Podcast appearances and mentions of maureen conway

Maureen Conway, executive director of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, recently sat down with two Shared Success grantees that are integrating job quality into their portfolios as investors: Viola Mai, development director at ICA Fund, and Robert Anderson, business navigation director at Colorado Enterprise Fund. As investors, ICA and Colorado Enterprise Fund have both incorporated job quality assessments as part of their lending and investment process. This conversation explores the various tools capital allocators possess to help and incentivize small businesses to create quality jobs for their employees. About Shared Success⁠Shared Success⁠, a project of the Economic Opportunities Program, works with community lenders to integrate job quality programming into their small business support services, demonstrating that improved job quality can support the needs of employees while helping small businesses succeed.About the Economic Opportunities ProgramThe Aspen Institute ⁠Economic Opportunities Program⁠ hosts a variety of discussions to advance strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. To learn about upcoming events and webinars, ⁠join our mailing list⁠ and ⁠follow us on social media⁠.

In this clip, the Aspen Institute's Maureen Conway provides opening remarks on day two of the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/aspen-institutes-maureen-conway-opens-day-two-of-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/ Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneopThe 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.This year's theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/

In addition to their mission of providing financial services and products to people and businesses in low-income communities, many Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) consider themselves more broadly as vehicles for economic development in their communities. Beyond supporting business creation and growth, they support the creation of quality jobs for community members. Maureen Conway, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, recently sat down with executives from two leading CDFIs and Shared Success grantees: Amanda Blondeau, the Chief Strategy Officer of Northern Initiatives (founded in the face of declining resource extraction in Michigan's Upper Peninsula), and Robert Boyle, CEO of Justine PETERSEN (founded to serve the greater St. Louis region). About Shared SuccessShared Success, a project of the Economic Opportunities Program, works with community lenders to integrate job quality programming into their small business support services, demonstrating that improved job quality can support the needs of employees while helping small businesses succeed.About the Economic Opportunities ProgramThe Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program hosts a variety of discussions to advance strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. To learn about upcoming events and webinars, join our mailing list and follow us on social media.

Maureen Conway, Executive Director of the Economic Opportunities Program, recently sat down with two Shared Success grantees—Jataune Hall, Director of Special Projects and Partnerships at Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon, and Lamont Jackson, Director of Technical Assistance, Black Business Investment Fund—to learn more about the challenges of and opportunities for small business childcare providers. The critical service childcare businesses supports the entire family, community, and workforce. Low job quality in the childcare industry has negative impacts on the childcare workforce, which is overwhelmingly female and disproportionately women of color, on childcare businesses, which struggle with turnover and staff training costs, and on the availability and quality of care in a given community. In the absence of a national policy, Shared Success grantees like MESO in Oregon and BBIF in Florida are leading the way.About Shared Success⁠Shared Success⁠, a project of the Economic Opportunities Program, works with community lenders to integrate job quality programming into their small business support services, demonstrating that improved job quality can support the needs of employees while helping small businesses succeed.About the Economic Opportunities ProgramThe Aspen Institute ⁠Economic Opportunities Program⁠ hosts a variety of discussions to advance strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. To learn about upcoming events and webinars, ⁠join our mailing list⁠ and ⁠follow us on social media⁠.

