Message from the CEO — Six Weeks Until Forum 2026

Posted on by Grace Moster

This week marks six weeks until the start of Forum 2026 in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada.

As we get closer, I wanted to take a moment to share some of the exciting things we have in store for you before, during, and after the Forum—and how this year’s experience has been intentionally designed to help you grow as a workforce development leader.

Before getting into specifics, I want to share an important shift we’ve made this year: we’ve redesigned the Forum to be more impactful. That means fewer sessions than in past years—but each session will be longer (75 minutes), highly interactive, and focused on giving you practical tools you can take home and implement in your local area.

It’s not enough to simply hear about good ideas happening across our industry. We need to turn those ideas into action. That’s exactly what this year’s Forum is designed to do.

We also know that pre-conference sessions aren’t always the right fit for everyone. So, this year, in addition to our pre-cons, we’re excited to introduce post-conference sessions—giving you the opportunity to continue learning even after the main conference wraps up.

Lastly, before I share some of the specific things we are doing to make this Forum memorable and the best ever, I want to recognize that this is a change from what we have always known at the Forum.  I know there is value in being in DC, but this evolution of the Forum allows us to unlock new possibilities that will make this year’s experience our most impactful yet.

DC in the Desert

Many of you attend the Forum to stay connected to federal policy and strengthen your advocacy efforts. This year, we’re bringing DC to the desert.

We’re thrilled to welcome Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling (U.S. Department of Labor) and Deputy Assistant Secretary Nick Moore (U.S. Department of Education) as main stage participants. We’re also grateful to have The Honorable Dina Titus U.S. Congresswoman (NV-1) joining us for our Executive Director and Board Chairs meeting.  And we aren’t stopping there; we hope to have additional announcements over the next few days.

We’re also investing heavily in advocacy this year through a dedicated Advocacy Track, including training on how to effectively advocate at the national level—highlighted by a session led by former Congressman Jon Porter on making meaningful impact with federal elected officials – and sessions focused on state, county, and municipal advocacy. We’re seeing some of the most successful boards in the country capture momentum by leveraging influence at every level of government—and we want to help you do the same.

Forum Awards

One of my favorite parts of the NAWB Forum is the opportunity not just to gather, but to celebrate the best and most innovative work happening across our workforce system. The Forum allows us to elevate the strategies, partnerships, and leadership that are driving real results in communities across the country.

This year, we’ll highlight forward-thinking practices and the outstanding partnerships at the heart of WIOA. If your board is doing work you’re proud of, I encourage you to nominate your board for a Forum Award. Sharing your story helps amplify your impact—and gives others across the system real examples they can learn from and build on. The deadline to submit your application is February 19th.

Pre-Cons and Post-Cons

This year you can choose one of these pre-conference sessions on Monday, March 23rd to start your Forum experience:

  • We’re also excited to partner with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) on a special DOL-funded pre-con workshop focused on the electric vehicle industry cluster and the workforce systems needed to support everything from critical mineral extraction and the lithium battery lifecycle to vehicle manufacturing, retail, and maintenance. Board representatives selected for this session may receive up to $700 in travel reimbursement and will be eligible for up to $10,000 in planning grants through a Shark Tank–style pitch competition. Applications for the EV workshop close this Friday February 13! APPLY HERE.

 

On Thursday afternoon, March 26th, we’ll launch three post-conference sessions:

  • Working Smarter with AI: Building an Ethical, AI-Literate Workforce with AI expert, Past-Chair of the Colorado Workforce Development Council, Chair of the NGA AI and Quantum Workforce Sector Partnership Subcommittee and author of Thought Partner—The Fusion of Soul and System: The AI Collaboration, Jonathan Liebert. This session moves beyond hype and fear to focus on what truly matters: ethical and responsible AI use, real-world productivity gains, and building true AI literacy across teams. 
  • Level up your grants strategy with Grant Writing: Go, Write Win! led by TAD Grants, designed to help you submit stronger, more competitive proposals with confidence. The session goes beyond theory, breaking down evaluation criteria, proposal scoring, common pitfalls, and real-world strategies for client management, contract negotiation, and organizational readiness—so you can submit high-quality applications on time, every time. Normally $995, this special session is available for $595 for NAWB Members and $695 for Non-Members—an exceptional value for a comprehensive, hands-on grants training.  *Please note this session runs through the end of the day on Friday, so please plan your travel accordingly. (Forum room rates are still available Thursday and Friday nights.)

