Consultants

Stacy has spent the past decade critically assessing and identifying best practices in workforce development and translating those findings into actionable guidance for practitioners and their funders. Her most recent role as a Policy Advisor in the NYC Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development included leading the citywide implementation of common metrics across more than 100 workforce programs administered by multiple city agencies.

Earlier, at Public/Private Ventures and later as a consultant, Stacy led data collection and analysis for The Workforce Benchmarking Network, developing deep and meaningful strategic relationships with hundreds of workforce development leaders nationwide. She also managed evaluations of the New York City Sectors Initiative and the New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare. Stacy has authored multiple publications — including Making Data Work for Community-Based Workforce Development Programs Data Update and Nurturing Inquiry and Innovation: Lessons from the Workforce Benchmarking Improvement Collaborative — and contributed to multiple other publications, including Career Pathways: Progress Update and Seeking a Workforce Strategy.

Stacy holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and a Master’s degree in Sociology from Penn State University.

Dana Archer-Rosenthal has more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit, philanthropic and social impact investing sectors, working as part of and in partnership with public, private and nonprofit entities pursuing innovative approaches to complex socioeconomic problems. She is an issue area expert in workforce development, economic development, financial empowerment and social innovation financing, with general expertise in nonprofit management, governance and financial management. As a consultant, she provides program development and evaluation, financial, and operational support, all with the goal of ensuring that organizations have the resources and strategies in place to advance their missions. She started her career in workforce development as a program officer in the Jobs & Economic Security portfolio at Robin Hood, and has since held leadership roles with the Nonprofit Finance Fund, BlocPower and Hot Bread Kitchen.

Alexandria Bellivan is a career development professional experienced working with a variety of populations. Currently, Alexandria works as an Employment Specialist and Program Manager at The Actors Fund assisting performing arts and entertainment professionals to secure multiple streams of meaningful income while they pursue their creative endeavors. Previously, Alexandria worked at a youth development organization, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, providing youth with work readiness coaching and connections to employment.

Between her transition from OBT to The Actors Fund, Alexandria earned a Master's Degree in Nonprofit Management from The New School. Aside from providing Employment Specialist assistance to the performing arts community, she holds private career growth clients from various industries providing them with career accountability coaching, and job search materials assistance.

Andrea Bowen, Principal at Bowen Public Affairs Consulting, is a public affairs consultant with extensive experience in lobbying, policy analysis, and civil rights advocacy.

She began her career as a researcher for the Organizing Department of the Ironworkers Union, where she compiled evidence of workers’ rights violations, and assisted in the planning and execution of labor organizing campaigns.

As a transgender woman, she has taken on the cause of justice for her community, successfully advocating for transgender peoples’ improved access to corrected identity documents, health care coverage, school facilities, and homeless shelters. She was the Executive Director of Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s LGBTQ civil rights organization, where she broadened the organization’s advocacy into economic justice work, and maintained the organization’s financial stability in the wake of the marriage equality victory. Prior to starting Bowen Public Affairs Consulting, she was Senior Policy Analyst at United Neighborhood Houses of New York, where she successfully lobbied for stabilized funding and improved administration of youth employment programs. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors.

Bruce Carmel has over 25 years of experience in workforce development and adult education, and youth development. He has served in leadership and direct service provider roles as chief program officer, program director, fundraiser, staff developer, volunteer coordinator, classroom instructor, fundraiser, and curriculum developer. Dr. Carmel has worked at a wide variety of organizations including The Queens Library, Literacy Partners, and the Adult Literacy Media Alliance. He served as Workforce Professionals Training Institute’s Chief Program Officer prior to starting his consulting practice. Since 2018 he has been a consulting full-time, serving as a subject matter expert for nonprofits and government agencies in New York and beyond. He earned his Bachelor of General Studies degree at the University of Cincinnati, and his Master’s Degree and Ph.D. from New York University.

Change Impact is a consultancy with extensive and specialized experience in education, youth development, and workforce development. Since launching in April 2017, Change Impact has trained over 1,600 educators, raised over $100 million in grants for clients, and designed organizational and program strategies for more than 20 partners ranging from start-up non-profits to school districts to international mission-driven companies. Our team was intentionally built to be diverse and brings a range of professional experiences to our work. Change Impact is a New York State certified minority- and woman-owned business.

