Readout of Workforce Roundtable with Black Elected Officials, Philanthropies, Unions, and NGOs

This week the White House offices of Intergovernmental Affairs, Public Engagement and the National Economic Council convened Black mayors and county officials for a roundtable with philanthropy, unions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to discuss ways to grow and train the local workforce for high-quality jobs made possible by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. Participants included the mayors of Baltimore and Augusta who govern cities which are designated as White House Workforce Hub locations as well as the mayors of Atlanta, Georgia, Birmingham, Alabama, Little Rock, Arkansas, Long Beach, California, Mount Vernon, New York, and Newport News, Virginia. County officials in attendance represented, Shelby County Tennessee, Fulton County, GA, and Almeda County, and Tarrant County, Texas, among others.

Participants were provided information on technical resources available to access Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act programs. The participants discussed best practices for local governments to create effective partnerships with philanthropy, unions and NGOs to train and connect American workers to jobs. They also focused on how resources like the Investing in American Technical Assistance Guide and initiatives like the White House Workforce Hubs can ensure equitable access to good jobs for all. Senior Biden-Harris Administration officials attending included:

• Tom Perez, Senior Advisor, Assistant to the President, and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
• Steve Benjamin, Senior Advisor, Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement
• Brendan Danaher, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council
• Harin Contractor, Director of Labor Policy National Economic Council
• Ryan Berni, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor for Infrastructure Implementation
• Stephanie Sykes, Special Assistant to the President for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
• Michael Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps 
• Tom West, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Domestic Business Tax, Office of Tax Policy, U.S. Department of Treasury