Paige Sharpe IMAGE PROVIDED
Paige Sharpe, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce program manager, was selected by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) to study education attainment along with 20 chamber of commerce professionals from communities throughout the United States. This is the first time that an Oregon Chamber professional has been selected for this high profile national program.
The Fellowship for Education & Talent Development is an immersive executive development program, which provides chamber of commerce professionals with education and tools to improve the birth-to-career education pipeline in the communities they serve.
The Springfield Chamber’s WorkReady Initiative has zeroed in on sensible solutions to local employers’ needs for qualified talent.
”Paige has been instrumental in implementing the WorkReady programs with local and regional business and community partners,” said Springfield Chamber President Vonnie Mikkelsen. ”She has earned a rare opportunity to sit alongside top tier professionals from communities around the country who will share knowledge and strategies around talent and workforce solutions,”
”It’s clearly an acknowledgement that our local partnership is headed in the right direction, and that this body of work is meaningful to a broader audience. It’s good for business, good for our community, and good for our state.”
Throughout the year-long Fellowship for Education & Talent Development, participants are required to develop a regional action project that focuses on addressing specific education attainment or workforce development issues in their communities.
”We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response to this executive leadership training initiative and the high caliber of applicants,” said ACCE President Sheree Ann Kelly.
Speaking on the need for businesses to be more engaged in talent development discussions and outcomes, Kelly said her organization assists its members through various learning opportunities and best practice sharing.
”This latest step in our strategy to engage business leaders and advocates in education attainment maximizes the linkage between qualified talent and economic development goals,” she said.
ACCE’s Fellowship for Education and Talent Development is designed to advance a chamber of commerce’s already-defined education attainment goals, and ultimately help the business associations nationwide build replicable programs and processes.
Leaders selected to participate in the 2018 Fellowship represent communities including Binghamton, New York; Salina, Kansas; Fort Worth, Texas; Cleveland, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina; Fullerton, California; Louisville, Kentucky; Dayton, Ohio; Spokane, Washington; Omaha, Nebraska; Lafayette, Louisiana; Nashville, Tennessee; Bristol, Tennessee; Springfield, Oregon; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Austin, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Greenville, South Carolina; San Jose, California; Arvada, Colorado; and Charleston, South Carolina.