Partner Track Excursions

We’ve been excited to see how many attendees are bringing travel companions this year—about one in eight registrants so far. Because of that, we’ve built out a slate of excursions and experiences that we are calling our “Partner Track” to make the week memorable for everyone.  These are excursions designed for your travel companions, but I totally understand if you want to sneak away to see the Hoover Dam on Friday.

Excursions include:

  • Tuesday (3/24): Allegiant Stadium tour – home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
  • Wednesday (3/25): Area15, Imersive experiential museum, including Meow Wolf – Omega Mart, Illuminarium, and more

Now Is the Time to Book

If you haven’t finalized your plans yet, now is the perfect time to do so. We ask you to book your room at The Cosmopolitan, the official hotel of The Forum 2026, to stay connected to the full Forum experience and take advantage of our discounted room block.

And for a limited time, you can also save 10% on standard Forum registration during our President’s Day sale by using the code FRMVEGAS26. Tickets at this rate won’t last long.

I can’t wait to welcome you to Las Vegas and to Forum 2026. It’s shaping up to be one of our most impactful gatherings yet.

See you in Vegas!

Drew

Celebrating Bob Knight: Founder, Builder, and Lion of the Workforce Ecosystem

Posted on by Grace Moster

There are leaders who serve a system—and then there are leaders who build one.

As Bob Knight enters retirement, NAWB honors a career that helped shape the workforce ecosystem as we know it today. Bob is the founder of NAPIC—the National Association of Private Industry Councils—which later became the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB). Across decades, his work strengthened the bridge between public purpose and private-sector leadership, and helped the nation move toward a more coordinated, customer-centered workforce system.
And while Bob will be enjoying well-earned travel in retirement, we’re grateful he will still spend some time supporting the field through periodic work with Equus Workforce Solutions, where he has served as Director of Government Relations and Workforce Policy.
From PICs to workforce boards: helping build the modern system
To understand Bob’s legacy, you have to understand what the nation asked of workforce leaders over the last 40+ years.
In the era of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), Private Industry Councils (PICs) were designed to bring employer leadership directly into the governance of job training. PICs became a cornerstone of local service delivery—anchoring oversight, strategy, and accountability with business at the table.
Bob didn’t just support that vision—he organized it, amplified it, and made it sustainable by founding NAPIC as a national voice and learning community for PIC leaders.
Then came the next major evolution: the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), which replaced JTPA and advanced the One-Stop system and local boards. Later, WIOA  updated and reauthorized the system again—strengthening alignment across programs and reinforcing the role of local boards in connecting talent and opportunity.
Through these transitions, Bob’s fingerprints are everywhere in the ideas that endured:
A policy leader with real field credibility
Bob’s credibility didn’t come only from titles—it came from lived experience across the full policy-to-practice pipeline.
Equus describes Bob as a leading expert in workforce development, welfare-to-work, and youth employment policy, with experience that includes service as a professional staff member for a U.S. Senate subcommittee, and as President & CEO of NAWB.
And as many workforce professionals can attest, Bob’s influence is also personal: he has been a teacher to the field—generous with context, history, and practical guidance, and committed to preparing the next generation of leaders.
The scale of the legacy: boards, businesses, and millions of lives
NAWB today champions the mission of more than 570 local and State workforce development boards across the United States and its territories—boards that convene partners, support employers, and help job seekers access training and employment pathways.
That national network exists in part because Bob believed local leaders deserved:
And the system those boards help lead is vast: federal workforce services operate through a nationwide network of around 3,000 One-Stop centers, connecting people to training, credentials, and jobs.
When we say Bob’s work has impacted thousands of businesses and millions of job seekers, we’re not using poetic license—we’re describing the real scale of a national infrastructure he helped build and strengthen.
A reflection from NAWB CEO Andrew Bercich
Andrew Bercich, CEO of NAWB, shared “Bob Knight, who I count as a mentor and friend, didn’t just witness the evolution of the workforce system… he helped author it. From the earliest days of NAPIC to the national influence of NAWB, Bob championed business-led, community-rooted solutions that kept opportunity within reach. His legacy lives in every board convening employers around talent needs, and in every job seeker who found a pathway forward because Bob insisted the system could deliver better—smarter, more humane, and more accountable.”
Retirement—without stepping away from the mission
Bob is retiring, yes—but he is not disappearing.
As he looks forward to travel and a new season of life, we’re grateful he will remain part of the workforce family through occasional support to Equus Workforce Solutions at various events and conferences.
Thank you, Bob
Bob Knight helped build the architecture of modern workforce development—and more importantly, he helped build the belief that workforce systems can be a force for dignity, mobility, and shared prosperity.
From all of us at NAWB: thank you, Bob. Congratulations on retirement, and we can’t wait to see where your travels take you next.

