Brent Parton
Deputy Director, Center on Education & Skills, New America, Washington, DC
Brent Parton is the deputy director of the Center on Education & Skills with the Education Policy program at New America, a bipartisan policy and research institution based in Washington, DC.
At New America, Brent’s work focuses on federal and state policies related to skills and workforce development. As part of this work, he is currently leading the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship, a national, multiyear initiative that supports states and cities to looking to expand access to dual education opportunities for American secondary students.
Before joining New America, Brent served as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor during the Obama Administration. There, he advised leadership on a range of skills issues and investments, including the expansion of the U.S. apprenticeship system.
Earlier in his career, Brent worked at the National Governors Association, where he supported U.S. governors on state policy strategies related to skills development, and before that he worked on youth employment and vocational education and training policy in the education sector of the World Bank.
He has a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in international education policy, both from Vanderbilt University, where he is also an adjunct professor.