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"The systems are changing because of the work that WE are doing."

- Natalie Lewis

A woman in a black outfit speaks at a podium with a microphone, holding a remote and papers. She wears a long beaded necklace and smiles slightly.
A group of construction workers in safety gear stand together on a worksite near train tracks and a metal bridge, listening to a supervisor—the voices shaping the industry as they collaborate and ensure safety on site.

The nation’s largest enterprises, including BlackRock, Carhartt, Ford Motor Company, and Google, are coming together to launch the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades. They are investing hundreds of millions to revitalize skilled trades. We’re proving how it works on the front lines. Our leadership shares real-world insights on holistic support success, engaging local industry partners, and tearing down silos in order to see the community thrive.

EXPLORE THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT

THOUGHT LEADERS

A middle-aged man with a shaved head and short beard looks at the camera, wearing a dark shirt and white collar, against a plain background.

Earl Martin Phalen is the CEO of Great Jobs KC, where he leads one of the nation's most impactful workforce and education initiatives, helping young adults and adults from low-income communities access college, career pathways, and economic mobility. Under his leadership, Great Jobs KC has expanded innovative programs that support college success, workforce credentialing, and employer partnerships to create lasting economic opportunity.

A nationally recognized education entrepreneur and social innovator, Earl has spent more than 25 years building organizations that improve educational outcomes and expand opportunity for underserved communities. He is the founder of Phalen Leadership Academies, a national network of public charter schools serving nearly 10,000 students, as well as Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) and Summer Advantage USA, two pioneering organizations that have served tens of thousands of students across the country.

Named by TIME as one of America's leading education reformers, Earl has received numerous national honors, including the President's Service Award, the BET National Hero Award, and three Fast Company Social Capitalist Awards. He is the author of Giving My All and has been featured by TIME, Forbes, The New York Times, Education Week, and MSNBC's Education Nation.

A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, Earl is a sought-after speaker on leadership, educational innovation, workforce development, social entrepreneurship, and creating pathways to economic mobility for underserved communities.

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Natalie Lewis is the Chief Operating Officer of Great Jobs KC, where she leads initiatives that connect education, workforce development, and community partnerships to create opportunities for young people.

With more than 35 years of leadership experience across corporate, nonprofit, education, and public service sectors, Natalie is known for bringing diverse stakeholders together to solve complex systemic challenges. Her expertise spans strategic planning, workforce and college readiness, public education, community engagement, and organizational leadership.

Before joining Great Jobs KC, Natalie held leadership roles with Mobil Chemical, Hallmark Cards, and Sprint before following her passion for educational equity as a classroom teacher, College Prep Education Coach with Kauffman Scholars, and elected member of the Kansas City Public Schools Board of Directors. She has also served as a strategic advisor and board member for several community organizations.

Natalie holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT, an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, studied at Manchester Business School, and earned her Missouri teaching certification from Northwest Missouri State University. A passionate advocate for systems change, she inspires audiences with practical insights on leadership, collaboration, educational equity, workforce development, and creating opportunities where all means all.

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Jimmy Swift is the Chief Operating Officer of Great Jobs KC, where he leads the organization's flagship workforce development and scholarship initiatives, including tuition-free skills training programs and the KC Scholars Scholarship Program. His work focuses on expanding access to education, career training, and economic opportunity for individuals and families across the Kansas City region.

With more than 25 years of leadership experience in higher education and workforce development, Jimmy has dedicated his career to improving career training programs and helping learners achieve long-term success. He has served in executive leadership roles as Campus President, Vice President of Career Services, and Executive Director at degree-granting institutions, and most recently as Vice President of PLA University at Phalen Leadership Academies, where he expanded workforce training opportunities for students' families nationwide.

Jimmy also serves as Executive Board Chairman of Project Safety Net NY, a nonprofit providing health, education, and prevention services to underserved communities. He is a sought-after voice on workforce development, career readiness, higher education leadership, and building pathways to economic mobility through education and skills training.

