This June, members of the KRA leadership team joined workforce leaders, educators, policymakers, and innovators from across the country at the 2025 JFF Horizons Summit in New Orleans. This year’s theme was “Dare to Be Brave,” challenging attendees to confront uncertainty, respond to technological disruption, and rethink how we build inclusive, forward-thinking workforce systems.
Throughout the two-day event, sessions focused on the impact of partnership, between education and workforce development, between policy and innovation, and between public and private sectors. JFF President and CEO Maria Flynn opened the summit by calling on attendees to rise to the moment, asking: “What does it mean to dare to be brave in today’s turbulent times?” Her message urged collaboration and courage in reimagining the systems that shape economic opportunity.
Day one featured a fireside chat with Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO of TIAA, and Maria Flynn, where they discussed the leadership qualities needed to ensure economic mobility for all, particularly in a time of polarization and uncertainty. They emphasized that bravery today means making bold choices that ensure everyone has a fair chance at success.
KRA’s The Hub podcast was on-site, capturing real-time insights from some of the event’s participants. One featured interview included Rich Simmerman, CEO and Co-founder of Cantaloupe AI, a company revolutionizing hospitality hiring. Their voice-based interview platform eliminates traditional applications, enabling employers to hire 50% faster and reduce early turnover by 40%. Cantaloupe AI participated in and wone summit’s entrepreneur pitch competition, winning a $5,000 investment and entry into JFF’s business accelerator program.
AI was a central theme throughout the conference. In sessions like “Left Behind or Lifted Up? Navigating Workforce Transitions in the AI Era,” experts examined how rapid AI adoption is reshaping employment, particularly for older and low-wage workers. The discussion underscored the need for intentional, worker-centered policy and training approaches to avoid deepening inequalities.
The summit also emphasized quality jobs as a national imperative. Leaders from Maryland’s Department of Labor, the National Urban League, and Global Philanthropy Partners called for workforce systems that put job quality, fair wages, growth potential, and worker dignity at the center of economic development strategies.
From modernizing education through AI and competency-based learning to aligning investment capital with workforce outcomes, the sessions echoed a common theme: transformation is not optional, it’s necessary.
For KRA and similar workforce organizations, the message is clear: now is the time to lead. We must be at the forefront, coordinating with educational partners, private sector employers, and community stakeholders to design systems that work for the realities of today and the possibilities of tomorrow. To “Dare to Be Brave” means dismantling outdated systems and replacing them with inclusive, tech-forward, worker-centered solutions.
Let’s be bold, let’s be collaborative, and let’s build the future together.