The US faces a national crisis of homelessness and housing affordability like few other times in our history. Increasing rents and housing shortages have had devastating effects on nearly every major metropolitan area in the US and many rural communities as well. This crisis has affected everyone including children, seniors, military veterans, people with disabilities, and people working full-time. In his new book, “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America,” journalist Brian Goldstone exposes how the decline of work and pay in the US has left many full-time workers homeless. People who clock in at hospitals, drive for delivery apps, and care for others cannot afford stable housing as increases in rent continue to outpace wage growth.Goldstone follows five families in Atlanta as they navigate the impossible demands of low wages, skyrocketing rents, and an inadequate social safety net. Through his reporting, Goldstone lived alongside families in extended-stay motels, witnessing the cycles of eviction and rejection, and capturing the resilience of those caught in a system designed to exclude them and in one that often doesn't count them in official statistics. “There Is No Place for Us” not only brings these unseen lives into focus but also forces us to confront a pressing question: If hard work is no longer enough to keep a roof over one's head, what does that say about the promise of economic opportunity in the US?This virtual book talk — hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on April 30, 2025 — features Goldstone in conversation with moderator Maureen Conway, a vice president at the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Institute's Economic Opportunities Program. Topicsinclude:00:00:00 – Opening and Introductions00:06:05 – Why Brian Goldstone Wrote “Working and Homeless”00:09:50 – Celeste's Story: How a Working Single Mom Lost Everything00:18:10 – The True Scale of the Homelessness Crisis00:22:05 – Mental Health, Addition, and Homelessness: Narratives and Misconceptions00:26:59 – The Cause of Homelessness Is a Lack of Affordable Housing00:29:26 – Why Homelessness Disproportionately Affects Single Moms in the US00:34:05 – Housing First: Concept, Limitations, and Alternatives00:38:20 – The “Churn” of Homelessness and Approaches to Prevention00:40:45 – The “Hotel Trap”: Extended-Stay Hotels and Private Equity's Role00:47:44 – Definitions & Data: HUD vs. Department of Education00:49:30 – Homelessness and Job Quality: Work, Wages, Scheduling, and Child Care00:54:02 – “How did this happen?”00:55:44 – Social Housing: A Solution at Scale00:56:45 – Next Steps and Call to Action00:59:30 – Closing Remarks and Upcoming EventsFor more information, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/working-and-homeless-in-america-a-book-talk-with-brian-goldstone/ For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to EOP's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AspenEOPOr subscribe to our podcast to listen on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneopJoin us on Zoom on Thursday, June 5, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time, for our next virtual book talk, “Marketcrafters: The 100-Year Struggle To Shape the American Economy,” with author Chris Hughes: https://aspeninstitute.zoom.us/webinar/register/3617461256930/WN_OKU0ubWLTtqF5FhHu9trjA 

In this clip, the Aspen Institute's Maureen Conway and Rutgers University's Joseph Blasi give opening remarks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. For a transcript and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/maureen-conway-and-joseph-blasi-give-opening-remarks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/ Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneopThe 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum took place on April 9-10, 2025, virtually and in Washington DC. The Forum is proudly co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University.This year's theme, “From Workers to Owners,” highlights how the experience of ownership changes the reality of work for workers. The forum highlights companies in a range of business sectors and explores how employee ownership fits their business strategy and approach to business leadership. We also discuss the particular role employee ownership can play in supporting business success, and we consider the role institutional investors can play in improving capital access for employee ownership conversions and expansions.For more information about the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, including our speakers, agenda, and additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2025/

People in the US spend more than 10% of their disposable income on food each year. About a trillion dollars of this spending goes toward purchasing food to eat at home, much of it spent at grocery stores and supermarkets. Yet, very few people understand or know about how food makes it to this last step of the food supply chain and ends up on the shelves of their local store.  In this book talk, Benjamin Lorr, author of “The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket,” traces the history and evolution of the modern-day supermarket, exposes the grocery supply chain, and reveals the often exploited and underpaid labor that goes into making sure shelves are stocked. Speaking with Food & Society Director Corby Kummer, Lorr paints a vivid picture of how agricultural and meat processing workers, fisherman, truck drivers, and grocery store workers, among others, often endure poverty and sometimes worse as they work to feed our country. Maureen Conway, vice president at the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Economic Opportunities Program, provides opening remarks. This conversation took place on June 21, 2024. It is the third and final event in our series, “The Hands that Feed Us: Job Quality Challenges in the US Food Supply Chain,” in which we explore the challenges food workers face and opportunities to create a sustainable food system where workers, businesses, and consumers can thrive together. For more information, including speaker bios and additional resources, visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/the-workers-behind-our-groceries-a-book-talk-with-benjamin-lorr/ For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to EOP's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AspenEOP Or subscribe to the “Opportunity in America” podcast to listen on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneop