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Dr. DeLano J. Sheffield is a workforce strategist whose career sits at the intersection of individual purpose, economics, education, and vocation. He holds a B.S. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Kansas, a master’s degree, and a Doctor of Ministry in Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocation from Fuller Theological Seminary. His professional background includes leading workforce innovation initiatives through the Artemis Institute at MoKan Goodwill, where he connected underserved populations to emerging technologies. Currently, he serves as Employer Engagement Manager at Great Jobs KC / KC Scholars, developing and strengthening partnerships with employers to align education and training pathways with regional workforce needs, creating opportunity-rich career pipelines that fuel both individual advancement and economic growth. He is also the Senior Pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church in Kansas City, Kansas, where his leadership emphasizes helping people discern their calling while also providing practical workforce programs that support pathways to meaningful work.

Woman with twisted hair and glasses smiling, wearing a plaid blazer, a necklace with a cross, and gold earrings, against a plain background—one of The Voices Shaping the Industry.

Macenzie Tucker holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Central Missouri and a Master of Business Administration from Park University. With more than a decade of experience in nonprofit social services and education, she has dedicated her career to advancing opportunity for youth and adult learners across K–12, college-prep, and workforce development systems. Throughout her career, Macenzie has played a pivotal role in launching and strengthening high-impact organizations and programs, including leading startup initiatives and guiding organizations through complex restructuring to improve outcomes, equity, and sustainability. Her work is grounded in both data-driven strategy and trauma-informed, community-centered practice. A commissioned officer in the Army National Guard, Macenzie brings a strong commitment to service, leadership, and accountability to every space she works in. She is also a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and remains deeply engaged in community development and civic engagement efforts. Macenzie is a devoted wife and the mother of four young children. Across all of her work, she is driven by a belief in self-efficacy and the power of equipping people with the tools, support, and opportunity to transform their lives.

core speaking tracks

Beyond Silos: Thought Partnerships That Lead to Community Financial Stability

Earl Martin Phalen’s multi-decade career in education and workforce development—from founding the BELL Foundation and Phalen Leadership Academies to his current role at Great Jobs KC —has made him a leading voice on how to invest in human potential to solve the poverty epidemic holistically. Working to break down silos between community partners, education partners, job training partners, and employers in the community in order to create a collaborative solution to underemployment and financial instability. Working with all partners, starting with the Scholars we serve, as thought leaders so that they all have a seat at the table and a voice in the solution has led to incredible success and a stronger nonprofit community in Kansas City. 

The return on investment of forming partnerships between nonprofits, educational institutions, training partners, and businesses. How these collaborations create a pipeline that produces skilled, ready-to-work individuals. By partnering with businesses, we ensure our training programs are directly aligned with employer needs, resulting in higher job placement rates and better employee retention.

This emphasizes that the traditional focus on admissions, academics, and financial aid is no longer sufficient to ensure student success, especially for first-generation and low-income students. Natalie Lewis can highlight a critical, often-overlooked challenge: the "college persistence gap." This is the difference in graduation rates between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and it's often due to non-academic factors such as navigating financial aid, managing mental health challenges, and securing internships. The message would be that by investing in dedicated "Scholar Advocates"—like those funded by KC Scholars —colleges can provide the personalized, long-term support that helps students overcome these hurdles.
1. The Problem: Why even full scholarships and great academic programs aren't enough when students lack a personal guide to help them navigate the complexities of college life.
2. The Solution: How dedicated advocates act as mentors, financial aid counselors, and career coaches, helping students build the skills and resilience needed to not just get into college, but get through it.
3. The Partnership Model: The presentation can detail how we have partnered with institutions to co-fund these services, demonstrating a new model for colleges to invest in their own students' success. This shows a path forward for other universities to adopt a similar strategy.

Most programs stop at graduation. We don't. Learn how Great Jobs KC uses a 5-pillar ecosystem (Intake to 1-Year Post-Employment Coaching) to achieve a 75% persistence rate and an average salary increase of 176%.

Using recent Mathematica Evaluation data to prove that tuition-free training is only half the battle. That providing ongoing Scholar support through one-to-one coaching and robust community services leads to better outcomes and stronger employees.

Takeaways:

1. The "Scholar Advocate" framework: Moving beyond academic advising to life-barrier removal (transportation, tech, child care).
2. Using data to track success, not just completion.
3. Training in a holistic manner with mandatory life skill workshops leads to more well-rounded employees for area employers.
4. Strategies for building an "Employer Network Team" that guarantees a pipeline, not just a job board.

