Marléna Sessions

     Grant Associates, a nationally acclaimed workforce development company, has announced that one of the most respected leaders in the field, Marléna Sessions, will be joining on July 5th as Vice President of Public and Private Partnerships.

     In her new role, Ms. Sessions will engage with national leaders around some of the most pressing issues facing local economies, with the intent of creating new solutions to strengthen our communities.

     Doug Cotter, President, said, “We are thrilled to have Marléna joining our team, after having admired and respected the work she has done for many years. As Grant Associates continues to grow and learn as an organization, Marléna’s breadth of experience and passion for this work will be an invaluable asset in shaping solutions that effect positive change in the lives of the customers we serve.”

     Ms. Sessions said, “Grant Associates has an amazing story to tell, with over two decades of experience trailblazing innovative solutions, and successfully running and growing large workforce programs. I’ve long been a fan, and I’m excited to be coming aboard at such a critical time in our industry.”

     As CEO of the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County since 2009, Marléna Sessions has guided Seattle-King County to national prominence as an innovative leader in job-training initiatives. The Working for America Institute named the organization one of the top four workforce boards in the U.S. The Council was also one of the inaugural winners of the National Association of Workforce Board’s 2016 WIOA trailblazer award.

     Marléna is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Veteran-Serving Organizations (NAVSO), and a member of the Washington Workforce Association, serving on its Executive committee for several years. She also served on the Opportunity Center for Employment and Education (OCE&E) Policy Committee. She was the 2013 president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council, and continues to serve on its board of trustees. Marléna also founded the National Advisory Group for Connecting Homeless Jobseekers to the workforce system, and has offered expert testimony to Congress.

     Marléna holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Whitworth University.

About Grant Associates

     Grant Associates is a national, award-winning workforce development company. Since opening its doors in 1997, it has collaborated with government agencies to develop workforce programs, serve more than 20,000 companies, and help more than 100,000 people define realistic goals, further education and training, and embark on new career paths.