Expert panelists begin reviewing the challenge submissions

< Back to news  |  December 10, 2020

When submissions closed in November, the Rethink Adult Ed Challenge had received 203 preliminary program designs from community colleges, correctional facilities, and other education providers. The submissions proposed pre-apprenticeship programs in a range of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and technology. Entrants represented 44 states, as well as Guam and the District of Columbia.

Meet the review panel

The challenge review panel — drawing from expertise in adult education, workforce policy, social services, and more — is now busy scoring the submissions against the Stage 1 selection criteria. They will select up to 100 finalists to enter Stage 2, which runs from February to July 2021.

Thank you to the experts who are contributing their time and knowledge to the Rethink Adult Ed Challenge review panel:

  • Bishara Addison, Senior Manager, Policy & Strategic Initiatives, Towards Employment
  • Christine Carpenter, Vice President of Engagement, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
  • Daniel Bustillo, Executive Director, Healthcare Career Advancement Program
  • Dayanna Torres, Director of Community Solutions, Jobs First NYC
  • Deborah Kobes, Senior Director, Jobs for the Future
  • Eli Dvorkin, Editorial and Policy Director, Center for an Urban Future
  • Erik Antokal, Assistant Vice President, Programs, Nontraditional Employment for Women
  • Erin Johanson, Research Director, Jobs with Justice
  • Frieda Molina, Deputy Director, Low-Wage Workers and Communities Policy Area, MDRC
  • Gina Wells, Senior Analyst, Maher & Maher
  • Jason Simon, Director, Advancement Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative
  • Jon Chan, Engineering Manager, Stack Overflow
  • Joshua Modlin, Director, Earn and Learn California Apprenticeship Initiative
  • Katie Spiker, Director of Government Affairs, National Skills Coalition
  • Kelly Kupack, Executive Director, Oregon Tradeswomen
  • Lark Jackson, Gender Equity Center Program Manager, National Center for Women’s Equity in Apprenticeship & Employment
  • Lauren Andersen, Executive Director, NYC Tech Talent Pipeline
  • Laurie Kierstead-Joseph, Workforce Development Chair, Coalition on Adult Basic Education 
  • Molly Bashay, Senior Policy Analyst, Postsecondary Education and Workforce Development, The Center for Law and Social Policy
  • Myriam Sullivan, Director, Center for Apprenticeship and Work Based Learning, Jobs for the Future
  • Ruth Mazara, Director, Women in Construction, Moore Community House Women in Construction Program
  • Shakari Fraser, Senior Manager, Earn and Learn, Tulane University
  • Tiffany Thompson, Construction Career Pathways Program Manager, Metro
  • Tony Davis, Senior Director, Workforce Initiatives, The Manufacturing Institute
  • TreyMichael Reid, Business Development Manager, The Hope Program

What comes next in Stage 2

Finalists will have access to a range of digital resources — such as case studies, activities, and webinars with subject matter experts — to help them refine their designs and develop more detailed program proposals. A judging panel will review the Stage 2 proposals and select one grand-prize winner and up to five runners-up. The grand-prize winner will be awarded $250,000, and up to five runners-up will each receive at least $100,000.

Subscribe to the Rethink Adult Ed Challenge newsletter to receive the finalist announcement and other challenge updates.