The NYC Workforce Drop with NYCETC’s Gregory J. Morris

Angie Kamath on Mid-Career Mobility, Career-Connected Education, and Economic Opportunity

Greg [https://nycetc.org/team/gregory-j-morris/] sits down with Angie Kamath [https://www.sps.nyu.edu/about/nyu-sps-angie-kamath.html], Dean of the NYU School of Professional Studies [https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.linkedin.com_school_nyu-2Dschool-2Dof-2Dprofessional-2Dstudies_&d=DwMFaQ&c=slrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ&r=OaKW1Qv_XhVV_aBFr5GoeQ&m=nnuAlIgeqFhqsyucBLOafSahWNzHlLmgAIzD5hAUZMYCkR_5bcGoujN6qn5m2Chh&s=Iz5Od-HFPnID5kwchPG5d85hxymrUjBxAbIgGRhZ8Ag&e=], for a conversation about career pivots, higher education, workforce systems, and what it really means to keep growing in a changing economy. Angie brings a career path that spans the private sector, nonprofit leadership, New York City government, CUNY, and NYU, and with it, a deeply practical view of how people move through work, get stuck, start over, and find new momentum. She reflects on her early days in banking, her first workforce role at StreetWise Partners, her time leading Per Scholas New York, and her years at the Department of Small Business Services during moments of crisis and recovery for the city. At the center of the conversation is Sidetracked: The Hidden Crisis in Mid-Career Professional Economic Mobility [https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6197797102be715f55c0e0a1/t/6a188d7fca504d1b103d1a66/1779993983643/Sidetracked_04072026_v2May.pdf], a new report from NYU SPS and the Burning Glass Institute examining why so many mid-career workers experience career stall.  and why that stall is a structural problem, not a personal failure. Angie and Greg unpack what the report reveals about wage growth, title progression, skills, job changes, and the interventions that can help workers keep moving forward. They also discuss the role of higher education in an era of rising costs and shifting expectations, the importance of short-term and targeted training, the value of first jobs, the danger of tracking young people too early, and why lifelong learning has to become a normal part of working life. Along the way, they talk City Bikes, marathons, public speaking, social media, leadership, AI, career navigation, immigrant-family expectations, the Knicks, and the simple reminder that if you feel stuck, you are not alone. Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition Topics: workforce development; economic mobility; NYU School of Professional Studies; Burning Glass Institute; Sidetracked report; mid-career workers; career stall; higher education; career pathways; lifelong learning; upskilling; reskilling; public administration; AI; leadership; job mobility

Ayesha George on Workforce Pathways, Equity, and Scaling Opportunity in New York City

Greg sits down with Ayesha George [https://strive.org/ayesha-george-1], Executive Director of STRIVE New York [https://strive.org/], [https://strive.org/] for a conversation about leadership, second chances, career pathways, and the deeply human work of helping New Yorkers move toward economic mobility. Ayesha shares how her journey began in Michigan, where athletics opened a door to college and helped shape the discipline, competitiveness, and resilience that continue to guide her work today. She reflects on the throughline of her professional life: connecting people to opportunity, helping families and communities navigate systems, and making sure individuals have the support they need to keep moving forward. The conversation explores STRIVE’s approach to workforce development, including career readiness, occupational credentials, job placement, wellness supports, and lifetime support for graduates. Greg and Ayesha also discuss STRIVE’s work with New Yorkers facing significant barriers to employment, including justice-impacted individuals, young adults, underemployed workers, and people reentering the workforce after long periods away. Ayesha highlights the importance of employer partnerships, especially in healthcare, construction, and maintenance, and talks about STRIVE’s expanding work in Brooklyn . Along the way, they talk basketball, pandemic-era lessons, nonprofit leadership, government funding, unions, wage equity, and why workforce development must be treated as a core part of New York City’s economic future. Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition Topics: workforce development; economic mobility; STRIVE; STRIVE New York; reentry; justice-impacted individuals; career readiness; job training; occupational training; wraparound supports