Thomas Dieter, MA, Education Consultant, brings close to ten years of experience working in adult education, teacher training, and innovative college readiness and first-year programming. Over the years, Thomas has worked with hundreds of leaders, instructors and workforce professionals across the United States to strengthen their classroom practices and program designs to better serve our nation’s youth. Thomas proudly served as a leading member of LaGuardia Community College’s department of Pre-College Academic Programming from 2012 to 2018, first as an instructional and program leader for CUNY Start and MATH Start and eventually as the director of the College and Career Pathways Institute. As the CCPI Director, Thomas developed and delivered a wide range of professional-development services tailored to the needs of educators, workforce-development professionals and program leaders across the country and within New York City. Today, as a professional developer and education consultant, Thomas continues to lend his expertise to professionals working in the youth development, pre-college, first-year experience and workforce development sectors. He has collaborated and delivered workshops, conference presentations and technical assistance to organizations across the country, including: Workforce Professionals Training Institute and the Department of Youth and Community Development, National College Transition Network, System for Adult Basic Education Support, and Skill Up Network: Pathways Acceleration in Technology and Healthcare. Thomas holds an MA in Rhetoric & Writing Studies from Oregon State University and a BA with Honors in English & Philosophy from Trinity University.

Greg Holley has over 12 years of experience in professional development, organizational capacity building, and training services to local workforce systems, community based organizations and individuals. As founding principal of Greg Holley Consulting, and Training and Projects Consultant with WPTI, he provides comprehensive training and consulting services supported by best practices in effective engagement strategies to assist staff teams in their performance-based goals with populations with multiple barriers to success. Prior to WPTI, he served as Vocational Coordinator for the Jewish Board of Family and Children Services. He has successfully trained over 2,000 individuals in 150 organizations throughout the United States. Greg earned his degree in Business Administration from The Gabelli School of Fordham University.

JobsFirstNYC creates and advances solutions that break down barriers and transforms the systems supporting young adults and their communities in pursuit of economic opportunities.

The Literacy Assistance Center (LAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening and expanding the adult education system, and to advancing adult literacy as a core value in our society and a foundation for equal opportunity and social justice. Since 1983, the LAC has been working to build the capacity and improve the quality of the basic education, high school equivalency, and English language programs that serve New York’s most educationally disadvantaged and economically marginalized adults and out-of-school youth. Our primary services include teacher training, instructional coaching, curriculum development support, data management and data analysis, and leadership support for adult education practitioners in community-based organizations (CBOs), libraries, community colleges, public school systems, and union-based training funds.

Martha Miles (Marty) brings expertise in assisting community-based providers of workforce development services to accomplish better results. She co-manages the national Workforce Benchmarking Network with Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and related partnerships in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Dallas-Ft. Worth. In each of these cities, she uses workshops, peer learning groups and technical assistance to help providers strengthen their use of data to improve performance. She also assists local funders with aligning data reporting processes.

Marty was a Senior Program Director with Public/Private Ventures, where in addition to the Benchmarking Project she also implemented the Sector Strategies Practicum in New York City, a 12-month series of capacity-building sessions to improve providers’ readiness for developing sector-focused partnerships. Before joining P/PV's staff in 2009, she served as lead consultant for P/PV’s Working Ventures initiative, designing practitioner guides, workshops and conferences on a variety of workforce-related topics.

Prior to working with P/PV, for 10 years Marty directed the Training, Inc., National Association, a network of nonprofit workforce development programs operating in seven cities. She was responsible for developing a national data collection system, leading program replication and strengthening affiliates' staff development efforts. Before assuming this role, she was the Executive Director of the Training, Inc., program in Indianapolis, where she focused on developing innovative skills training and building strong employer and community partnerships.

Marty is the author of Good Stories Aren't Enough: Becoming Outcomes Driven in Workforce Development, and co-author of Nurturing Inquiry and Innovation: Lessons from Benchmarking Improvement Projects; Apples to Apples: Making Data Work for Community-Based Workforce Programs; Putting Data to Work: Interim Recommendations from The Benchmarking Project and Using Data for Success: Five Activities for Workforce Managers to Use with Frontline Staff. She was also instrumental in the development of P/PV’s Working with Employers staff training curriculum. Marty holds a B.A. in sociology from Case Western Reserve University and an M.S. in adult education from Indiana University.

The Options Institute is a nationally recognized provider of in-service training for college access advisors. The Options Institute has reached more than 7,000 individuals from hundreds of organizations and schools since 2005. Based in New York City, the Institute was launched in 2005 by Goddard Riverside Community Center’s Options Center, a community-based program with more than 30 years of experience in supporting low-income, first-generation youth to attend college through highly personalized educational and financial counseling.

