BOSTON, MA (April 28, 2011) — Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit research and advocacy organization, announced today the addition of Cassius Johnson and Kathryn Young to the organization’s Washington, DC-based Workforce and Education Policy Group.
Johnson returns to JFF as associate vice president for national education policy after serving as public policy director at College Summit in Washington, DC. Young joins JFF from the Department of Education where she served as a policy advisor to the assistant secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education. She will serve as director of national education policy.
“This is a time of both great opportunity and great challenge for the college and career readiness agenda in Washington,” said JFF CEO Marlene Seltzer. “With Cassius and Kathryn joining our DC team, we are better positioned to impact education policy and help strengthen the pathways to career success for youths and adults.”
Johnson and Young join workforce experts Ray Uhalde, Mary Clagett, and John Colbert in JFF's DC office, extending JFF’s national policy expertise across K-12, higher education, and workforce development. The team will continue to work closely with JFF’s Boston headquarters to advance strategies that help low-income youth and adults succeed in education and the labor market.
Johnson originally joined JFF in 2005 and played a key role in establishing JFF’s DC operations while leading the organization’s federal education and youth policy agenda. Prior to his tenure at JFF, Johnson was chief of staff for a member of the Texas House of Representatives. He has earned degrees from Bevill State Community College, Texas Tech University, and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a Barbara Jordan Scholar.
Prior to Ms. Young’s work at the U.S. Department of Education, she served as a legislative assistant in the office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray (WA) where she led the senator’s efforts on education, workforce development, and family and civil rights issues. She also served as acting director of the Education, Early Childhood and Workforce Committee of the National Governors Association. She received a BA in political science from Duke University and an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University.
About Jobs for the Future
Jobs for the Future works with our partners to design and drive adoption of education and career pathways leading from college readiness to career advancement for those struggling to succeed in today’s economy.
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