Miquela Craytor on Industrial Policy, Green Jobs, and Economic Mobility

Greg sits down with Miquela Craytor [https://www.linkedin.com/in/miquela-craytor-98767a12/], Senior Advisor (former interim Executive Director, Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC), founder of Craytor Strategies, for a conversation about planning, power, environmental justice, industrial policy, and what it takes to build real economic opportunity in New York City. Miquela reflects on her path from Oregon to New York, from waiting tables and working as a corporate paralegal to becoming a planner, advocate, and economic development leader. She shares lessons from her time at Sustainable South Bronx, NYCEDC, NYC Small Business Services, and her current work supporting climate and industrial-sector clients through Craytor Strategies. Her work has included environmental justice, the South Bronx Greenway, industrial policy, advanced manufacturing, workforce strategy, stakeholder engagement, and helping legacy businesses connect to emerging opportunities in offshore wind, building electrification, and the green economy. Greg and Miquela also dig into the complicated work of community engagement: how good ideas can fail when communities are not heard, why trust and truth-telling matter, and how development projects can better connect infrastructure investment to local jobs. Along the way, they talk about the Bronx, Brooklyn’s working waterfront, green jobs, worker cooperatives, housing, manufacturing, climate resilience, developers, public-sector decision-making, and why environmental justice and economic justice must be understood as deeply connected. Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition Topics: workforce development; economic development; environmental justice; economic justice; green jobs; climate jobs; industrial policy; manufacturing; offshore wind; building electrification; South Bronx; Brooklyn waterfront; community engagement; urban planning; worker cooperatives; New York City; infrastructure; inclusive growth; small business; Craytor Strategies

Andrew Rigie on NYC’s Hospitality Economy: Jobs, Policy, and What It Takes to Operate

Andrew Rigie [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrigie/], Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance [https://thenycalliance.org/], joins Greg Morris [https://nycetc.org/team/gregory-j-morris/] for a conversation about restaurants, nightlife, small business survival, and what really happens behind the scenes in one of New York City’s most beloved industries. From hard-to-get reservations to rising labor costs, health inspections, outdoor dining rules, liquor licenses, and the future of nightlife, Andrew breaks down the pressures facing the city’s restaurants and bars, and why the hospitality industry remains such a powerful engine for jobs, culture, and community. Greg and Andrew also dig into what makes hospitality work so special: the people. Andrew reflects on growing up in his family’s bakery, learning the rhythm and rigor of restaurant work, and why everyone might benefit from spending some time in a kitchen or dining room. Along the way, they talk robots, regulation, workforce training, community boards, 4 a.m. licenses, minimum wage debates, and why New York’s small businesses need policies that help them thrive. Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition Topics: hospitality; restaurants; nightlife; small business; workforce development; New York City; economic development; labor costs; regulation; community boards; outdoor dining; liquor licenses; minimum wage; restaurant jobs; small business advocacy

Building a Workforce System That Works for Families with Anthony Barrows

Anthony Barrows [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonybarrows/], Executive Director of ⁠Lift New York⁠ [https://whywelift.org/]and longtime advocate for economic justice and systems reform, joins ⁠Greg Morris [https://nycetc.org/team/gregory-j-morris/]⁠ for a conversation about poverty, public systems, and the role community plays in helping families thrive. Drawing on his own experiences growing up in public housing in Boston, navigating foster care, and relying on social support systems as a young person, Anthony reflects on how these experiences have shaped his work and worldview. Now leading Lift New York, he focuses on helping families build economic mobility through coaching, direct cash support, and community-centered approaches rooted in what Lift calls “Hope, Money, and Love.” Greg and Anthony discuss the realities of chronic scarcity, the importance of lived experience in shaping policy, and why dignity and trust must be central to anti-poverty work. They also explore the long-term impacts of welfare reform, lessons learned during the pandemic, the challenges facing immigrant and working families in New York City, and what meaningful systems change could look like under a new administration focused on economic justice. Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition Topics: economic justice; poverty; foster care; public benefits; workforce development; family support; behavioral science; lived experience; economic mobility; community building; social policy; New York City