The myth that hard work pays off in the US, and always leads to a better and more economically prosperous life, has come unraveled in recent years. Many jobs simply do not pay enough for workers to meet their basic needs, much less do things such as save for retirement, fund their kids' education, or allow for leisure. In her first book, “The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America's Next Economy,” Natalie Foster asks us to imagine a new economic framework that casts aside the failures of the trickle-down approach to embrace one that builds economic security and well-being from the bottom up. Foster — co-founder of the Economic Security Project, a leading voice for guaranteed income, and senior fellow at the Aspen Institute's Future of Work Initiative — explores a bold vision in which housing, health care, higher education, dignified work, family care, and an opportunity to build generational wealth are guaranteed for all by our government. Through real-life experiences, collaborations with prominent activists and thinkers, compelling narratives, and analysis, Foster forces us to dream big and ask tough questions about why we provide so many government-backed guarantees and supports to the private sector, but very little to the people.  In this book talk — hosted May 15, 2024, by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program — Foster discusses what a New Deal could look like for the 21st Century. Dr. Manuel Pastor, distinguished professor of sociology and American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California, provides opening remarks. Maureen Conway, vice president at the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Economic Opportunities Program, moderates the discussion. For more information about this event, including speaker bios and additional resources, visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/the-guarantee-inside-the-fight-for-americas-next-economy/ To order “The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America's Next Economy,” visit: https://nataliefoster.me/the-guarantee/ For more clips and content from the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop/ Or tune in to our podcast and listen on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneop/  And join us at an upcoming event! June 21 — The Workers Behind Our Groceries: A Book Talk with Benjamin Lorr July 24 — Tapping into Worker Voice to Improve Job Quality: Lessons from the Talent Pipeline Management Network Sept 4 — Seizing the Moment on Worker Rights: A Toolkit for Organizers and Practitioners

In this clip, Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield and Vice President Maureen Conway (who also serves as executive director of the Institute's Economic Opportunities Program) provide opening remarks at the 2024 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. The Employee Ownership Ideas Forum is hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. Our 2024 Forum, “Employee Ownership on the Ground,” brought innovative employee share ownership initiatives and speakers from around the country to Washington DC to highlight how this bipartisan approach to improving jobs, wealth creation, and business performance is helping create more equitable economies in states, cities, and rural communities. For clips and highlights from the Forum, subscribe to the Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop/ And tune in to our podcast to listen to full discussions on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneop For more from the Forum — including videos, photos, audio, transcripts, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2024/

Bret Keisling is joined by Maureen Conway, Aspen Institute Vice President and Executive Director of the Economic Opportunities Program, and Adria Scharf, Associate Director of the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, who discuss their takeaways and reflections on the recent Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. The Employee Ownership Ideas Forum was presented by the Aspen Institute Economics Opportunities Program and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing on April 9-10, 2024, in Washington D.C. Further details and links are in our show notes on our website at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/277-maureen-conway-and-adria-scharf-on-the-eo-ideas-forum

From October 2023: Bret Keisling was joined by Maureen Conway, vice president of the Aspen Institute and executive director of its Economic Opportunities Program [www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/econ…ties-program/], for a deep dive on employee ownership, quality jobs, and the critical interplay between job opportunities and strong communities, young people and the workforce. Maureen shared the Aspen Institute's background and focus and an overview on the first annual EO Ideas Forum, co-sponsored by the Rutgers SMLR Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. Held in the summer of 2023, Bret called it the most powerful program on employee ownership he's seen in fifteen years in the field. Show notes and links to the topics mentioned in the podcast are available on our website at www.EsOpPodcast.com.

Bret Keisling kicks off Season 7 with a great conversation with Maureen Conway, vice president of the Aspen Institute and executive director of its Economic Opportunities Program [https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/economic-opportunities-program/], for a deep dive on employee ownership, quality jobs, and the critical interplay between job opportunities and strong communities, young people and the workforce. Maureen shares the Aspen Institute's background and focus and gives an overview on the first annual EO Ideas Forum, co-sponsored by the Rutgers SMLR Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. Held in the summer of 2023, Bret called it the most powerful program on employee ownership he's seen in fifteen years in the field. Show notes and links to the topics mentioned in the podcast are available on our website at www.EsOpPodcast.com.

