“Jobs
looking for people, people looking for jobs—but neither finding the
other. How can this be? Welcome to the real-world labor market, where
employers and job seekers find—or don’t find—what they are looking for.
We need next-generation strategies to accelerate the ability of
low-income Americans to move from poverty to the jobs they deserve.”
Marlene Seltzer is nationally recognized in the workforce development
field, with over 20 years of practical experience in policy and program
delivery at the national, state and local levels. She is a frequent
speaker on systems reform approaches to improving the ability of the
labor market to serve low-income workers, employers, and local and
state economies.
Ms. Seltzer is the senior advisor for JFF’s body of work that focuses
on increasing economic opportunity for low-income workers. These
projects include SkillWorks: Partners for a Productive Workforce and
Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count. SkillWorks is a five-year, public/private partnership that has come
together to address the gap between the needs of Boston-area employers
for more skilled workers and of workers for more accessible jobs that
pay a family-supporting wage. JFF plans and manages the initiative. JFF
is one of ten national partners in Achieving the Dream, a national
initiative that promotes change to improve student success at community
colleges. The initiative works on multiple fronts—including efforts at
community colleges and in research, public engagement, and public
policy—and emphasizes the use of data to drive change. Achieving the
Dream is funded by Lumina Foundation for Education, KnowledgeWorks Foundation, and Nellie Mae Education Foundation. JFF coordinates the
initiative’s effort to improve state policies in seven targeted states.
Prior to joining Jobs for the Future, Ms. Seltzer held a number of
prominent positions in non-profit management, government, and the field
of workforce development. From 1987 to 1989, she was Commissioner of
the Massachusetts Department of Employment and Training, after serving
as deputy commissioner for four years. In this capacity, she
administered the Commonwealth’s $1 billion federal- and state-funded
employment and training programs, including ET Choices—a $40 million
comprehensive state welfare-to-work effort.
As president of Seltzer Associates, a for-profit consulting firm, she
provided policy development assistance to the U.S. Department of Labor
on workforce development initiatives. She also served as co-founder and
president of Employment Resources, Inc., a nonprofit, community-based,
workforce development organization.
Ms. Seltzer is a member of the board of directors for WomenWork!, a national policy and advocacy organization working for the economic equity and advancement of women.
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Changing Labor Markets: A Systems Approach to Reform
Send an email to: Marlene B. Seltzer
