Charging up The State and Local EV Workforce Collaborative

By:

McKinzie McGuire
Kyle Funk

April 24, 2024 - (3 min read)

Marking the start of sustainability month, in early April 2024, the State and Local EV Workforce Collaborative kicked off in Washington, DC. Over the course of three days, the National League of Cities and the National Governors Association convened the newly formed National EV Workforce Taskforce. This taskforce is composed of state, municipal, federal, regional, industry, labor, education, and non-profit leaders to set the vision for the work of the collaborative over the next two years. Check out the list of taskforce members at the end of the article.

The Charge Forward

Through the inaugural taskforce meeting and convening, members connected with peers, federal officials, and national experts on the opportunities and challenges associated with equitable EV infrastructure and workforce development. Although the taskforce is just getting started, key themes emerged which will inform how this work advances state and local EV charging workforce development.

Key themes are:

Stakeholder, asset, and funding mapping is needed to identify who is already in this space, what resources they may already have available, and what funding sources currently exist for state and local leaders.
EV awareness and outreach efforts must extend beyond consumer adoption to include knowledge and capacity-building for policymakers, educators, workforce developers, community-based organizations, as well as incumbent workers and learners. Effectively communicating the benefits of electric mobility and the economic and workforce opportunities associated with the transition will be critical.

Equity must be embedded into policy, practices, and programs from the start. Resilient EV infrastructure starts with an inclusive, accessible electric mobility talent pipeline, where vulnerable and marginalized populations are sharing in the benefits of this new, electrified economy.

Taskforce Membership

Stephanie Piko (Co-chair), Mayor, City of Centennial, CO
Justine Johnson (Co-chair), Senior Vice President & Chief Mobility Officer, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Kate Kreamer, Executive Director, AdvanceCTE
Michael Staley, President, Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition
Steve Jurch, AVP, Center for Policy & Practice, American Association of Community Colleges
Missy Henriksen, Executive Director, Center for Energy Workforce Development
Kianna Scott, SVP of Workforce Development, ChargerHelp!
Mahanth Joishy, Fleet Superintendent, City of Madison, WI
Jeanette Shaw, Councilor, City of Tiagrd, OR; Director of Policy, Forth Mobility
Alexis Sulentic, Senior Manager, Edison Electric Institute
Liz Hunt, Principal Project Manager, Electric Transportation, Electric Power Research Institute
Jennifer Mefford, EVITP National Co-Chair, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP)

Cheryl Sanford, Director of Workforce Programming, MUST Construction Careers
Ben Prochazka, Executive Director, Electrification Coalition
Matt Stephens-Rich, Director, Electrification Coalition
Jim Thornton, Director of Governmental Relations, Georgia Municipal Association
Jeremy Ross, International Representative & Government Affairs, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Katherine Magruder, Executive Director, Maryland Clean Energy Center
Kandee Bahr Worley, Division Chief, Nevada Sustainability & Emerging Transportation
Caroline Sullivan, Executive Director, North Carolina Business Committee for Education
Naheed Huq, Manager of Economic & Community Vitality, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
Román Partida-López, Senior Legal Counsel for Transportation Equity, The Greenlining Institute
Betony Jones, Director, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Jobs

Additional Resources

Local leaders can also tap into Federal resources such as:

Join The Collaborative

For those interested in contributing to the work of the State and Local EV Workforce Collaborative, NLC and NGA are seeking state and local leaders, staff, and partners to roll up their sleeves alongside the taskforce through a set of working groups.

JOIN NOW