Transcript- Episode 156: Building Resilient Communities: Insights Into The Upcoming Future of Work Conference with Dr. Salvatrice Cummo and Leslie Thompson

Salvatrice Cummo [00:00:00]: When we remove these barriers and we have our systems start speaking to each other a little bit better, we naturally build our communities a little stronger. They become more adaptable and in the long run, more equitable access to the resources and the programming that we have across all agencies, across all systems.  Christina Barsi [00:00:25]: The workforce landscape is rapidly changing, and educators and their institutions need to keep up. Preparing students before they enter the workforce to make our communities and businesses stronger is at the core of getting an education. But we need to understand how to change and adjust so that we can begin to project where things are headed before we even get there. So how do we begin to predict the future?  Salvatrice Cummo [00:00:50]: Hi, I'm Salvatrice Cummo, Vice President of.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:00:53]: Economic and Workforce Development at Pasadena City College and host of this podcast.  Christina Barsi [00:00:59]: And I'm Christina Barsi, producer and co host of this podcast.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:01:03]: And we are starting the conversation about the future of work. We'll explore topics like how education can partner with industry, how to be more equitable, and how to attain one of our highest goals, more internships and PCC Students in the workforce. We at Pasadena City College want to.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:01:20]: Lead the charge in closing the gap.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:01:22]: Between what our students are learning and what the demands of the workforce will be once they enter. This is a conversation that impacts all of us. You, the employers, the policymakers, the educational institutions, and the community as a whole.  Christina Barsi [00:01:37]: We believe change happens when we work together. And it all starts with having a conversation. I'm Christina Barsi.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:01:44]: And I'm Salvatrice Cummo. And this is the Future of Work.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:01:50]: Hi. Welcome back to the Future of Work podcast. I am your host, Dr. Salvatrice Cummo. And today we're. We will actually be flipping the script here at the Future of Work podcast, where I will be interviewed by one of our colleagues here at Pasadena City College, Director of Operations for Economic and Workforce Development, Ms. Leslie Thompson. Leslie, how are you today?  Leslie Thompson [00:02:12]: I'm doing well, thank you. How are you?  Salvatrice Cummo [00:02:14]: Fantastic. It feels a little awkward that I'm not the one asking questions, but hopefully it won't be too hard on me.  Leslie Thompson [00:02:21]: Thank you. It's good to be back on the podcast. And I will go easy on you. I think you know some of these answers. We're talking about the Future of Work conference that is happening at Pasadena City College on Tuesday, October 28th. It's our annual. It's our seventh annual, actually. And this year's topic will be focused on rebuilding and resiliency after the devastating Eaton and Palisades fire in the region.  Leslie Thompson [00:02:45]: So, as you know, in the wake of Recent challenges, from natural disasters to economic disruptions, communities across our region have shown incredible strength. But as we move forward, it's not just about bouncing back. It's about building systems that can withstand future shocks. And it's in that systems building where we're going to focus for our Future of Work conference.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:03:02]: That's right. Naturally, in the first stages of any disaster, post disaster, it's immediate response, it's what does the community need now, what do our residents needs and what are our business needs. And now we're in the phase of what do we need to do and how do we position resources, et cetera, to help rebuild and renew and build back resiliency. Not to say that there isn't resiliency, there certainly is. Our community responded beautifully in the wake of the fires. But now we need to discuss and find solutions around long term rebuilding. What is that going to take? Who needs to be at the table and how do we start braiding our resources, assets and talents to do so?  Leslie Thompson [00:03:50]: I love that you said long term because resiliency is a, the resilience process is a long term game. Right. It's going to take minutes to rebuild. And that's exactly where community colleges like PCC play a vital role. We're not just education providers. PCC and other institutions like this are anchor institutions in our communities. You want to talk a little bit about how PCC has responded?  Salvatrice Cummo [00:04:13]: Sure. You know pcc, we are a natural convener, natural hub for partnerships. I say that because our focuses and our strengths are in the workforce, new talent development, upskilling the existing talent business, advising rapid response partnerships. And PCC is well positioned, has been well positioned to respond. And it kind of begs the question of are we and how do we set the model for other community colleges to respond in natural disasters. I'm providing very light strokes here. Right. But there's so much depth into how our community college responded and there's much more depth into how we are going to position this college and this community for a rebuild.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:05:05]: And I think what we need to focus on and continue to focus on as a community college, but then again also set the path for other community colleges, like a blueprint if you will, on what does it take for us to be great conveners, great talent developers and great at delivering wraparound services.  Leslie Thompson [00:05:25]: When I hear those things, and I hear things like we're natural conveners and our goal is to partner with other institutions, the word that comes to mind is collaboration. That sense of collaboration really kind of shines through in what's coming up next and the Future of Work conference. Maybe you want to talk a little bit about collaboration as it relates to the conference.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:05:44]: You're right, Leslie. You know, community colleges are natural conveners because of the infrastructure that we have. And we could not do the work without a collective group of thought leaders to support in this work. And one of our very important thought leader in building resiliency and rebuild within our community is the county of Los Angeles Department of Economic Opportunity. They have always been a stellar partner to us and I'm really looking forward to forming a regional table with them that allows for a coordinated space for recovery, small business support and workforce solutions. I feel strongly and I believe strongly that between us and the county there's amplified work that we can do. We can extend our bandwidth on the programming and the resources that are available to our community.  Leslie Thompson [00:06:42]: I couldn't agree more. I think it's a huge step forward and truly a model for how education and government can partner to drive long term resilience.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:06:50]: You know, the idea of really breaking down silos, one of the positive things that comes out of a response to a disaster like this is engagement where everyone comes out of their silos and we do this work together and aligning efforts regionally and that means very important things to our community. And our community should demand it as well. Right. We're sharing strategies, we're sharing data, we're sharing outcomes that not only benefit the community at large, but very specifically workers, employers and communities across Los Angeles county, not just in our backyard. When we do this kind of work, yes, it benefits local, but it also accelerates even further into the region.  Leslie Thompson [00:07:37]: Right. Which is so important and why regional partnerships are so important to this work. But the conference will also feature a big announcement that will allow us to have a greater impact. Isn't that right?  Salvatrice Cummo [00:07:46]: That's right. Speaking of regional reach and regional impact, Pasadena City College has been awarded 1.5 million in funds from the California Community College Chancellor's Office to support their initiative around LA Rebuild. And again, this speaks volumes to how community colleges respond to in the wake of such disasters. The Chancellor's office immediately went to work and tried to capture funding for the colleges that were impacted so that we can again accelerate and amplify and extend the programming and the support that our community needs. We will be targeting very specific workforce training, small business support, which is critical to the solution. Thinking back of my conversation with Lizzie Davidson, who is our director of the Women's Business center, and the work that her and dawn who is the director of the Small Business Development Center. The work that they've been doing in response, it's been overwhelmingly beautiful to watch, but also underscores the value in having these various departments that could focus on rebuild and resilience and recovery, not only with our student population, but our residents and our employers and our existing workforce. Going back to the purpose of these funds, it's really about that.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:09:25]: It's really about extending the reach within our training efforts with workforce, our small business support and readiness initiatives that helps us respond faster and stronger when such disruptions occur.  Leslie Thompson [00:09:40]: That's awesome news. We see time and time again how without the funding, without the financial support, it's hard to get initiatives off the ground. So the fact that the Chancellor's office stepped up in a big way and right away super timely and really great news for PCC and other awardees as well. So with this investment and continued regional partnerships, it really feels like LA county is like setting the stage for a more connected and future ready economy, wouldn't you say?  Salvatrice Cummo [00:10:07]: Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, this is a good example or the ideal example of how systems, with our integrated relationships that we have within these systems, start working together. You know, systems are complex, they're not easy. From an outsider's perspective, looking in, one could really say, well, they could easily do xyz, yes, but we're all public serving agencies and with that comes different complexities and systems. And I strongly, really, really strongly believe that we, as body of systems, municipality, county, higher ed, we are working really, really well and removing those barriers within our systems so that we could have lasting impact and lasting solutions. I think the other value when we remove these barriers and we have our systems start speaking to each other a little bit better, is that we naturally build our communities a little stronger. Our communities become stronger, they become more adaptable and in the long run, more equitable access to the resources and the programming that we have across all agencies, across all systems. There is no other way to say it other than that's the way it really needs to be and it should be.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:11:33]: And sometimes responding to disasters such as these helps us take a critical look at the systems and start looking at greater solutions for our communities, but also more importantly, removing those barriers and having greater access.  Leslie Thompson [00:11:49]: Beautifully said. I would also like to point out that as I'm hearing you speak, I'm thinking about. This is our seventh Future of Work conference. Every year we have common themes that keep coming up in one way or another. We've been trying to address systems barriers. We've been trying to create collaboration. We've been trying to build these partnerships every year. It's been kind of a, if not an outright theme, kind of an underlying theme this year because of the need to address the Rebuild initiative and the devastating fires that happened in January, this is a super important initiative, but it's a common theme for the Future of Work conference and for attendees who've been in the past, they can expect us to dig deeper into these important topics and more.  Leslie Thompson [00:12:33]: And for those of you who've never come, we invite you to join us at the Future of work conference on October 28th.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:12:40]: I love how you said that, Leslie, because it's really about having that solution based framework, that mindset, and creating stronger synergetic alignment across our region. Beautifully said, Leslie. I know you and I are both really looking forward to the conference every year. It's really amazing just to see the collaboration, the work, the effort, and every year something great comes out of it. There's always, always a partnership that comes out of it, a solution that transpires. I'm looking forward to this year. Absolutely.  Leslie Thompson [00:13:16]: So am I. I feel like I always learn something, even, you know, being part of planning, you know, throughout the years we lead up to the conference, it happens. And every time I'm there, I'm like, this is awesome. And it doesn't matter how much you plan or what you expect or that you know who the panelists are going to be, you know how the setup is going to be. Once you get those folks in a room and they start talking, there's always something special that happens. And I really look forward to it. Well, thanks for letting us flip the script today, Salvatrice. How did it feel being the interviewee?  Salvatrice Cummo [00:13:42]: Actually felt really great.  Leslie Thompson [00:13:43]: Oh, you're pretty good at it. I told you. You knew all the answers.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:13:48]: Thank you, Leslie.  Leslie Thompson [00:13:49]: Thank you.  Salvatrice Cummo [00:13:52]: Thank you for listening to the Future of Work podcast. Make sure you subscribe on your favorite listening platform so you can easily get new episodes every Tuesday. You can reach out to us by clicking on the website link below in the show Notes to collaborate, partner or just chat about all things Future of Work. We'd love to connect with you. All of us here at the Future of Work and Pasadena City College wish you safety and wellness.