Belinda Passafaro has served as an educator, program director, advocate, and consultant within the non-profit sector. With over 20 years of experience, she has been committed to the support and development of children, youth and families. She began her professional journey as an ELL teacher in Brooklyn, NY. As an independent consultant, she provides professional development, program development, and technical assistance to youth-serving agencies both nationally and internationally. Belinda is a graduate of Brooklyn College with a Master’s Degree in Bilingual Education, and she also completed Columbia University’s Middle Management Program at the Not-for-Profit Institute. She graduated from Union Theological Seminary with a Masters in Divinity degree in May 2013.

Dan Salemson has provided workforce and youth development consulting to a range of governmental and non-profit organizations since 2010, with a special focus on working with job seekers who have criminal histories. From 2006 until 2010, he served as senior Training & Projects Manager for Workforce Professionals Training Institute, where he developed and delivered training workshops and customized technical assistance on every area of workforce development to thousands of workforce practitioners from hundreds of non-profit, for-profit and government entities in New York City and beyond.

From 2004-2006, Dan served as Director of Workforce Development for the Midtown Community Court, an official branch of the New York State Court System, overseeing the court’s on-site employment preparation program that connected hundreds of formerly incarcerated individuals to employment annually. Prior to entering the workforce development field, he worked as an Academic Technology Specialist for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, helping professors integrate digital tools into their courses, and retains a strong interest in the potential of technology to broaden opportunity and lift people out of poverty. He completed the year-long Public / Private Ventures Workforce Leaders Academy in 2006.

Dan has authored numerous curricula and guides around creating opportunities for job seekers with barriers to employment, including WPTI’s Getting the RAP Down: Employment Strategies for New Yorkers with Criminal Records (2010). His most recent publication profiled a collaborative partnership among private philanthropies, community based organizations and the City University of New York to promote college access, persistence and graduation for young adults who have earned a GED.

Susan Thompson has twenty years in the Adult Literacy field – as teacher, program director, curriculum developer, and mentor to adult literacy professionals. As the Program Director for Turning Point Educational Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Susan promoted an exemplary standard of quality instruction and support services for 350 students each year. She supervised a staff of twenty that offered instruction in all levels of Adult Literacy and ESOL. Following her retirement, Susan has written contextualized curricula for literacy programs, developed lesson templates for workforce programs, and provided professional development and mentoring to young adult literacy instructors. Susan is a graduate of Hollins University, the New School Certificate Program in adult literacy, and a recipient of the 2011 Literacy Recognition Award from the New York City Literacy Assistance Center.

Natalie has spent more than a decade working closely with non-profits, government agencies and schools to create innovative and engaging training programs that are responsive to community needs. As a Social Worker in NYC, she has overseen the delivery of direct services and training to children, parents, caregivers, professionals and concerned community members.

Natalie is a graduate of Columbia University School of Social Work. She has authored a Guide to Social Work Careers, been certified by the NASW HIV/AIDS Spectrum Project and has provided hundreds of hours of training on topics including ethics, diversity and culture, family violence, commercial sexual exploitation, harm reduction, child abuse and neglect and mental health. Natalie welcomes the opportunity to work with organizations to meet their goals, create competent staff members, and serve constituents better.

Youth Communication equips and empowers educators and youth workers with real teen-written stories and a literacy-rich training model to engage struggling youth and build their social and emotional learning skills.

Our stories, developed in a rigorous writing program, are uniquely compelling to youth whose voices are missing from mainstream content. The stories model social and emotional learning, and show teens how to make positive changes in their lives. They also motivate teens to read and write.

Our award-winning curricula and professional development are created around these stories. They turn classrooms and programs into dynamic and encouraging learning environments by helping educators and youth workers become more compassionate and effective at building the skills that teens need to lead successful, meaningful lives.

At Youth Development Institute, we recognize that the principles of Positive Youth Development are not only an effective approach to designing and implementing youth services, but they are the essential components for building strong and resilient organizations. We leverage this knowledge and our expertise around program design, leadership development, and youth participation to help our clients build effective infrastructure, craft intentional and rigorous strategies and develop a culture where excellent youth development practice can take root. We then facilitate the translation of youth development principles into concrete strategies that practitioners can use in their everyday work with youth, staff, and among organizational leaders.

Elaine Morales is a senior-level development consultant with 28 years of experience providing fundraising services to small to medium not-for-profit human service, arts, and education organizations. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in 1990.

She is expert in institutional fundraising, having secured tens of millions of dollars in foundation and government grant awards for her clients. She enjoys serving as an advisor and thought partner to both start-up organizations and established organizations.