The NYC Workforce Drop with NYCETC’s Gregory J. Morris

Leading New York Forward: A Conversation with Kathy Wylde

In this episode of The NYC Workforce Drop, NYCETC CEO Greg Morris welcomes Kathy Wylde, outgoing president & CEO of the Partnership for New York City, for a conversation about affordability, power, and the future of New York’s workforce and economy.Kathy reflects on five decades of shaping the city, from her early organizing in Sunset Park to partnering with David Rockefeller to rebuild neighborhoods in the 1980s. She breaks down her idea of “horizontal and vertical networks,” explaining why real progress in housing, workforce, and economic development requires connections from block associations and community boards all the way to corporate leaders, banks, and federal partners.Greg and Kathy discuss priorities for the new administration, including childcare, housing production and preservation, employer engagement, and strengthening the city’s talent pipeline through initiatives like CUNY Beyond. Kathy also offers insights on political power shifts, what surprises business leaders, and the traits that make an effective mayor.The conversation closes with personal reflections on career, legacy, and Kathy’s “pastel life” in Puerto Rico, a contrast to the intensity of New York and a reminder of the perspective needed to lead through change.A thoughtful, high-impact episode on leadership, collaboration, and building a more affordable and economically vibrant city.Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network

Mini Episode: A Thanksgiving of Community, Connection, and Care at Encore

In this Thanksgiving mini-episode of The NYC Workforce Drop, Encore Community Services Executive Director Jeremy Kaplan returns to share what the holiday really looks like inside one of New York City’s most mission-driven older adult organizations. What starts as a simple question — “What’s going on at Encore on Thanksgiving?” — unfolds into a vivid picture of community care at scale.Jeremy walks Greg through the astonishing scope of Encore’s holiday operation: 25,000 meals cooked during the week of Thanksgiving in a small Times Square basement kitchen; 7,000 to 8,000 meals dispatched up to the Bronx each week; and 4,000 special Thanksgiving lunches prepared on the holiday itself. About 300 older adults join Encore in Midtown for a family-style feast complete with live music and full table service, while thousands more receive a home-delivered Thanksgiving meal crafted with all the classics — turkey, yams, collard greens, cranberry sauce, rolls, and more.With well over 100 volunteers supporting the day — from managing the in-person celebration to delivering meals up and down the West Side — Jeremy reflects on how Encore ensures older New Yorkers feel connection, dignity, and warmth on a day that can otherwise magnify loneliness. The work is about making sure every older adult knows someone is thinking of them.Greg and Jeremy close with reflections on gratitude, chosen family, and the joy Jeremy finds in returning home after a full day of service — including to his beloved mini cockapoo, Cody — with a renewed appreciation for togetherness. Their message is simple and powerful: no one in this city should ever feel alone on Thanksgiving, or any day.Subscribe and stay tuned for more conversations with leaders shaping New York’s workforce, care systems, and communities.Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network

Thanksgiving Episode — Caring for Our City: Aging, Community, and Dignity with Jeremy Kaplan

In this special Thanksgiving episode of The NYC Workforce Drop, NYCETC CEO Gregory J Morris sits down with Jeremy Kaplan, Executive Director of Encore Community Services, for a warm, funny, and moving conversation about what it means to grow older and to never have to do it alone. From barefoot Florida Thanksgivings and anxiety-inducing “what are you thankful for?” rituals to New York City chosen family traditions, Greg and Jeremy explore how holidays crystallize our deepest fears and hopes about togetherness, aging, and belonging. Jeremy traces his journey from classroom teacher and school founder to head of one of New York City’s largest older adult–serving nonprofits, rooted in the basement of St. Malachy’s “Actors’ Chapel” in the theater district. He shares Encore’s origin story, from a few dozen hot meals to a multi-site hub that now feeds, houses, and connects thousands of older New Yorkers, and breaks down what “community care” really looks like on the ground. Together, Greg and Jeremy zoom out from the holiday table to the systems that shape how we age. They grapple with loneliness as a public health crisis, ageism in hiring, and why older adults are both disproportionately poor and a vastly underestimated economic engine. Along the way, they spotlight NYC Aging’s chronic underfunding, the Human Services Council’s Just Pay campaign, and the paradox of a human services workforce paid poverty wages to fight poverty itself. As listeners prep turkeys, mac and cheese, or a pernil for chosen family, this episode doubles as a love letter to older New Yorkers and a call to action: to value caregiving, invest in human services, and build a city where nobody has to spend the holidays, or any day, in the shadows. Topics: Thanksgiving, family, and chosen family; aging, loneliness, and community care; Encore Community Services and Times Square’s theater roots; older adults as an economic engine; ageism and second-act careers; community schools and wraparound services; LGBTQ+ elders, dignity, and home-based care; human services workforce, Just Pay, and wage justice; NYC Aging and city budget priorities; building a New York where no one ages alone.Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network