A Note to Nawb Members and Partners: Stability Matters for the Workforce System

Posted on by Grace Moster

Yesterday, congressional leaders announced a bipartisan agreement on the FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. For the public workforce system, the most important takeaway is a welcome one: WIOA Title I funding will remain very close to FY 2025 levels.
After a year marked by uncertainty, that stability matters.

Over the past several months, workforce boards across the country have been doing their level best to plan against the backdrop of an unusually volatile environment. We have navigated a President’s budget that proposed deep reductions to workforce investments, alongside House proposals that raised serious concerns about the future of core formula programs. Our system was not waiting to react to the potential for funding cuts as we noted in our November 2025 report A System Under Strain: New Survey Reveals the Impact of Funding Uncertainty on Workforce Boards, indeed boards were making sometimes difficult cuts proactively and finding efficiencies wherever possible. Against that backdrop, the decision to adopt the Senate’s funding levels provides much-needed certainty and preserves the foundation of the public workforce system.

At the national level, WIOA formula funding will be approximately $10 million lower than FY 2025. That modest reduction is limited to the Adult program, while Youth and Dislocated Worker funding remain level. While no reduction is ideal, particularly at a time when local systems are facing rising costs and growing demand, this outcome avoids far more disruptive cuts and maintains the core structure that our communities rely on.

In practical terms:
-Adult Activities will see a small decrease
-Youth Activities will remain flat-funded
-Dislocated Worker programs will remain flat-funded

This level of stability allows workforce boards to continue serving employers, supporting jobseekers, responding to rapidly changing labor market conditions and adapting to a technological environment that changes by the day. It preserves capacity at a moment when flexibility and responsiveness are essential.

It is also important to remember that national funding levels do not automatically translate into local allocations. Once the bill is enacted, the Department of Labor will apply statutory formulas using updated economic data to determine state allotments, followed by local allocations within each state. Because those formulas are driven by relative unemployment and disadvantaged population data, local impacts will vary.

That reality underscores why NAWB continues to emphasize two core principles: flexibility and local control.

Workforce boards operate closest to their communities. They understand local labor markets, regional employers, and the unique barriers facing jobseekers in their areas. Preserving flexibility in how funds are used, and ensuring decisions remain locally driven, is what allows the workforce system to deliver the most meaningful results.

We are grateful for the bipartisan agreement that provides stability after a challenging year, and we view this outcome as a solid foundation as conversations continue around FY 2027 funding and broader workforce policy. At the same time, NAWB will continue to advocate on behalf of our members for policies that strengthen, rather than constrain, the public workforce system.

Stability is not the finish line… but it is a necessary starting point.

As the bill continues to progress through the final steps of enactment, we will continue to monitor and keep you informed.

