| Plexus Consulting Group | Consultant Biographies | ||
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Kathryn J. Mannes |
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Areas of Expertise Education
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Kathryn Jo Mannes is a national expert in workforce
development and innovative public-private partnerships that produce
labor and human resource solutions. Her experience includes extensive
work in the retail and service sector to develop national certification
and training models for use by industry, education, and government and
community agencies. She is particularly interested in marketing and
promoting projects to encourage collaboration, leverage resources, and
build sustainable alliances.
Kathy conceived and managed the national skill standards project for the retail industry in conjunction with the National Retail Federation and she served as Executive Director of the Sales & Service Voluntary Partnership. Currently, as a consultant and Managing Director of Workforce Development, she oversees workforce projects of the NRF Foundation that include development and oversight of over 20 Retail Skills Centers, the Retail Industry Competency Initiative, development and use of national skill standards and National Professional Certification Customer Service, Sales, and Retail Management, as well as related career advancement and youth education projects. Kathy authored Raising Retail Standards and established an exemplary model for industry-driven standards and training programs based on strong industry support and a network of companies and trade associations. Kathy has served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Labor, National Alliance for Business, the College Board, Public/Private Ventures, the Institute for Educational Leadership, O*NET, Johns Hopkins University, National Institute for Literacy, as well as other trade associations, companies, colleges, and states concerned with workforce development, marketing, and strategic planning. She has contributed to many publications and regularly presents at national conferences on topics related to the Workforce Investment System, retail and related workforce development, learning and career advancement options, and the ways they connect. She serves on the boards of the Workforce Investment Board of Montgomery County, Maryland and the Center for Employment Opportunities in New York City. Prior to 1995, Kathy was employed by Dusco Community Services, Inc., representing an international shopping center developer in projects promoting educational and work reform. These included corporate-driven TRAC academies that integrated academic and work-based learning. She has extensive experience developing educational and training linkages between colleges and industry. As Executive Director of the Council for Adult Education and Learning’s (CAEL) East Coast Center, she directed large “joint venture” projects focused on adult learning and teaming college, tuition assistance, and company support. Kathy holds a master’s degree in education and reading from Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree from Brown University. She began her career teaching English and literacy skills at the secondary and postsecondary levels. |
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