Maureen Conway is the Vice President at the Aspen Institute and serves as the Executive Director of its Economic Opportunities Program (EOP). EOP’s mission is to expand individuals’ opportunities to access quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability—empowering them to pursue opportunity and achieve long-term success.
Maureen founded EOP’s Workforce Strategies Initiative and has led workforce research at the Aspen Institute since 1999. She also curates Opportunity in America, a public discussion series that brings together leaders from business, labor, policy, human services, media, and academia to address the challenges facing today’s labor markets and explore new solutions.
In addition, Maureen oversees EOP’s leadership development programs, which connect innovators both within communities and across the country to work on improving economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income Americans.
Maureen has authored numerous publications, including research reports, case studies, and policy briefs. She co-edited Connecting People to Work: Workforce Intermediaries and Sector Strategies with Robert P. Giloth, a book that brings together diverse perspectives from philanthropy, policy, research, and practice. A frequent speaker at national and regional conferences, she is widely recognized as an expert in workforce development. Maureen has been quoted in major news outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and National Public Radio, and her writing has appeared in Fast Company, Politico, Quartz, CNN.com, and other prominent publications.
Adria Scharf, PhD, is Associate Director of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at the Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations. She leads research examining how employee ownership affects worker wealth and economic security, directs the Curriculum Library for Employee Ownership at cleo.rutgers.edu, and coordinates numerous projects designed to advance understanding of employee ownership models.
Connect with Maureen and Adria on LinkedIn
Interview questions:
Q1. Maureen: Welcome back to our show. For the third year, the event will be held on April 9th in person on Capitol Hill and April 10th both via Zoom and in person at the Aspen Institute DC headquarters office. Can you tell us about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum and what to expect this year?
Q2. Adria: What is most important about this event? Who will be in attendance?
Q3. Maureen: Tell me more about this year’s forum, “From Workers to Owners”, and how it will highlight how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers.
Q4. Adria: What advances have been made in this sector?
Q5. Maureen: Besides the skills gaps, what are the significant challenges in the labor market?
Q6. Adria and Maureen: Can you share your vision for an equitable workforce?
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
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