Today, as a complement to our regular event series, we're pleased to present a special conversation between our executive director, Maureen Conway, and Michael Lastoria, founder and CEO of the pizza chain &pizza. The core of our work here at the Aspen Institute rests on increasing the number of good jobs in our economy, and Michael has been a leader and an innovator in this space for many years. In this conversation — which took place in March of this year — we learn how the desire to create good jobs inspired Michael to launch &pizza in the first place; we discuss how better jobs lead to better business outcomes; we uncover the strategic value of soliciting feedback from employees; we outline the problems with treating labor as a commodity; we discuss how new technologies can enhance workers' experiences on the job, rather than simply attempting to replace them; and we identify the role of government action in serving to raise the bar across industries. For a summary of the conversation, as well as additional resources and takeaways, check out this blog post on our website: Job Quality as the Cornerstone: A Conversation with &pizza's Michael Lastoria. And visit us on YouTube to enjoy these highlights from the discussion: &pizza: A Model of Unity, Fair Wages, and Social Impact Fostering Resilience and Authenticity: &pizza's Employee-Centric Success Empowering Worker Voices Predictable and Stable Scheduling Empowering Workers Through Automation and Enhancing Customer Experience Wages and the Role of Government Finally, to learn about ways you can increase the availability of good jobs in your organization, we invite you to explore the many resources on our website, including our Job Quality Tools Library, our Job Quality Center of Excellence, and our Statement on Good Jobs, to which Michael is one of over 200 signatories. We encourage you to read and consider signing on behalf of your organization, as well.

Bret Keisling celebrates the first annual Employee Ownership Ideas Forum held this week in Washington D.C. and virtually. Co-sponsored by the Aspen Institute and the Rutgers SMLR Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, the goal was to bring together policy makers, practitioners, experts, the media, and representatives from employee-owned companies for a robust discussion on how we can all grow employee ownership for the shared benefit of American workers and businesses, as well as the communities and states that the businesses are located in. Maureen Conway of the Aspen Institute and Joseph Blasi of the Rutgers Institute were active throughout the forum, and both did an amazing job, and we say thanks and congratulations to them and all of the panelists, presenters, moderators, and attendees who made the EO Ideas Forum a tremendous success. A link to the EO Ideas Forum website along with a full transcript of this episode are available on our website at https://www.theesoppodcast.com/post/mini-cast-233-first-annual-employment-ownership-ideas-forum

The US is often described as a nation of immigrants, and immigrant workers have played a critical role in building the country and our economy. While countless immigrant workers have found the US to be the land of opportunity and achieved the American dream through hard work, countless others have not had their hard work and labor rewarded, but instead have been subject to exploitation and abuse. This is as true for immigrant workers today as it was centuries ago. What do the experiences of immigrant workers today tell us about the nature of work and opportunity? What do the ongoing challenges of immigrant workers say about our economic and social divides? If we continue to have lower standards for the treatment of immigrant workers, can we ever realize our American ideals about work and opportunity? In his new book, “The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America,” Saket Soni deals with these weighty questions by telling a gripping tale — a story of love, dreams, betrayal, greed, courage, redemption, and hope. And ultimately a story about learning to see across our society's divides of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and geography — to find our common humanity. This event features a discussion with Saket, co-founder and executive director of Resilience Force — and an Aspen Institute Job Quality Fellow — moderated by Maureen Conway, vice president at the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Institute's Economic Opportunities Program. For more information about this event — including speaker bios, video, audio, transcript, and additional resources — visit as.pn/greatescape or https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/the-great-escape-a-true-story-of-forced-labor-and-immigrant-dreams-in-america-a-book-talk-with-saket-soni/

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, I'm joined by Maureen Conway, Aspen Institute VP and Executive Director of the Institute's Economic Opportunities Program to discuss what makes a job a good job. The Aspen Institute's Economic Opportunities Program is focused on policies, strategies, and ideas that help people across the county build better livelihoods and better lives. One of the primary areas it focuses on is how do people do that in the context of the labor market and getting good jobs. So, what makes a job a good job? Conway says there are three pillars to the framework. "A good job should provide basic wages and benefits, giving you a stable standard of living. They should also provide opportunity to grow – so opportunity to learn new skills, opportunity to advance, opportunity to build wealth – this idea of opportunity for more, should you choose to pursue it," says explains. The third pillar is a sense of equity, dignity, and respect. This means building a "workplace in which your access to the job, or your access to advancement, is not contingent on your race, your gender, your orientation, your ability status, your religion, any of those kinds of things. And that you know are respected in your workplace and that means that your ideas and are listened to taken into account," Conway continues. She says that these three pillars have been been at the heart of what workers have described as a good job for decades, and they also have been echoed by businesses themselves. But, how close are we to achieving that ideal of a workforce made up of good jobs? "The reality is a little bit far from the aspiration. Gallup did a survey of working people and found that only 44% of people said that they had a good job based on the things that were important to them. We know that too many jobs really don't provide that basic wages and benefits that do provide that stable livelihood," Conway says. She cites Brookings Institution research that found that 53 million working adults were in jobs with low hourly wages. "This is a not insignificant number of people. It was about a third of the workforce in these jobs." So what are the contributing factors for this state of the workforce? "We know that the economy has changed, technology has changed, the mix between production and service has changed. We have fewer unions. The ways that labor market is regulated has changed. There's lots of things that have been pushing and you can pick whichever one you want. "And in some ways I feel like it does matter in terms of understanding where we've been to help us understand where we need to go. But it also is not that productive to try to just pick a villain, because I think really we need everybody kind of figuring out what's their role to getting towards this shared aspiration of people being able to be productively employed in good jobs," she concludes. So how do we get there? Listen to Conway's thoughts on that question in the podcast. You can listen here or download it wherever you get your podcasts. Episode 256: Maureen Conway, Aspen Institute VP and Executive Director of the Institute's Economic Opportunities ProgramHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlExecutive Producers: Joan Lynch and Melissa PanzerTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4.0Download the transcript for this podcast here.You can check out all the other podcasts at this link: Work in Progress podcasts

