Schedule
NAWDP’s 42nd Annual Conference agenda is based on the learning tracks below:
- Board Engagement & Development: Focuses on strengthening the capacity, strategic vision, and engagement of Boards to improve governance, oversight, and long-term impact.
- Employer Engagement & Sector Strategies: Explores strategies for cultivating employer partnerships, developing sector-based solutions, and aligning training with labor market demand.
- Advocacy & Outreach: Covers communication, community engagement, and policy advocacy strategies that elevate workforce development as an essential public and economic priority.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Focuses on leveraging workforce data, LMI tools, and evaluation methods for planning, performance, and continuous improvement.
- Utilizing A.I. & Technology: Highlights emerging technologies, practical AI tools, and digital transformation strategies shaping service delivery and operational efficiency.
- Serving Target Populations: Centers on best practices for engaging and supporting populations with barriers to employment, ensuring equitable access and outcomes.
- Operational Excellence and Compliance: Covers the systems, processes, and compliance requirements essential to running effective workforce programs and meeting performance measures and accountability standards.
- Innovative Workforce Programs: Showcases cutting-edge models, pilots, partnerships, and practices that push the boundaries of traditional workforce development.
- General Workforce Topics
Schedule at a Glance
NAWDP has released a tentative schedule-at-a-glance which gives a full general overview of the event.
Full Schedule
NAWDP has released a full tentative schedule, including workshop sessions and descriptions.
Pre-Conference Sessions:
Pre-conference sessions are offered at no cost to conference attendees and will be held on May 17. We encourage you to arrive early and take advantage of this valuable learning opportunity.
Session # 1: Braiding and Leveraging Funds Simulation
This interactive activity equips participants at all levels with practical strategies to strengthen organizational sustainability and increase program impact. Through a realistic simulation, attendees will explore how different workforce development funding streams can be braided and leveraged, with a special focus on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) funds.
Session Presenters:
Jenny Taylor
Vice President of Career Services, Goodwill of North Georgia
Erik Lee-Ryan
Regional Workforce Development Manager, Goodwill of North Georgia
Ashia Walker
Goodwill of North Georgia
Session #2: Future-Proofing the Workforce: Helping Adult Learners Develop AI Skills to Help Them Prepare for the Most In-demand Jobs in Our AI-driven Economy
As AI transforms the job market, the gap for low-wage and entry-level workers is widening. Join Verizon and a cohort of peers for an interactive strategy session focused on driving equity in AI-skilling across the job market. In this session, you will get an exclusive look at Verizon’s proposed AI Skilling program and then share your expertise to help inform our approach, to discuss what works — and what doesn’t — for hard-to-reach populations.
Session Presenter:
Tuesday General Session
NAWDP is honored to welcome leadership from the U.S. Department of Labor as part of this year’s conference program. The presence of national workforce leadership is an important part of the NAWDP Annual Conference each year and reflects the strong connection between federal leadership and the workforce professionals serving communities across the country.
Session Presenter:
Lori Frazier Bearden
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
“Rising to the Challenge” Closing Capstone Sessions
Our closing capstone sessions are designed to wrap up the conference with purpose and impact. These sessions will highlight key insights, spotlight emerging trends, and provide actionable insights you can take back to your organization.
Session # 1: State of the Workforce: Observations and Trends from Indeed’s 2025 Workforce Insights Report
Drawing on national survey research conducted by YouGov with U.S. job seekers ages 18 and older, this session explores trends in employment situations, job search behaviors, workplace expectations, attitudes toward AI, and growing interest in skills development and benefits.
Gain a clearer picture of how factors such as age, education, income, and technology adoption are shaping how people find work, stay engaged, and think about their future. Attendees will leave with valuable insights to help better understand today’s workforce and make more informed decisions about programs, services, and strategies moving forward.
Session Presenter:
Session # 2: From Talent Shortages to Talent Solutions: Building Pipelines That Actually Deliver
Across the country, we keep talking about the ‘skills gap.’ But in reality, many communities are facing something deeper—and opportunity gap—where talent exists, but systems aren’t aligned to unlock it.
Featuring a real-world examples from both Maricopa and Pinal Counties, Arizona, this conversation brings together employers, national leaders, and regional innovators who are building employer-driven, place-based talent pipelines that connect people to careers—and businesses to the workforce they need to grow.
Together, panelists will share how they are breaking down silos between employers, workforce systems, and training providers to create clear, connected pathways into in-demand industries—and how these models can be adapted and scaled across the country.
Session Presenters:
Michael D. Smith
President & CEO, Eckerd Connects
Jason Tyszko
Senior Vice President, US Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Jennifer Mellor
Chief Innovation Officer, Greater Phoenix Chamber
Michael Cruz
Manager of State Public Policy, Lucid Motors
Workshop RFP
The proposal submission period closed on February 1, 2026.