A Note to NAWB Members and Partners: Leading Together Into The Future of Workforce

Posted on by Grace Moster

I’m honored to step into the role of CEO of the National Association of Workforce Boards, and I want to start by saying thank you.

Thank you to the NAWB Board of Directors for the trust they’ve placed in me, and to our members and partners across the country for the work you do every day. Workforce boards are doing some of the most important work in our economy and our communities, and I don’t take lightly the responsibility of serving this network.

Many of you know me already. I’ve had the privilege of serving on the NAWB Board for more than a decade, including as Chair. I’ve also served on local workforce boards and on the Colorado Workforce Development Council, and I’ve spent time in the system as a consultant and one-stop operator.

For most of my career, I’ve also worked in the private sector leading corporate talent organizations with as many as 350 Recruiters, along the way partnering with dozens of workforce boards and local areas across the country to meet hiring needs in diverse fields from advanced manufacturing to healthcare and most recently in the Generative AI space. But I was lucky, after spending most of my career on the demand side of workforce, I was able to pivot and follow my passion for workforce, becoming a consultant to boards and ecosystem partners, helping design and execute strategies, study the culture of high-performing regions and become more involved in day-to-day operations of our AJCs. I’ve seen this system from a myriad of different angles—employer, board member, one-stop operator, strategy consultant—and that range of perspective shapes how I think about NAWB’s role and our opportunity.

When we are at our best, the workforce system is proactive and deeply connective. We bring employers, educators, community organizations, and workers together to solve real problems and create real opportunities. Workforce boards are uniquely positioned to do that work, not on the sidelines of economic and technological change, but right at the center of it.

We’re living through a period of real change. Technology, demographics, geopolitics, and shifting expectations about work are all reshaping how jobs are created, how skills are valued, and how people move through careers. These changes aren’t abstract — they’re already showing up in your communities and in conversations you’re having every day.

NAWB’s role at this moment is clear: to help ensure workforce boards aren’t just navigating change but helping shape what comes next.

That means continuing to elevate the voice and value of workforce boards nationally. It means strengthening NAWB as a place for shared learning, influence, and innovation. And it means making sure policy, practice, and investment decisions reflect what actually works on the ground.

In the near term, my focus is on listening and learning and turning that into action. I want to hear from members about what’s working well, where things feel hard, and where NAWB can be more helpful. I want to deepen relationships with our partners across government, industry, education, and philanthropy. And I want NAWB to continue showing up as a trusted, practical, and forward-looking leader in the workforce ecosystem.

A big part of that is our annual Forum. It’s our flagship convening and one of the places where the NAWB community really comes together. I want it to continue to be a space where people connect, learn from one another, and help set direction for where the system is headed.

Looking a bit further ahead, I’ll work closely with our Board to take what we’re hearing from members, partners, funders, policymakers, and employers and turn it into a clearer, longer-term strategy for NAWB, especially as we head toward our 50th anniversary in 2029.

As always, the strength of NAWB comes from its members. My commitment is to lead in partnership with you, to be honest about the challenges ahead, ambitious about what’s possible, and grounded in what it takes to make things work. A core part of that commitment is being a strong, consistent voice for workforce boards in Washington and beyond.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve, and I’m energized by the work ahead. I’m looking forward to building the next chapter of NAWB — and the future of our workforce system — together. And I look forward to meeting you at the Forum in Las Vegas this March.

Andrew Bercich
Chief Executive Officer
National Association of Workforce Boards

LERs Gain Bipartisan Traction in Congress: Key Takeaways from the Talent Marketplace Hearing

Posted on by Grace Moster

Learning & Employment Records (LERs) arrived this week at the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development for a formal hearing entitled Building a Talent Marketplace: How LERs Empower Workers and Expand Opportunity. The hearing demonstrated significant bipartisan interest and potential support for LER adoption.

