Workforce Development, Higher Education & Economic Policy

Governors are working to expand economic opportunity and advance the nation’s global competitiveness by developing the skilled workforce and economic environment required for individuals, businesses and communities to thrive.

As the chief executive officers of their states, Governors set strategic priorities to align workforce and economic development activities to build a shared vision of societal and economic well-being. The NGA Workforce Development & Economic Policy program supports Governors and their appointees in developing and executing on these priorities.

NGA Workforce Development Technical Assistance Program

NGA provides advisors and other Governor-appointed state workforce system leaders with technical assistance on a broad range of workforce development policy issues through policy memoranda; in-state site visits and presentations, and facilitated connections with subject matter experts. The team also holds biannual convenings and monthly briefings and issues a weekly newsletter.


Workforce Strategic Planning Collaborative

The NGA Center’s joint project with the U.S. Department of Labor supports Governors and their advisors as they develop and implement their federally required four-year strategic plans for workforce development. Technical assistance offerings include an emphasis on implementation of federal investments that passed during the 117th Congress, namely the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act.


NGA Economic Policy Advisors and Economic Policy Technical Assistance

NGA provides Governor-appointed state economic development leaders and advisors with highly responsive and customized best practice research, strategic planning facilitation, timely information from federal partners and subject matter experts, and other support on a broad range of economic policy priorities. This includes an upcoming virtual event series as well as a bi-weekly newsletter.

Meet The Team

  • Portia Pratt, Policy Director, Higher Education
  • Sophia Yager, Policy Director, Workforce Development & Economic Policy
  • Malena Dailey, Senior Policy Analyst
  • Eric Aboodi, Policy Analyst
  • Kyra Gardner, Policy Coordinator

Focus Areas

  • Apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship
  • Sector-focused workforce and economic development strategies
  • Workforce development financing, governance, and innovation
  • Outdoor recreation & economic development  
  • Service-to-career pathways and public sector employment
  • IIJA, CHIPS and IRA implementation Future of work, digital transformation and digital skills
  • Disability inclusive workforce policy

Services Available

  • Strategic planning facilitation and best practice guidance on workforce and economic development topics or initiatives
  • Strategic guidance, feedback and meeting facilitation services for Governor-appointed state workforce development boards
  • Convenings for workforce and economic development advisors and state leaders on emerging issues
  • Regular newsletters for state workforce and economic development leaders
  • Customized research briefs and best practice presentations upon request

Workforce Development Library

Charting a Course for Workforce Pell

Charting a Course for Workforce Pell

From May 5 through May 7, the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices convened the NGA Workforce Pell Implementation Lab at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C ...
NGA Helps States Prepare for Workforce Pell Rollout and Future of Workforce Implementation

NGA Helps States Prepare for Workforce Pell Rollout and Future of Workforce Implementation

Leaders from nearly 40 states collaborate with Department of Education on harnessing new Workforce Pell funding to boost job training Washington, D.C. – The National Governors Association (NGA) this week ...
Governors at Work During National Apprenticeship Week

Governors at Work During National Apprenticeship Week

This week, governors across the country are joining employers, educators and workers to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, running April 26 through May 2, 2026. This weeklong celebration highlights the transformative ...
Opening Doors to Opportunity: How Governors are Supporting Entrepreneurship

Opening Doors to Opportunity: How Governors are Supporting Entrepreneurship

New businesses – including small businesses – are the backbone of the economy. They drive job growth, reduce poverty and strengthen GDP. Yet, the rate of new business formation in ...
Winter 2026 Workforce Development Policy Institute

Winter 2026 Workforce Development Policy Institute

Governors’ workforce policy advisors, state workforce agency leaders, and Governors' workforce board chairs from 39 states and territories convened in Washington, D.C., March 11–12 for the NGA Center for Best ...
AI and the Future of Work Roundtable 

AI and the Future of Work Roundtable 

As part of NGA's Working Group on AI and the Future of Work, Governors' AI and workforce advisors met last week to share best practices and hear from national experts, ...
Workforce Pell: An Overview for Governors

Workforce Pell: An Overview for Governors

Workforce Pell provides Governors a chance to partner closely with their workforce boards, to set clear goals and shape regional talent pipelines, modernize data systems and the capacity to understand ...
Supporting States’ Shift to Skills

Supporting States’ Shift to Skills

NGA and C-BEN Partner to Strengthen Public Talent Infrastructure States and territories across the country are accelerating their transition to skills-based approaches to workforce development, education, and hiring. To support ...
Marketing, Outreach, and Creative Funding for SNAP E&T

Marketing, Outreach, and Creative Funding for SNAP E&T

Last month the SNAP E&T Policy Academy held a webinar to look at marketing, outreach, and creative funding for SNAP E&T programs. (Download Slides) States and territories continue to prioritize ...

Economic Policy Library

Good Jobs, Strong States: How Governors Are Building Opportunity in 2026

Good Jobs, Strong States: How Governors Are Building Opportunity in 2026

Workforce and economic development are at the top of Governors’ agendas in 2026. Governors are making investments to attract and expand businesses in key sectors, increasing education and training opportunities ...
NGA Urges Resolution to Ongoing Federal Shutdown

NGA Urges Resolution to Ongoing Federal Shutdown

(Download) The Honorable John ThuneMajority LeaderUnited States Senate The Honorable Charles SchumerMinority LeaderUnited States Senate The Honorable Mike JohnsonSpeakerUnited States House of Representatives The Honorable Hakeem JeffriesMinority SpeakerUnited States House ...
NGA Statement on Congressional Budget Impasse

NGA Statement on Congressional Budget Impasse

Today, NGA Chair Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Vice Chair Maryland Governor Wes Moore issued the following statement on the Congressional budget impasse: “The consistent use of political brinksmanship when ...
Governors Champion Unity and Excitement Ahead of Hosting World Cup and Olympics

Governors Champion Unity and Excitement Ahead of Hosting World Cup and Olympics

WASHINGTON – Today, National Governors Association (NGA) Chair Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Vice Chair Maryland Governor Wes Moore released the following statement: “As the United States prepares to welcome ...
Healthy People and Healthy Economies

Healthy People and Healthy Economies

Governors are responsible for the well-being of residents in their states and territories, working daily on a host of issues impacting individuals and communities. Within this broad portfolio is ensuring ...
Governors Leading Economic Development

Governors Leading Economic Development

Governors are their states’ chief economic ambassadors, touting the unique advantages their states offer to businesses, and advocating a host of policies – from education to infrastructure to energy to ...
Governors Growing Entrepreneurship

Governors Growing Entrepreneurship

This brief highlights four key opportunities for Governors to advance policy that supports entrepreneurship, along with four state examples that highlight these opportunities in action. (Download) For decades, Governors of ...
Governors Applaud Passage of Bipartisan Water Resources and Economic Development Legislation

Governors Applaud Passage of Bipartisan Water Resources and Economic Development Legislation

WASHINGTON – Today, the National Governors Association’s (NGA) Economic Development and Revitalization Task Force Co-Chairs, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, released the following statement after ...
Maine – Innovative Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Case Study

Maine – Innovative Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Case Study

The below case study was developed through a NGA partnership with Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy to research and assess the Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation ...
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