Amanda Cage is the Chief Program Officer at the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership) where she oversees programs and initiatives for the country’s second largest workforce system, including responsibility for $60 million dollars of public and private funding and a network of over 50 agencies. Previously, she served as the organization’s Director of Strategic Initiatives and Policy where she used labor market information to set the strategic direction for the region’s workforce system and promoted innovative practices within the field. Prior to The Partnership, Amanda served as Director of Human Capital Strategy for the Chicago Workforce Investment Council where she led a city-wide effort to coordinate human capital initiatives designed to increase Chicago’s competitiveness in an information-based global economy. This effort resulted in the creation of Complete the Degree Chicago, an organization dedicated to helping adults return to college and attain a degree. For five years, Amanda served as Program Officer at the McCormick Foundation, leading their workforce development portfolio and was the 2004 J. Ira & Nicki Harris Foundation Fellow at the Chicago Community Trust. Amanda started her career as a labor organizer working for Jobs with Justice and the Service Employees International Union and was a Trade Union Program Fellow at Harvard Law School. She earned Bachelor’s Degree from Oberlin College and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Harris School at the University of Chicago.
Amanda Cage is a member of the Job Quality Fellowship Class of 2017-18. To learn more about the Job Quality Fellows, visit as.pn/jobquality.
The Job Quality Fellowship is part of the Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, a network of leadership and fellowship programs run by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Within this Network, EOP connects national and local leaders from across sectors — nonprofit, government, business, philanthropy, academia, and more — to advance policies and practices with the potential to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/eofn.
Bio updated September 2017.