The Glendale Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce we are hosting a dynamic forum called Education and Workforce Readiness Now and For the Future taking place on Wednesday, September 27th from 7:30 am - 9:30 am at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa in Glendale where breakfast will be served. This inaugural event and collaboration with numerous education partners will address various junctures of education and workforce initiatives, promote better partnerships for educational and training experiences, and create opportunities while strengthening ties to the business community.

This event will feature two esteemed panels of community education leaders, innovators, and stakeholders who will discuss innovative ideas for shaping the future of K-12 education. They will address the workforce challenges currently faced by employers and educators, along with, the need for an integrated approach for creating and maintaining the necessary amount of skilled, educated workers to meet the job demand in Glendale and the West Valley!

K-12 Panel

- Dr. Jennifer Cruz | Superintendent of Pendergast Elementary School District (Moderator)
- Cindy Segotta-Jones | Superintendent of Glendale Elementary School District
- Dr. Jason Reynolds | Retired Superintendent of Peoria Unified School District
- Brian Capistran | Superintendent of Glendale Union High School District
- Dr. Scott Spurgeon | Superintendent of Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC)

Higher Education & Workforce Panel

- Kelli List | Owner of Charley's Sports Grill, Charley’s at the Lakes, and Saguaro Grill (Moderator)
- Dr. Todd Sandrin | Vice Provost at Arizona State University West Campus
- Lauri Perdue | National Workforce Director at University of Phoenix
- Marilynn Babyar | Director of Student Services, Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC)
- Dr. Lorelei (Lore) Konopka | Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, Glendale Community College
- Dr. Joshua C. Baker | Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Midwestern University – Glendale Campus

The panel discussions will be followed by a Q&A session to help inform businesses and individuals on how they can become more involved with the future K-12 and post-secondary education to provide an opportunity to refine, re-evaluate, and improve upon existing policies to guide actionable steps forward. 

“This event represents a significant step in the initiatives of the Glendale Chamber in which it strives to bridge our education and workforce sectors to have a broader impact on important issues affecting our business community. We look forward to hosting this event with thought-provoking discussions that will be vital to strengthening the education system and aligning it to the future of Glendale’s labor market and economy,” says Robert Heidt, President and CEO of Glendale Chamber of Commerce.

The cost is $35 to attend the breakfast forum, and it’s open to education professionals, business leaders, community members, and anyone with an interest in the future of education and workforce readiness in our community. Visit www.bit.ly/GCC-Education-Workforce-Readiness to register, and for sponsorships please call 623-937-4754 or email Shea Torres at [email protected].

We want to send a special “Thank You” to our sponsors: Amazon, Salt River Project, Southwest Airlines, Credit Union West, Desert Financial Credit Union, Mountain Park Health Center, and Wells Fargo.