In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, I'm joined by Maureen Conway, Aspen Institute VP and Executive Director of the Institute's Economic Opportunities Program to discuss what makes a job a good job. The Aspen Institute's Economic Opportunities Program is focused on policies, strategies, and ideas that help people across the county build better livelihoods and better lives. One of the primary areas it focuses on is how do people do that in the context of the labor market and getting good jobs. So, what makes a job a good job? Conway says there are three pillars to the framework. "A good job should provide basic wages and benefits, giving you a stable standard of living. They should also provide opportunity to grow – so opportunity to learn new skills, opportunity to advance, opportunity to build wealth – this idea of opportunity for more, should you choose to pursue it," says explains. The third pillar is a sense of equity, dignity, and respect. This means building a "workplace in which your access to the job, or your access to advancement, is not contingent on your race, your gender, your orientation, your ability status, your religion, any of those kinds of things. And that you know are respected in your workplace and that means that your ideas and are listened to taken into account," Conway continues. She says that these three pillars have been been at the heart of what workers have described as a good job for decades, and they also have been echoed by businesses themselves. But, how close are we to achieving that ideal of a workforce made up of good jobs? "The reality is a little bit far from the aspiration. Gallup did a survey of working people and found that only 44% of people said that they had a good job based on the things that were important to them. We know that too many jobs really don't provide that basic wages and benefits that do provide that stable livelihood," Conway says. She cites Brookings Institution research that found that 53 million working adults were in jobs with low hourly wages. "This is a not insignificant number of people. It was about a third of the workforce in these jobs." So what are the contributing factors for this state of the workforce? "We know that the economy has changed, technology has changed, the mix between production and service has changed. We have fewer unions. The ways that labor market is regulated has changed. There's lots of things that have been pushing and you can pick whichever one you want. "And in some ways I feel like it does matter in terms of understanding where we've been to help us understand where we need to go. But it also is not that productive to try to just pick a villain, because I think really we need everybody kind of figuring out what's their role to getting towards this shared aspiration of people being able to be productively employed in good jobs," she concludes. So how do we get there? Listen to Conway's thoughts on that question in the podcast. You can listen here or download it wherever you get your podcasts. Episode 256: Maureen Conway, Aspen Institute VP and Executive Director of the Institute's Economic Opportunities ProgramHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlExecutive Producers: Joan Lynch and Melissa PanzerTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4.0Download the transcript for this podcast here.You can check out all the other podcasts at this link: Work in Progress podcasts

The All In: Student Pathways Forward season two launches with an introductory episode featuring a conversation with Maureen Conway, the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute's Economic Opportunities Program. This season will continue to elevate Oregon community college student voices to shape inclusive policies, practice and partnerships, but shifts the discussion to job quality and equity from season one's focus on student basic needs insecurity. Job quality was a common issue raised by community college students during the first season, and a key  motivator for students in returning to college and pursuing postsecondary credentials. Maureen sets the stage for this season by offering an expansive definition of job quality that is guided by workers and shares more information on the Aspen Institute's Job Quality Tool Library. She discusses the connections between basic needs insecurity and the lack of quality jobs for students while sharing opportunities community colleges and workforce development agencies have to influence job quality with their employer partners. The All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon's participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network. It can also be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast sites. 