Cultivating Loyalty: How Investment in Education and Training Drives Employee Retention We can cover how offering educational opportunities, even if external, can increase employee satisfaction and reduce turnover. Our programs are a case study for enhancing current staff while creating entry-level opportunities in-turn impacting the local economy.

KEYNOTE, SESSION & INTERVIEW VIDEOS

"Mr. Kauffman believed in empowering individuals through choice, education, and support. As we look to the next generation, we are not just preserving that legacy; we are dynamically scaling it to provide tuition assistance, direct job training, and career pipelines that map to the changing economic landscape of Kansas City and beyond." 

— Earl Martin Phalen

 

To book one of our thought leaders, reach out to 

Kate Crockett, Director of Communication

kate.crockett@greatjobskc.org

816-406-1899

 

A group of graduates in caps and gowns celebrating outdoors. Text on the image reads "Over $12 million in scholarships being awarded." These scholarships are paving the way for promising careers.
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Stephanie underwood - Chief financial Officer

Stephanie Underwood serves as Chief Financial Officer at Great Jobs KC, where she leads the organization’s financial strategy in support of its mission to create economic mobility through education and workforce opportunities. With more than 17 years of experience in nonprofit finance, Stephanie brings deep expertise in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and compliance. She is passionate about using her career as a platform to serve and support mission-driven organizations, helping them maximize impact through strong financial stewardship.

Prior to joining Great Jobs KC, Stephanie served as Chief Financial Officer for Griffith Centers, a behavioral and mental health organization, where she oversaw financial operations for a multi-million-dollar organization spanning residential, educational, and community-based programs. She also spent nearly a decade as Vice President of Accounting Services at NFP Partners, providing CFO-level leadership to nonprofit organizations across the country, with a focus on strategic growth, audit readiness, and governance.

Outside of her professional role, Stephanie volunteers her time at her church and serves on the board of a local nonprofit. She is known for her collaborative leadership style and her commitment to aligning financial strategy with mission impact. She holds a Master of Science in Accounting and is proud to be a first-generation college graduate.

 

 

 

Adult Learner College Scholarship

The Adult Learner Scholarship application is closed. Please click GET STARTED to be added to communication reminders on when to apply during the next open cycle.

Program offers:

  • Up to $25,000 paid directly to the college over the course of up to six years.
  • Once awarded, the Scholar can enroll full or part-time the fall semester following awarding.
  • Scholarship can be used at any of our college partners. See our current list of partners HERE.
  • Scholarship can be used towards an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or a credit-bearing credential. 

Eligibility Requirements: 

  • Be a high school graduate or GED holder (24 years or older).
  • Live in one of the six eligible counties. (Kansas: Wyandotte, Johnson; Missouri: Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte)
  • Be income eligible. (FASFA Student Aid Index of 12,000 or less)
  • Have not previously earned a bachelor’s degree.
  • Have not previously been awarded a KC Scholars Scholarship (Traditional or Adult Learner).
  • Is not currently enrolled in a Great Jobs KC Skills Training Program.
  • US Citizenship/Residency is not required to apply.

If you need more information on program details, please find our FAQs HERE

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Jimmy Swift - Chief Operating Officer

As the Chief Operating Officer, Jimmy Swift is responsible for overseeing our core programs, our adult workforce development program, Great Jobs KC tuition-free job training, and our KC Scholars Scholarship Program, which includes 11th Grade Traditional Scholarships and Adult Learner Scholarships. 

Jimmy has a career in education that spans more than 25 years and is built around supporting and improving the performance of career training programs and leading the operations of degree-granting institutions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management and has served as Campus President, Vice President of Career Services, and Executive Director of various career schools.  

Most recently, Jimmy served as the Vice President of PLA University at Phalen Leadership Academies, bringing access to job skill training to the parents and families of the Scholars served by Phalen Leadership schools across the country.  Beyond his higher education experience, Jimmy serves as the Executive Board Chairman for Project Safety Net NY, a nonprofit community-based agency delivering a broad range of health, education, and prevention services to the New York Community. As the Chief Operating Officer for Great Jobs KC, he and his team are poised to make a substantial impact on the economic stability and future of Kansas City.

Great Jobs KC
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