150 Million New Technology-Oriented Jobs and the Skills Needed to Get Them

Instructors

Greg Bianchi is senior project manager at Microsoft Philanthropies, where he manages nonprofit partner relationships and develops programs and resources for skilling and employability. Prior to that, he was project consultant for K–12 computer science with Washington STEM, a statewide nonprofit that seeks smart, scalable solutions that lead to opportunities for those students most underserved and underrepresented in STEM fields. At Washington STEM, he led the Washington State review of K–12 Computer Science Framework and CSTA Standards, co-led the adoption process for Washington State Computer Science Standards, and provided consulting to districts looking to launch equity-oriented K–12 CS initiatives. He has his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Washington and his EdD from Seattle Pacific University.

Natalie Ruppert is the workforce development manager for the Kenton County Public Library in Erlanger, KY, ranked the number one library system in the state since 2013. Natalie also served as a reference librarian and circulation manager for the system. She received the Margaret E. Willis Award for Community Service for helping patrons find jobs and explore careers from the Kentucky Public Library Association in 2014, and won the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board Award for Community Collaboration in 2019. Natalie serves on the Northern Kentucky Career Center Employer Roundtable, Partners for Success in Northern Kentucky, the GROW NKY Workforce Initiative, and participates in the online LibsWork group. She worked in the paper and printing industries in the Boston area, before moving to the Cincinnati, OH metro area. After serving as president of several community boards, she decided to pursue a new role herself and received her MLIS from the University of Kentucky in 2005.

After working in libraries since age twelve, Elizabeth Iaukea received her MLIS from Florida State University in 1999. Her first position as a “professional” librarian was at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a public access computer trainer for the US Library Program. In the twenty years since, she has worked for the Washington State Library and for multiple public libraries in Western Washington. She's currently at the State Library as a workforce development librarian. The dominant theme across her career has been supporting library staff and their communities to gain and maintain the skills needed to remain relevant and competitive in their chosen fields, with a focus on digital skills. Outside of work she enjoys bicycling, reading, and gardening, and exploring the incredible splendor of Washington's natural landscapes.