Andrea Buenaño, Ed.D is an assistant professor/experiential coordinator (Sport Administration) and co-chair of the Diversity Equity, and Inclusion Board in the College of Education at the University of Cincinnati (UC). Her duties include the instruction of undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as the development of career-readiness curriculum and experiential opportunities for students.

Andrea’s professional background in sport expands over several associations within the industry including, recreation, interscholastic, intercollegiate (DI & DII), professional sports, and an intercollegiate student-athlete.

Following 10 years in the sport industry and earning a doctorate, as an educator she has been able to bring a vast network and unique perspective into the classroom and the lives of her students over the past seven years. Her research involves community based-learning, leadership, diversity, and intercollegiate athletics; most recently published in the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport and athleticdirectoru.com.

Throughout her career, her greatest pleasure has been mentoring and teaching over 5,000 student-athletes and students from all walks of life. She is passionate about preparing student-athletes/students to become leaders in life and continuing to excel beyond the field/classroom in their careers, all while creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Deborah Kobes is a senior director at JFF and the deputy director for JFF’s Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning. She focuses on expanding access to and success in high-demand careers.

Deborah manages projects to develop innovative new educational and training models and to build capacity for program delivery among a range of organizations, from local training providers to state agencies. She seeks to create career pathways for women, people of color, and other populations that are underrepresented in high-demand sectors of the economy, such as technology, manufacturing, and construction.

Her skills and areas of expertise include:

• Work-based learning, including pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeships
• Program design and development
• Strategies for inclusion and equity within job training programs and career pathways
• Sector-based analysis and workforce development strategies

Before joining JFF, Deborah was the projects director and first employee of the Emerald Cities Collaborative, a partnership of diverse organizations united around the goal of greening cities in ways that further high-quality job creation, equity, and democracy. She has also held research positions or fellowships at MIT, the Brookings Institution, and the Urban Institute.

Reflecting on her decision to work at JFF, Deborah says, “Racial equity is not possible without economic equity. JFF’s focus on economic mobility contributes to overcoming this persistent challenge in American society. JFF brings a unique vantage of looking for practical solutions for economic advancement while also contributing to the national dialogue about needed structural reforms.”

Deborah enjoys exploring new cities and their idiosyncrasies, and she spends too much time trying to figure out how to measure local democracy.

Brandon is a business partnerships manager and apprenticeship ambassador with CareerWise Colorado.

Brandon is a retired All-Pro NFL wide receiver who completed 11 seasons of professional football. In 2010, he led the NFL with 1,448 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on only 77 receptions. Upon retirement, Brandon returned to the University of Illinois to complete his undergraduate and walked with the class of 2018.

Brandon is passionate about business and youth development. While playing in the NFL, he founded a private music publishing entity; in the latter part of his NFL career spent his off-season’s working in aerospace sales. Philanthropically Brandon mobilized a regional chapter of Blessings in a Backpack to feed youth in his hometown of Blue Springs, Missouri. Post-NFL, he has mentored DACA recipients and is active in faith-based Denver Dream Center serving families suffering from recidivism, loss of faith, and poverty. Locally as a medical device sales representative for Zimmer Biomet Spine, Brandon provided intraoperative support for orthopedic and neurosurgeons. He is currently serving as a Business Partnerships and Apprenticeship Ambassador at CareerWise Colorado, a registered youth apprenticeship non-profit. He combines his two lifelong passions of engaging in business and youth advancement.

Terrence Robinson is the co-founder and vice president of Workforce Systems Design at Success Pathways Alliance, a nonprofit consulting firm that focuses on policies and systemic initiatives that align a regions workforce and education systems.

Since co-founding Success Pathways Alliance, Dr. Robinson has become recognized as a thought leader and expert on aligning our workforce and education systems. He has partnered with the Urban League of Greater Cleveland to guide the growth and re-emergence of their workforce division since 2018. This partnership has led to the Urban League of Greater Cleveland being a consistent voice and advocate for diversity, inclusion, and economic equity within several workforce development initiatives such as the Cuyahoga County Workforce Funders Manufacturing Sector Partnership. Under his leadership, Success Pathways Alliance has partnered with, advised, and/or consulted on various workforce development, career pathways, and talent pipeline initiatives with the Cleveland Foundation, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Ohio’s Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).

Prior to co-founding Success Pathways Alliance, Dr. Robinson was the vice president of workforce development and economic inclusion at MAGNET. During his tenure, Dr. Robinson was the primary architect of the highly acclaimed Early College Early Career (ECEC) manufacturing pre-apprenticeship program that is recognized throughout the State of Ohio as a best practice model, due to the partnership structure that was built out by Dr. Robinson. Since his time at MAGNET, Dr. Robinson has become widely recognized as an expert in building out career pathway models for multiple industry sectors and has completed extensive research around work-based learning models, sector partnerships and talent pipeline management.

Dr. Robinson is a community leader who has served as a board member with Breakthrough Charter Schools Network, The Friendly Inn Settlement House, and the Consortium for African American Organizations (CAAO). He currently serves on the advisory board of The REACH Program at University School and is a member of Ideastream’s American Graduate Workforce Development Task Force. http://www.ideastream.org/education/american-graduate/ideastream-task-force

Dr. Robinson earned his Doctor of Education (Ed. D) in Community College Leadership from The Roueche Graduate Center at National American University. In addition to his doctoral degree, Dr. Robinson also holds two graduate degrees from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University: Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Strategic Management and a Master of Science (MS) degree in Positive Organizational Development. Dr. Robinson completed his undergraduate work at the historic and prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Finance.

Mike Wadleigh is the Internship and Apprenticeship Coordinator for the Cherry Creek School District, where he works with all the Work-based Learning programs in the district. Mike is responsible for connecting students in the district to Work-based Learning programs, as well as teaching some of the education classes for dual enrollment through the University of Colorado Denver. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a secondary teaching endorsement from Nebraska Wesleyan University and received a master's degree in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education from Adams State University.