis, Executive Director of Policy and Government Relations, SUNY Student Assembly, Stony Brook University 

          • Jae Fish, Vice President, SUNY Student Assembly, University at Albany 

          • Fernanda Armas, President, Associated Students of the University of Washington Bothell 

          • Facilitated by Gio Harvey, President, SUNY Student Assembly & SUNY Trustee, University at Albany 

        2:15-2:30 Break

        2:30-3:15  Afternoon Breakout Sessions (Continued) 

          1. Construction and Trades

        Panelists

          • Chelle Travis, Executive Director, SkillsUSA

          • Jennifer Wilkerson, CMO & VP of Innovations and Advancements, National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) 

          • TBD, NorthWell (Invited)

          • TBD, GlobalFoundries (Invited)

          • Facilitated by Pete Janzow, VP, Strategic Accounts, Pearson Education

          1. Green Jobs 

        Panelists

          • Kaela Mainsah, VP, Environmental Justice, New York Power Authority 

          • Jonathan Wickert, Director of CTE and STEM Initiatives, Delaware Department of Education

          • Elizabeth Harbaugh, VP, Lyra Colorado 

          • Dan Hinderliter, Associate Director of State Policy, Advance CTE  

          • Facilitated by Rachel Rosen, Co-Director of Center for Effective Career and Technical Education (CTE), MDRC 

          1. Improving the Early Career Outcomes of Our Youth 

        Panelists

          • Lynn Moody, President, SparkNC

          • Jennie Niles, President & CEO, CityWorks DC 

          • Melanie Cantu, Student Ambassador, SparkNC 

          • Lamont Vines, Student Ambassador, SparkNC 

          • TBD, Student Ambassador, CityWorks DC 

          • Facilitated by Sean Miller, Northeast Region Director, Young Invincibles 

          1. Research & Data 

        Panelists

          • Laura Slover, Managing Director, Skills for the Future, ETS

          • Ken Eisner, Managing Director, Higher Education to Workforce, ETS 

          • Andrew Seligsohn, President, Public Agenda 

          • Dave Clayton, SVP, Research, Strada Education Foundation

          • Debbie Wasden, SVP, Burning Glass Institute 

          • Facilitated by Angee Riordan, Revenue Growth Advisor, Corporate Visions

          1. Student Tools Show and Tell 

        Panelists

          • Katie Lisowski, Head of Career Connect, Discovery Education 

          • Martin Serrano, 1Mentor Co-Founder and Director of Product Innovation, QS

          • John Joseph, Tallo (Invited)

          • Facilitated by Rachel Kahn, Senior Director, Community College Growth Engine, EDL

        3:15-3:30 Break

        3:30-4:30 Afternoon Fireside Chat

        Welcome & Introduction
        Pearson Education

        Keynote Speakers

          • U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, United States Senate (Invited) 

        4:30-4:45 Closing Session

        Policy Document Review and Next Steps: Stan Litow, Chair of National Pathways Initiative

        NEWSLETTER

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        We are the National Pathways Initiative, a national federation of a diverse group of cross-sector leaders from education, business, government and political leaders from both parties, the Civil Rights community, non-profit organizations and student groups. Together we will build a more responsive and productive educational system through proven pathway strategies.

        © 2025 National Pathways Initiative. All Rights Reserved.