Building a Workforce System That Works for Families with Anthony Barrows

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

Brian Aquart on Building Healthcare Workforce Pipelines and Expanding Economic Opportunity

Brian Aquart [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianaquart?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios]—Vice President of Workforce & Community Education at Northwell Health, [https://www.northwell.edu/] host of the Why I Left podcast [https://whyileft.co/], and founder of Storyline by Kingswood [https://www.kingswoodforestllc.com/storyline-by-kingswood/]—joins Greg Morris [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-j-morris/] for a conversation on leadership, resilience, and building clearer pathways into healthcare careers. From arriving in New York after the 2008 financial crisis and navigating early-career setbacks to leading workforce education initiatives at one of the nation’s largest healthcare systems, Brian reflects on the experiences that shaped his approach to mentorship, storytelling, and opportunity creation. At Northwell, his work focuses on expanding access to healthcare careers through partnerships with NYC Public Schools, FutureReadyNYC, the Northwell School of Health Sciences, and MedVoyage. Greg and Brian explore the role healthcare systems can play as anchor employers, the importance of early career exposure for young people, and how workforce development can create lasting economic mobility for underserved communities. They also discuss career transitions, failure, and why storytelling matters in helping people see where they belong. Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition Topics: workforce development; healthcare careers; economic mobility; public education; leadership; mentorship; storytelling; FutureReadyNYC; Northwell Health; career transitions; New York City