43rd Annual Meeting Recap
On June 14th, we celebrated a great year and some major CJC accomplishments, such as the passing of House Bill 277 and CEO Dr. Lisa Bly-Jones’ testimony on Capitol Hill. The theme was reframing the narratives around workforce development and learning to think through a different lens regarding how we provide services, starting with more intentional collaboration.
Guests flooded into the UIC West Student Center and were met with a delicious breakfast spread. The morning began with tasty eats and light networking. Guests found their tables, and the program soon began.
Board President Mollie Dowling welcomed everyone and thanked our sponsors and donors before passing the baton to CEO Lisa Bly-Jones to take the stage. Lisa updated us on the work CJC has been doing over the year and some of our wins. She then introduced Chicago Deputy Mayor Jennifer "Jen" Johnson and CCWP CEO George Wright to join her own stage for a deeper discussion.
Both guests shared insightful perspectives on today's current workforce climate. Here are two stand-out quotes from the session:
"Workforce development has been considered social service, and it's not; it actually can be economic development, and it should be." - CCWP CEO George Wright.
"We want the dollars to impact the people we said we would be prioritizing and lifting up." - Chicago Deputy Mayor Jennifer Johnson.
Following the Insight Session, CJC awarded scaleLIT the Betty J. Willhoite Award! After an emotional acceptance speech, the entire team came to the stage to receive the honor. It was a highlight of the morning to recognize a partner organization for all the fantastic work they do for their communities.
The event concluded with more networking and our silent auction bidding. Several winners took home our fabulous silent auction items, like a classic Schwinn refurbished by Working Bikes, at-home wine tastings, a one-night stay at the Peninsula Hotel, and more! Thank you to all our guests, supporters, sponsors, and donors for making it an incredible event.
