Meet the Team Working on Workforce Development

The NIIC 2014 program is really shaping up. This year’s conference will feature nine content track areas, covering everything from education to health care to economic opportunity. The tracks are led by preeminent thought leaders in their respective fields. The track working groups are tasked with determining which questions deserve particular attention on the national stage of NIIC 2014.

"Strengthening our Nation through Workforce Development" will be one of the NIIC 2014 content tracks. This track will explore effective policy and program solutions--in the private and public sector--for adult education and training, positioning immigrants to hold family-wage jobs and attain career pathway success.

The Workforce track has assembled an impressive team to develop this exciting program. The working group members include leading demographers, funders, practitioners, and policymakers:

• Audrey Singer, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute
• Jose Ramon Fernandez-Pena, Associate Professor of Health Education, San Francisco State University
• Flavia Jimenez, Senior Fellow, National Skills Coalition
• Margie McHugh, Director, Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration
• Paul Feltman, Director, Global Talent Bridge initiative for World Education Services (WES)
• Felicito (Chito) Cajayon, Vice Chancellor of Workforce Development, Los Angeles Community College District's (LACCD)
• Trang Tu, Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Juan Salgado, President and CEO, Instituto del Progreso Latino
• Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, Director of Outreach and Program Evaluation, Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians (Track Co-lead)
• Luis Sandoval, Development Manager, Building Skills Partnership (Track Co-lead)
• James Witte, Research Director, Institute for Immigration Research (IIR)
• Safiya Khalid, Executive Director, Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University
• Antonio Bernabe, CHIRLA
• Josh Bernstein, SEIU International
• Luis Barrera-Castanon, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce

Based on the varied expertise of their working group, this track promises to be thought-provoking and engaging. Stay tuned for more updates on the conference program!

NIIC 2014 Early Bird Registration Ends Oct. 3

Are you heading to sunny Los Angeles this December for the National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC 2014) and want to save money on registration? Now is your chance: the Early Bird Registration rate ends this Friday, October 3!

The NIIC 2014 Steering Committee, California Host Committee, and co-hosts CHIRLA and the National Partnership for New Americans, have been very busy preparing the groundwork for creating a dynamic space at the conference for participants to continue improving the road to active citizenship, expanding effective education and workforce training opportunities, improving access to healthcare, increasing financial assets, and more. Much more.

This year's theme "America's Future is Here," captures the over 20 years of organizing that have led to successes across California like record naturalization numbers and New American Voters, the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, the Trust Act, Driver's Licenses for All, and reduced deportations through sentencing reform in our state.

Los Angeles has the nation’s largest population of legal permanent residents, with more than 750,000 across the county. No question, these families, students, and workers offer us endless opportunities to strengthen our region, while NIIC 2014 offers you the opportunity to strategize with leaders, advocates, service providers, and researchers about how immigrant integration can strengthen our nation.

Don't hesitate, register today, and make your travel plans for beautiful L.A. from December 14-16! Applications for Scholarships are due by October 17, so don't wait! To find out more details on NIIC 2014 registration, visit here.

Here are the powerful organizations who comprise the NIIC 2014 California Host Committee:

African Communities Public Health Council, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, California Immigrant Policy Center, CDTech, Central Amercian Resource Center, Chinatown Community for Economic Development, Community Coalition, East Los Angeles Community Corporation, Holman United Methodist Church, Koreatown Immigrant Workers Advocates, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, Mobilize the Immigrant Vote, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Salvadoran American National Association, Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network, Thai Community Development Center, and the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration.