Analidia (“Ana”) Blakely is a senior program manager at Jobs for the Future. A member of the Inclusive Regional Economic Development unit, she works to advance cross-sector stakeholder engagement and strategic initiatives that unify economic development, human capital, and community development efforts to close equity gaps and ensure economic mobility.
Ana’s skills and areas of expertise include:
- Fundraising
- Partnership cultivation
- Program development
- Project management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Strategic planning
For nearly a decade, Ana has worked with intermediary organizations. She has served as a senior Education and Talent Development Division manager for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). There, she helped strengthen a partnership with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce (L.A. Area Chamber) to improve the capacity of chambers of commerce to have a measurable impact on education and workforce development outcomes within their regions.
Before joining the ACCE, she worked with the L.A. Area Chamber, coordinating the fundraising and development activities of education and workforce development programs across affiliated organizations, including UNITE-LA, and collective impact activities and workgroup meetings of the L.A. Compact.
Earlier in her career, Ana served as a cultural ambassador with the Ministry of Education of Spain and as a community development project leader with International Student Volunteers in the Dominican Republic.
She believes it takes a collaborative, courageous, and resilient team to curate innovative solutions that improve social mobility and quality of life. Recognizing that the JFF team exhibits these and other important qualities, Ana knew that she wanted to be a part of it.
Ana received a dual bachelor’s degree in international studies and Spanish from California State University, Long Beach, and studied Spanish at the University of Costa Rica.
Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, going on outdoor adventures with her husband and son, practicing yoga, and traveling.