A distinguished panel addressed the committee emphasizing the importance of skills data measurement and collection. Alex Kaplan, American Association of College Registrars and Admission Officers, concisely stated the current situation, “I can’t overemphasize the importance of arriving at a set of standards and protocols that allow for the interoperability to occur—this will reduce the cost for everybody, and it will accelerate the adoption of them [LERs].” Providing a specific example, Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University, spoke of WGU’s prototype that evolved into the Indiana Achievement Wallet, “Now available to nearly 2.5 million students, alumni, and employees, our LER platform is designed to be student-centric, skills-rich, and provide pathfinding and career exploration from day one!”

For 43 million Americans with some college, Greg DiDonato, EBSCO Information Services, shared the potential impact “…with effective LERs, these individuals can demonstrate the skills they already have, even without completing a degree. Workers in declining industries can identify transferable skills that may allow them to enter a growing sector.”

Scott Cheney, Credential Engine, summed up his view on LinkedIn following the hearing, “This is a very bi-partisan issue, and I’m excited to see whatever legislation will be introduced as a result.” Scott thanked Chairman Owens for holding the hearing and being a visionary champion on this issue. He specifically acknowledged Chairman Owens for championing the issue, as well as the participation of full committee Chairman Walberg and Ranking Member Scott.

Where are Workforce Boards in this conversation? NAWB has been on this journey for several years, sharing resources with our members. We appreciate the contributions of our funder, community of practice, skills advisory group, and contractors. We hope this momentum will enhance coordination and progress. Most importantly, we urge workforce boards to embrace LERs and actively join this critical national dialogue!

Full written testimonies can be found on the committee website.  https://edworkforce.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=412861

Building Capacity, Expanding Opportunity: The Workforce System’s Next Step in the Age of AI 

Posted on by Grace Moster

by Andrew Bercich, SummitWorX Solutions and Erica Greeley, National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) 

A Moment of Transformation 

The pace of technological change has never been faster, and few innovations have reshaped our world as quickly as generative artificial intelligence (AI). From automating complex data analysis to producing text, images, and code, generative AI is transforming how people learn, communicate, and create. 

For the workforce development system, this transformation presents both profound challenges and once-in-a-generation opportunities. As a system, we look to balance concerns about labor arbitrage and privacy, with the advantages of having the knowledge of the best professionals in every field at our fingertips.  

As workforce boards navigate declining funding, increasing demand for services, greater policy uncertainty and a labor market undergoing structural change, generative AI offers not just new tools but a new way of thinking about how we serve communities, employers, and jobseekers. 

Disruption and the Entry Level Challenge 

The impacts of AI are already being felt across the labor market, particularly in entry-level and routine roles that once served as critical gateways for young workers. 

A 2025 study from the Brookings Institution found that 85% of the U.S. workforce could see at least 10% of their tasks affected by generative AI, and 30% of workers could have 50% or more of their tasks affected.  

While these shifts raise understandable concern about job loss, they also point to a larger evolution in how work is done. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Trends and Outlooks Survey (BTOS) shows that 12% of businesses expect that generative AI will impact employment numbers, but interestingly, slightly more of those businesses expect employment to increase more than decrease. New opportunities are emerging in AI quality assurance, data annotation, prompt design, model training, and digital content management all of which depend on human judgment and creativity. But any change in employment, either increased reductions in staff or changing skills requirements, puts additional pressure on our system. 

Entry-level work has long been the foundation for skill development, social capital, and career mobility. A recent study by Stanford University found that employment declined ~13% for workers aged 22 – 25 in “AI-exposed” occupations. If those entry points decrease and training providers must find new ways to prepare individuals for the roles that AI will augment, not replace.  Boards will need to find new ways of engaging with these less experienced workers that need early-career opportunities to develop not just technical skills, but the core employability skills needed to be an effective worker in any organization or environment. 

The challenge—and opportunity—is to ensure that equitable access, inclusion, and skill relevance remain at the center of this change. 

