Chamber Exec One of Only 22 Chosen Nationally to Study Education Pipeline

05afa7bShelley Huffman, director of college and career readiness at the Indiana Chamber, has been named a fellow for the 2016-17 Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Fellowship for Education Attainment program.

The fellowship is designed for chamber of commerce executives who work to improve the birth-to-career education pipeline in their communities. Fellows participate in an immersive education and workforce development experience that includes best practice sharing, reviews of case studies, interaction with and learning from national experts, and the opportunity to build a strong peer-to-peer network.

The fellowship is being offered to only 22 chamber of commerce professionals nationwide this year. Huffman was selected to participate “based on her passion for strengthening the talent pipeline and improving regional education and workforce development outcomes,” offers Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) President Mick Fleming.

Through the experience, Huffman, who oversees college and career readiness initiatives and related workforce strategies for the Indiana Chamber Foundation, will develop and execute a specific regional action plan for specific educational attainment objectives set by the Indiana Chamber.

Huffman is looking forward to the various summits and opportunities to collaborate with national experts. She says this is a very exciting and important endeavor for the Indiana Chamber: “It directly relates to some of the top goals we have in Indiana Vision 2025, our long-term economic development plan for the state, and will play a role in moving those forward.”

Explains Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar: “This fellowship embodies what the Outstanding Talent driver in our plan is all about. Having more Hoosiers receive the proper education from start to finish so they can embark on a meaningful career path will benefit our entire state. Businesses will have a larger talent pool and citizens will have increased quality of life.”

Those selected to participate in the fellowship program represent organizations that are actively engaged in policy, programs and system reform efforts across the birth-to-career spectrum.

For more information about ACCE’s education attainment work, visit www.ACCE.org/EAD.

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