Building Belonging: Wayne Ho on Empowering Immigrant New Yorkers Through Work and Community

In this episode of The NYC Workforce Drop, NYCETC CEO Gregory J. Morris sits down with Wayne Ho, president and CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, community power, and what it really takes to move policy when the stakes are highest.Wayne traces his journey from being the child of immigrants to leading the nation’s largest Asian American social services organization. With Greg, he unpacks how partnership with his wife and a trusted leadership team makes it possible to juggle family life, night meetings, board service, and crisis response, without losing sight of the people at the center of it all.Together, they revisit SOMOS—FOMOs included—and the shift in mood from last year’s federal anxiety to this year’s post-election optimism. Wayne breaks down how CPC responds when crisis hits, from SNAP cuts and food insecurity to the dual pandemics of COVID and anti-Asian hate. He shares how CPC built a real policy engine, helped win the $30 million AAPI Equity Budget, and sparked parallel victories for Latinx and Black communities, without playing “oppression Olympics” and instead growing the pie for all.The conversation also digs into the nuts and bolts of power-building in human services: funded vs. unfunded mandates, wage justice for frontline workers through Just Pay and Fair Pay for Home Care, and why authentic relationships with government matter when a bad RFP drops or law enforcement shows up at your afterschool program. Looking ahead, Greg asks Wayne for his message to the mayor-elect. Wayne calls for a true reset that treats nonprofits as partners, not vendors; centers the city’s most marginalized residents; and surrounds City Hall with leaders who are deeply rooted in community. And, yes, the episode ends where all serious policy conversations eventually do: professional wrestling, podcasts, and a teaser for a future episode devoted entirely to their shared fandom.Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood NetworkTopics: immigrant leadership and family; crisis response and community care; SNAP cuts, food insecurity, and anti-Asian hate; building AAPI, Latinx, and Black equity budgets; human services as civic infrastructure; funded vs. unfunded mandates; wage justice, Just Pay, and Fair Pay for Home Care; coalition-building, disagreement, and trust; nonprofit–government partnership in a new administration; SOMOS, FOMO, and AAPI–Latinx solidarity; joy, wrestling, and staying human in the work.

Redefining Access with Dr. Lisa Vollendorf: Empowering Adult Learners and New York’s Workforce Through Innovation in Higher Ed

On a wet, gray Halloween-eve in Manhattan, NYCETC CEO Gregory J. Morris sits down with Dr. Lisa Vollendorf, president of Empire State University (SUNY Empire), for a high-energy conversation about expanding opportunity through high-quality online public education. From her scholarly roots in 16th–17th century women’s cultural history to leading a 98% online SUNY institution serving 17,500 students across every NY county, all 50 states, and 50 countries, Dr. Vollendorf traces how access, design, and partnerships move learners from “some college” to completion.They dig into what “quality” means for asynchronous learning—universal design, a robust digital learning environment, data-driven student supports—and why SUNY Empire’s ecosystem meets learners where they are. The pair also tackles basic needs and policy shocks: SUNY Empire’s virtual food pantry, GI Bill interruptions and emergency scholarships during the shutdown, and anticipated SNAP cutbacks, as well as how colleges, employers, agencies, and philanthropy can blunt the impact.Workforce is the throughline: SUNY Empire builds cohort pathways, evaluates prior learning (up to 93 transfer credits), and stacks certificates toward degrees while meeting urgent employer skill needs (including emerging AI capabilities). The duo drives home the idea that a college degree remains a powerful driver of mobility and community wellbeing, and how business investment plus flexible public higher ed can scale it.Topics: online/asynchronous quality & universal design; digital learning environments & data; prior learning assessment & transfer; apprenticeship/union pathways; basic needs, GI Bill gaps & SNAP cutbacks; employer partnership models; stackable credentials to degrees; reskilling/upskilling for AI-era roles; adult learner completion & social mobility; NYC–state workforce alignment; equity, affordability, and belonging.Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network