Connie leads the membership strategies and partnerships that NAWB members value. She is known for designing innovative workforce programs, policies, and procedures that focus on assisting low-income, hard to serve, and dislocated populations gain and retain employment.
Prior to joining NAWB, Connie worked with workforce boards to help them tell their story through data. As a labor market data expert, she designed and presented numerous trainings to teach workforce boards how to make data driven decisions. Before that, she worked at a local workforce as programs and operation manager. Before joining the workforce development world, Connie spent 8 years working in student services for Oklahoma State University and University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center where she learned to write and administer competitive grants.
Based in Pryor, OK, Connie is a Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP), a certified Lightcast user, and a certified grant writer. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Oklahoma State University and Associate of Arts from Rogers State University.
Gail leads NAWB’s advocacy efforts to advance federal workforce development policies with Congress, the White House, and federal agencies. She also spearheads Workforce Advocacy Day and NAWB’s monthly Public Policy PowerUps, and creates tools and templates to help workforce development professionals effectively tell their story to decision makers.
Previously, Gail served at the highest levels on Capitol Hill, the nonprofit sector, and in national trade associations. She founded and led Speak Up Advocacy where she helped organizations leverage their board members, volunteers, and donors to develop tools to advocate effectively and advance their cause.
Gail spent eleven years on Capitol Hill, including as Chief of Staff to Rep. Adam Schiff of California, Legislative Director for Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, Democratic Staff Director of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, and a Legislative Fellow for (then-Rep.) Ron Wyden of Oregon.
Gail is based in Maryland and has served as Vice President of Government Relations and Communications for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) where she advanced the organization’s priority issues on Capitol Hill and with federal agencies on behalf of all types of museums. Gail is considered the godmother of Museums Advocacy Day, having launched this signature event in 2009. Her book, Speak Up for Museums: The AAM Guide to Advocacy, was published in 2011.
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