Areas of Expertise: Workforce Development Policy; State Workforce Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives; Program Development, Implementation, and Service Delivery Innovation
Nakeisha Ricks-Pettyjohn is a Senior Fellow at National Skills Coalition, where she serves as the organization’s expert on federal and state workforce development policy and strategy implementation. In this role Nakeisha brings significant state policy expertise and relationships to inform NSC federal and state policy advocacy campaigns and provide technical assistance to state policy leaders and other workforce development stakeholders.
Prior to joining NSC, Nakeisha was the Senior Director of Workforce Programs for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development where she managed the coordination of external partnerships for the statewide Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs and oversaw the operations and program implementation of Tennessee American Job Centers. Nakeisha is passionate about innovative program development, system alignment, and policy changes addressing equity, access, and economic mobility barriers for workers of color, workers with children, and justice involved individuals. She has a proven track record in furthering workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and implementing a wide variety of student services to meet the diverse needs of adult learners and workforce participants.
Nakeisha graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Biology. She is based in Tennessee.
