Joshua Johnson is the director of Jobs for the Future’s National Innovation Hub for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeship, which is operated by the organization’s Center for Apprenticeship & Work Based Learning.

Before joining JFF, Joshua was the state director of apprenticeship in Wisconsin. In that role, he oversaw growth in all initiatives related to the creation of intentional career pathways for Wisconsin citizens. His passion for apprenticeship is rooted in its ability to eradicate poverty.

Earlier in his career, Joshua worked for the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, where he helped employers connect to the untapped talent pool of individuals with disabilities. While he was the Wisconsin state director of apprenticeship, Joshua was elected by his fellow state directors to serve as vice president of the National Association of State and Territorial Apprenticeship Directors.

Vanessa Bennett is an associate director at JFF who works to create equitable pathways to careers and education for young people and adults through pre-apprenticeships, registered apprenticeships, and work-based learning programs.

Vanessa focuses on expanding economic mobility for opportunity youth by developing pre-apprenticeship frameworks and engaging employers, community-based organizations, and workforce boards in developing meaningful pathways to apprenticeship opportunities.

Before joining JFF, Vanessa was the senior manager of Career Pathways at YouthBuild USA, where she contributed to the design of pre-apprenticeship programming, managed public and private partnerships, and developed training, tools, and resources for more than 200 YouthBuild programs. She managed grants and projects with the U.S. Department of Labor, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

With over 20 years of experience, Tracey is a construction industry leader in outreach and workforce development. As Walbec Group’s Director of Outreach & Partnerships, Tracey leads community outreach, recruitment, and retention of workers for heavy highway road building.

Throughout the industry, she advocates for connecting workers to family-sustaining jobs, supporting contractors in meeting workforce requirements, and developing innovative strategies to align entry-level workers with apprenticeships and employment opportunities. Tracey is an award-winning professional who is actively engaged in the community and serves on several committees that promote diversity and workforce development.

Lea Collins-Worachek is the Director of the Office of Business Opportunity and Equity Compliance (OBOEC) for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). OBOEC serves as WisDOT’s regulatory arm that works to promote business opportunity and equity for the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, labor and wage compliance, and the execution of Title VI/nondiscrimination and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) accessibility provisions throughout the department.

Lea also provides leadership oversight for WisDOT’s on-the-job training support services program, referred to as Transportation Alliance for New Solutions (TrANS). WisDOT’s TrANS program is a certified pre-apprenticeship training program that offers equal opportunity for training and upgrading minorities, women, and disadvantaged persons toward journey-level status in highway construction trades.

Amber Riskey is a third-year laborer apprentice working for Payne and Dolan, a Walbec Group company. After completing the WisDOT’s Transportation Alliance for New Solutions (TrANS) program and completing her commercial driver’s license exam, Amber began working on road construction. She has continued to expand her skillset working as a tack truck driver, lute and shovel person, and learning about various paving equipment projects throughout Wisconsin.