For workforce boards themselves, generative AI offers an unexpected silver lining, a lifeline amid tightening budgets, growing demand for services, and an evolving labor market that increasingly values skills-based hiring. The productivity impact is measurable. PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer found that industries most exposed to AI experienced a fourfold increase in productivity growth, jumping from roughly 7% to 27% as adoption accelerated. Likewise, Goldman Sachs estimates that AI could increase global GDP by 7% while transforming or augmenting about 300 million jobs worldwide. 

Generative AI As a Strategic Lifeline 

AI tools can streamline administrative work by speeding up reporting and documentation. They can support data-driven decision-making by modeling the impact of a proposed board policy change, and they can enhance communication with both employers and job seekers by allowing more personalization and contextualization in messaging.  

Boards that are further on their AI journey are using it to assist with program design, grant writing and supporting One-Stop compliance and monitoring. Generative AI can draft outreach materials, summarize case notes, aid in interview preparation, and even help tailor resumes or job recommendations for participants. Nearly every aspect of a workforce operation has the capability to receive a productivity boost from AI if we have the right mindset to adopt and implement the technology in the right way. 

“AI is not a tool, but a whole new way of working. It’s one of the most important things that leaders need to think about in this AI transformation… a mind shift.” – Matthew Duncan, Head of Thought Leadership on the Future of Work,  Microsoft 

For boards facing tough tradeoffs, generative AI represents a way to do more with less, without compromising mission or impact and potentially delivering deeper impact when used effectively and responsibly. By leveraging AI strategically and ethically, workforce boards can shift capacity from routine tasks to higher-value human services: coaching, relationship-building, and program innovation. 

Building Capacity: A New Commitment from NAWB 

Recognizing this critical juncture, NAWB is taking bold steps to help the system not just adapt to AI but lead in its responsible use. 

In the coming months, NAWB will launch a suite of initiatives designed to build AI capacity across the national workforce system, including: 

  • AI-focused programming at The Forum, NAWB’s annual gathering of workforce professionals, featuring case studies, demonstrations, and conversations on the future of technology-enabled workforce delivery. 
  • Hands-on learning and technical assistance opportunities throughout 2026, including virtual events, regional workshops, and peer learning networks focused on real-world applications of AI in workforce operations. 
  • Advocating for policy that keeps workers, businesses, and funding at the forefront of lawmakers’ minds. As policies impact the direction of the labor market, NAWB will continue to sound the call that our communities and labor markets need funding to adapt to changing conditions. 

These initiatives will help workforce leaders understand what AI can do and how to do it right. Together with SummitWorX Solutions, NAWB is committed to ensuring that this evolution strengthens local boards’ capacity, rather than widening existing resource divides. 

A Call to Action for Workforce Leaders 

This is a defining moment for the public workforce system. Generative AI will not wait for us to catch up, and the cost of inaction is high. 

Workforce boards are uniquely positioned to translate innovation into inclusion. By combining their deep community connections with the transformative potential of generative AI, they can redesign service delivery, improve equity, and equip America’s workers for an economy where human and digital collaboration define success. 

As we began this post, the pace of change has never been faster, and the truth is, it will never be this slow again. By embracing this moment with purpose, strategy, and ethical commitment, workforce boards can ensure that AI becomes not a threat, but a tool for renewal, resilience, growth, and expanded opportunity. 

About the Authors 

SummitWorX Solutions partners with workforce boards, educational institutions, and public agencies to design forward-looking strategies for talent, technology, and community impact. SummitWorX Solutions’ Founder and CEO, Andrew Bercich, is the former Head of Talent Acquisition for Amazon’s Alexa and Artificial General Intelligence (Gen AI) organizations and is Past–Chair of NAWB. 

The National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) represents and advocates for more than 550 workforce development boards nationwide.  Under the leadership of Acting CEO, Erica Greeley, who previously served as Vice President of Economic Mobility at Feeding America, and earlier held nonprofit leadership roles supporting networks, systems-change and economic opportunity, NAWB is deepening its focus on innovation, collaboration, and the responsible use of technology to strengthen the nation’s workforce ecosystem.