Registration

Event Description

At the federal, state and regional level, a historic amount of public funding is being allocated to support climate resilient infrastructure for equitable and sustainable communities. As public agencies collaborate to implement projects, the need for a well-trained, skilled workforce is critical to make the promise of so many green jobs a reality in Southern California. As the Los Angeles County Sustainability Plan makes clear, “just as important as preparing the workforce for transition is prioritizing the education of younger populations in career paths in a green economy, from renewable energy to ecosystem restoration.”

According to the new report, Green Jobs in Los Angeles County: Opportunities for Economic Recovery through Equitable Workforce Training, public-private partnership will be crucial to support “curriculum alignment, job placements, and identifying enabling infrastructure holding the green economy back. This consortium would align well with the implementation of regional planning for California’s workforce development system, leveraging the leadership of the County’s seven Local Workforce Development Boards.” Plans, policies and historic funding at the statewide level are providing additional resources for this work and are reflected in UC Berkeley’s recent report, Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030.

At this upcoming convening, we’ll take a deeper dive into what it will take to make our region’s ambitious green jobs goals a reality in Southern California. We will explore the opportunities, barriers and strategies needed to support an emerging workforce. And, we’ll learn from a set of local stakeholders working on developing a green jobs ecosystem in Southern California, with clear eyed suggestions to funders who want to support a just transition.

This convening is part of a series of quarterly conversations hosted by the Southern California Grantmakers Environmental Funders Group. The convening will continue lifting up themes from previous SCG Environmental Funder Peer Group convenings, including our Climate, Health and Equity in SoCal, Climate Resilience Investments in SoCal, Urban, Green Infrastructure Investments Under a New Administration.

About SCG Environmental Funders Group

The SCG Environmental Funders Group meets quarterly to educate prospective and current environmental funders about environmental challenges and opportunities in Southern California and foster collaboration, and share successes and challenges. Please contact Katy Pelissier at katy@socalgrantmakers.org for more information or visit the group's page on the Southern California Grantmakers' website.

This program is part of SCG's 2021 recurring programs. To register for all upcoming dates, please click the "Register for Recurring Dates" button. This feature is only open to members; please contact us if you are a non-member and wish to register for the series at programsrsvp@socalgrantmakers.org or (213) 680-8866.

Speakers

Aida Cardenas

Aida Cardenas

Deputy Director, California Workforce Development Board, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

Aida was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom on August 15, 2019. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Aida is the daughter of Mexican immigrant service workers. Prior to joining the CWDB, Aida was instrumental in the creation of Building Skills Partnership (BSP), a statewide non-profit with the mission of improving the quality of life of property service workers and their families. She led BSP’s efforts in the development of the CWDB’s model High Road Training Partnership between SEIU-United Service Workers West, the Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los Angeles (BOMA-GLA), and the United States Green Building Council of Los Angeles (USGBC-LA) to form the Green Janitor Education Program (GJEP). Now, Aida is leveraging this expertise to expand the Equity, Climate and Jobs vision and develop a suite of initiatives related to the High Road model in California. Aida has over 20 years of experience coordinating and directing educational, leadership, and organizing initiatives with janitors and other low-wage service workers. Outside of work, Aida loves to spend time with her family and daughter; when she needs to recharge, she heads to the mountains to hike or backpack, where nature calms her mind and spirit.
Black man with a shaved haircut wearing a black suit and red tie

Daniel Ferguson

Director of Workforce Development, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator

Daniel Ferguson serves as the Director of Workforce Development at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). Daniel has over 10 years of workforce development experience in assisting at-risk and unemployed youth and young adults. Prior to coming to LACI, he worked at Job Corps for six years. In his last role at Job Corps as the Director of Operations, he had oversight of KPIs, training, compliance and performance metrics for nine career placement contracts. During his tenure, he was ranked #1 in the nation for contract performance. He is also an Adjunct Professor for the School of Business Management at National University and an LA native who resides in Leimert Park with his wife and two children. Daniel earned his MBA from the Graduate School of Nonprofit Management at American Jewish University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from California State University, Los Angeles. Since joining LACI, he has developed an affinity for clean technology and enjoys assisting LA County residents with securing good-paying green jobs through initiatives such as the Advanced Prototyping Center (APC) Fellowship.
Alison Frazzini

Ali Frazzini SCG Member

Policy Director, LA County Chief Sustainability Office

Ali Frazzini (she/her) is a policy director in the LA County Chief Sustainability Office, where she guides policy research, advises policymaking, and coordinates cross-departmental initiatives related to climate and environmental justice, green economic opportunity, and food systems. She previously served as Director of Take Care New York at the New York City Health Department, where she oversaw community engagement and capacity-building for the city's health equity agenda. Prior to her government service, she worked in the community setting with people experiencing barriers to housing and employment. She received her Masters degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina and her undergraduate degree in Linguistics from Yale University.
Jessica Kaczmarek

Jessica Kaczmarek SCG Member

Initiative Director, The James Irvine Foundation

Jessica Kaczmarek joined The James Irvine Foundation in 2015 as a Senior Program Officer and was named Initiative Director in 2020. Jessica is responsible for leading our Priority Communities initiative work. Since 2015, she led the Foundation’s grantmaking in Riverside, San Bernardino, and the San Joaquin Valley. In addition to these efforts, Jessica worked to develop new initiatives in support of the Foundation’s goal to expand economic and political opportunity for families and young adults working but struggling with poverty.
Jessica brings more than a decade of experience supporting leaders of private, public, and nonprofit agencies as they strive to make strategic decisions about their programs, operations, and resources.
Prior to Irvine, Jessica served as the Director of the Office for Strategic Planning and Integration for First 5 Los Angeles. She has extensive experience in program design in the areas of early childhood development, policy change, systems improvement, and building community capacity to achieve long-term change for disadvantaged communities.
Jessica received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Pomona College and her Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Southern California.
Antonio Sanchez

Antonio Sanchez

Political Director, IBEW Local 11

Roxana Tynan

Roxana Tynan

Executive Director, LAANE

Roxana joined LAANE in 2001 and served as Deputy Director for six years until assuming the position of Executive Director in February 2012.

Roxana has been instrumental in the expansion of LAANE’s work and impact over the past decade. She has also played a leading role in developing LAANE’s community organizing department, mentoring dozens of young organizers and creating one of the region’s most effective organizing and advocacy programs.

Prior to joining LAANE, Roxana served as economic development deputy to L.A. City Councilmember Jackie Goldberg. Roxana began her work life as an organizer for the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. A graduate of Yale, she is bilingual in English and Spanish. She lives with her husband and two children in Mt. Washington.
Carol Zabin

Carol Zabin

Director, Green Economy Program

Carol Zabin (Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley) directs the Labor Center’s Green Economy program. She is a labor economist whose research has addressed low-wage labor markets, labor standards, workforce development, and other economic development and labor issues in the United States. Dr. Zabin has consulted with numerous unions and nonprofits on strategies and policies to improve jobs in human services and the green economy. Her current research focuses on the impact of climate and clean energy policy on California’s economy, workers, and labor unions. Recent publications include Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030, Diversity in California’s Clean Energy Workforce, Advancing Equity in California Climate Policy, and Workforce Issues and Energy Efficiency Programs. Appointed by Governor Brown, Dr. Zabin sits on the executive council of the California Workforce Development Board. Before joining the Labor Center, Dr. Zabin was on the faculty at Tulane University and UCLA.

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