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:
- Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
- Public Electric Vehicle (EV) Charing Infrastructure Playbook
- U.S. Department of Transportation, Electric Vehicles
- U.S. Department of Transportation, Electric Vehicles & Rural Transportation
- U.S. Department of Energy, Electricity
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.
About the Authors
From the Event – City Summit Perspectives on a New Downtown
- Samantha Pedrosa
Which Free Grant Training is Right for Me?
Building Opportunities: How Chattanooga’s Blueprint Program Inspires the Next Wave of Economic Inclusion
- Rosanna Mulcahy
Becoming an Employer of Choice: 2025 Megatrends for the Public Sector
Congressional Movement on Workforce Reauthorization Legislation
- Stephanie Martinez-Ruckman
