Four Mic-Drop Moments from Horizons 2025

The first day of the 2025 Horizons Summit, presented by Jobs for the Future, opened with a rueful reflection from CEO Maria Flynn about the call to action: “Dare To Be Brave.”

“Our theme…felt like a really great idea when we rolled it out last year,” Flynn told the 1,500 attendees gathered in New Orleans on June 10 and 11. “But I have to be very honest with you: It has been weighing on me in the months leading up to today. Because this is not an easy time to be a leader, let alone a brave leader.”

But bravery, Flynn emphasized, isn’t out of reach. “We’re not in a hopeless situation,” she said, “and this is not a point of no return.” Instead, she said, bravery means playing the long game, staying the course, and maintaining focus on the “why” of the work that brought educators, policymakers, workforce experts, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs into the room together.

For the next two days, thought leaders and innovators from across the education and workforce fields shared their versions of the “why” and what it means to be brave in this moment. JFF also announced exciting progress toward our North Star—by 2033, 75 million Americans facing barriers to advancement will have quality jobs—and a new partnership for powerful impact measurement.

Read part one of our wrap-up to discover four can’t-miss moments from Horizons 2025, featuring TIAA’s Thasunda Brown Duckett,  Cristina Mancini of Black Girls Code, and former New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu.