As a leader in the private, non-profit and public sectors, Bobby has guided initiatives in innovation, cybersecurity, technology, education and workforce development for Fortune 100 companies, non-profits, government agencies, and educational institutions. Bobby’s initiatives have been formally recognized by the White House and he was named as a Top 25 innovative technology leader by EdScoop while Chief Technology Innovations Officer at the Virginia Department of Education. Bobby also served as a Governor appointee to the Virginia Information Technology Advisory Council (ITAC) under multiple administrations for education and workforce initiatives, was a founding member of the national #GoOpen open education resources (OER) movement, and continues to serve on multiple boards including the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), NSA-Certified, Cybersecurity Center Advisory Board. He has advised organizations ranging from Google, CarMax and Harrah’s Casino; to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the national intelligence community; earned his MBA and MIS from VCU, both with honors; and as a United States Army Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) he was a Certified Jungle Operations Expert and Humanitarian Services Medal recipient. In 2019, Bobby co-founded CTEWorkforce and during his time as CEO, the organization has become a leader in technology-driven workforce development via the use of the CTEWorkforce YourCareerCounselor online services platform.
Connect with Bobby on LinkedIn
Chris Abell is a technology champion, bridging the gap between innovation, employers, and practical workforce solutions. As a co-founder and the technology lead of the Maryland Apprenticeship Connector (MAC), Chris plays a key role in advocating for apprenticeships as a crucial pathway in tech-related roles, highlighting their immediate operational benefits and importance in future-proofing the workforce. In his other role as the executive director of the Western Maryland Consortium, Chris leads the organization’s efforts to provide informational, educational, and job training services for residents of Western Maryland. Previously, Chris was the executive director of the Carroll Technology & Innovation Council (CTIC), a non-profit dedicated to expanding access to technology.
Chris’s deep-rooted expertise in the technology sector, projected for significant and continuous job growth, positions him as a key figure in helping employers develop tech-based career pathways. His dedication to innovation and workforce equity, particularly how to leverage tech and AI with a digital equity lens, showcases his commitment to thoughtful and sustainable change management.
Chris holds a certification in Humane Technology and collaborates with developers to create new and innovative ways for people to benefit from technology while considering the social and environmental impacts. As an active member of the local business community, he serves on the Carroll County Workforce Development Executive Team and the Maryland Nonprofits Accelerator Advisory Committee and is a member of the Executive Board of the Rural Maryland Council, the Carroll Chamber of Commerce, Maryland Nonprofits, and the Maryland Tech Council. Chris often shares his insights as a speaker throughout the region, most recently with Prince George’s County Public Schools, Carroll Ignite, UME Digital Equity Summit, and Protecting Maryland Agriculture: A Forum on Smart Farming Cybersecurity Challenges & Solutions.
Before his journey in the non-profit sector, Chris honed his leadership skills in people management, training, and scaling operations at renowned corporations, including Starbucks and Best Buy. He is an alumnus of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.
Connect with Chris on LinkedIn
Interview Questions:
Q1: Bobby, workforce development is a critical issue across the nation, with Maryland feeling the pinch as we see significant skills gaps in key industries. Will you share your insights on the current landscape of workforce development and why innovative solutions like apprenticeships are crucial at this time?
Q2: Can you give us an overview of the new partnership between MAC and CTEWorkforce and what it aims to achieve?
Q3: What are the key strategic goals for this partnership, and how do you envision it impacting Maryland’s workforce development landscape?
Q4: What sectors are being prioritized, and how do you see the apprenticeship program evolving in these industries?
Q5: Could you discuss how the YourCareerCounselor™ platform will be used in this partnership and the benefits it offers in tracking and managing apprenticeship programs?
Q6: The partnership plans to establish an Advisory Committee. What will be the committee’s role, and how will it contribute to the success of the apprenticeship programs?
Q7: How are you planning to engage local businesses and industry leaders in this initiative? What incentives are there for businesses to participate?
Q8: Looking beyond the initial implementation phase, what are the long-term plans for scaling this partnership? Are there any specific milestones you aim to reach in the next few years?
Q9: How do you believe this apprenticeship program will affect the students’ preparedness for the job market, and what skills do you expect them to gain?
Q10: How can interested individuals or companies get involved with this initiative?
The Maryland Apprenticeship Connector (MAC) is a collaborative effort of its founding partners, the Maryland Center for Construction Education & Innovation (MCCEI), Health Tech Alley (HTA), and Carroll Technology & Innovation Council (CTIC), to build an apprenticeship ecosystem for Maryland. MAC exists to illuminate the undeniable value of apprenticeships, championing them as an essential pathway across all industries to achieve immediate operational benefits while also future-proofing employers’ workforces. To learn more about MAC, visit macworkforce.org.
Recent News: https://macworkforce.org/news/
Based on the belief that people can deliver amazing results when given the right opportunity and support, CTEWorkforce was founded to provide human-centric, workforce development solutions to meet the growing employer-demand for qualified cybersecurity professionals. These solutions have expanded to deliver measurable outcomes in the education, healthcare, construction, and technology markets, among others. The heart of our service offering is YourCareerCounselor™ , a cloud-based human capital optimization platform, which can be configurated to power a wide range of workforce and professional development initiatives. Our programs and solutions have been validated, and endorsed by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, Virginia’s Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, the U.S. Army, the Virginia Department of Veteran’s Service, and the VA Dept. of Rehabilitative Services, as well as economic development authorities, and colleges and universities across the country. A veteran-owned organization, the company has been awarded the U.S. Department of Labor HIRE Vets Platinum Medallion and is a certified Virginia Values Veterans (V3) organization. Learn more at www.cteworkforce.com.
Recent News: https://cteworkforce.com/news-articles/
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