Genna Petrolla is a senior program manager in JFF’s Work unit.
Her skills and areas of expertise include:
- Community and economic development
- Stakeholder engagement
- Strategic planning
- Community and education asset mapping
- Business and industry partnerships and outreach
Before joining JFF, Genna worked as a consultant with Thomas P. Miller & Associates, an economic and workforce development consulting firm based in Indianapolis. In that role, she worked on projects centered on training asset mapping, sector partnerships, technical assistance for government funding applications, career pathways development, Opportunity Zone development strategies, housing affordability analysis, and certificate and credential assessments. The clients she worked with included the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining’s America Makes program, the Ohio Manufacturers Association, the Oklahoma Manufacturers Association, the South Central (Ohio) Workforce Partnership, Opportunity Appalachia, and the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance.
Earlier in her career, Genna was an economic development program manager for the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments in Youngstown, Ohio, where she worked with local governments and other stakeholders to develop the region’s comprehensive economic development strategy.
Genna serves on the board of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley and supports the foundation’s Healthy Community Partnership initiative.
Genna says that JFF’s commitment to equity, inclusivity, and barrier-informed strategies to education and workforce development have resonated with her ever since she saw JFF Associate Vice President Kyle Hartung speak at a conference. She is honored to be part of this team of smart and committed people.
Outside of work, Genna loves hunting for unique home accessories and clothing and adding to her record collection. She and her partner and stepson moved into a new house in Shaker Heights at the beginning of lockdown after living in separate cities for four years, a storyline she plans to turn into a sitcom someday.