In this episode, Maureen Conway interviews Rick Plympton, CEO of Optimax and one of the Aspen Institute's Job Quality Fellows.

The growth of American institutions like public education and organized labor has been stunted by racial hostility. Eduardo Porter, author of American Poison, explains how racial animus has blocked social cohesion throughout history. With the coronavirus pandemic, this stunted growth is partly to blame for why the United States has dealt with the crisis so poorly. While millions become infected and tens of millions lose their jobs, the components of country’s social safety net — health insurance, unemployment insurance, a lack of mandatory sick leave and childcare — are inadequate, says Porter. The virus has also impacted poor, low-income, and people of color disproportionately. Porter speaks with Maureen Conway, executive director of the Economic Opportunities Program at the Aspen Institute. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

The Aspen Institute's Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) explores the issues that drive labor market experiences of opportunity youth and other low- and moderate-income people in the U.S. Through their research on practice, leadership development and public communication activities, EOP engages diverse audiences to consider issues related to job stability and mobility and to learn about promising approaches to help people get and keep good jobs. Maureen Conway shares current research about opportunity youth and how the changing structure of work affects the types of strategies that help young adults make economic progress. Where does San Diego lead the way and how can we work even more effectively to meet our “cut the rate and halve the gap” goals? Series: "Career Channel" [Business] [Show ID: 33611]

The Aspen Institute's Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) explores the issues that drive labor market experiences of opportunity youth and other low- and moderate-income people in the U.S. Through their research on practice, leadership development and public communication activities, EOP engages diverse audiences to consider issues related to job stability and mobility and to learn about promising approaches to help people get and keep good jobs. Maureen Conway shares current research about opportunity youth and how the changing structure of work affects the types of strategies that help young adults make economic progress. Where does San Diego lead the way and how can we work even more effectively to meet our “cut the rate and halve the gap” goals? Series: "Career Channel" [Business] [Show ID: 33611]

The Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) explores the issues that drive labor market experiences of opportunity youth and other low- and moderate-income people in the U.S. Through their research on practice, leadership development and public communication activities, EOP engages diverse audiences to consider issues related to job stability and mobility and to learn about promising approaches to help people get and keep good jobs. Maureen Conway shares current research about opportunity youth and how the changing structure of work affects the types of strategies that help young adults make economic progress. Where does San Diego lead the way and how can we work even more effectively to meet our “cut the rate and halve the gap” goals? Series: "Career Channel" [Business] [Show ID: 33611]

The Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) explores the issues that drive labor market experiences of opportunity youth and other low- and moderate-income people in the U.S. Through their research on practice, leadership development and public communication activities, EOP engages diverse audiences to consider issues related to job stability and mobility and to learn about promising approaches to help people get and keep good jobs. Maureen Conway shares current research about opportunity youth and how the changing structure of work affects the types of strategies that help young adults make economic progress. Where does San Diego lead the way and how can we work even more effectively to meet our “cut the rate and halve the gap” goals? Series: "Career Channel" [Business] [Show ID: 33611]

In this episode of the WorkLife podcast we speak to two wonderful women about their work, Heather Boushey's new book and what it will take to make sure working parents get the services and attention in policy making they so desperately need. Maureen Conway is a Vice President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Institute's Economic Opportunities Program (EOP). Heather Boushey is Heather Boushey is Executive Director and Chief Economist at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, her new book is entitled: Finding Time: The Economics of Work-Life Conflict.

This episode features an interview with Maureen Conway, Vice President at The Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Institute's Economic Opportunities Program, as she discusses lessons learned from a recent survey about connecting youth to employment. Discover surprising insights and takeaways about how to locate and create economic opportunities for youth. You’ll learn what youth identified as the most important elements when it comes to employment, as well as future questions that still need to be answered.      

How can sector-based workforce development strategies address the needs of both employers and job seekers? Maureen Conway of the Aspen Institute and Fred Dedrick of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions discuss a recent book on the topic in an Economic Development podcast.

Maureen Conway of the Aspen Institute discusses the results of the Institute's Courses to Employment project, which analyzed how community colleges and nonprofits worked together to help low-income adults succeed in the classroom and labor market.