2:00 p.m. Panel Discussion Room 1L:

Digital Media Workforce Training & Availability in the Bi-State Area

How important is Kansas City’s digital media workforce to its economy?  How big is this economic sector and what are its opportunities for growth?  How does our digital media industry compare to comparable cities in America?  Leaders in economic development and workforce development from Kansas and Missouri discuss these and other issues related to KC’s digital media industry.

VIEW THE VIDEO RECORDING OF THIS PRESENTATION:

Link: https://youtu.be/ZwocoIinhfw

 

Jeremy Davis – Moderator

Program Officer, Kauffman Foundation

Jeremy Davis is an experienced Economic Development and Workforce Manager with a demonstrated history of influencing the higher education and city development industries.  He is skilled in Project Facilitation, Economic Development, Grant Writing, Relationship Building, and Real Estate Development.  Jeremy is a skilled community and services professional with a Master of Science – MS focused in Career and Technical Education Administration & Lean Six Sigma Certificate from the University of Central Missouri.

Alan Boyer

Program Director, Digital Innovation Programs, A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication, Kansas State University

Alan Boyer, a higher education digital innovator, focuses on developing and expanding access to certificate and degree programs to help build a digital workforce to meet the demand for workers with blended digital skills in media, computing and entrepreneurship.  A K-State master’s alumnus, Boyer worked 30+ years in marketing, communications and digital media for global Fortune 500, FinTech 100 companies and organizations, including The Coca-Cola Company, AT&T, First Data, Equifax, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, John Marshall Law School and Atlanta Life Financial Group. Boyer serves on the A.Q. Miller School’s National Advisory Council and K-State’s NextGen Brand Task Force and Black Faculty and Staff Alliance.  

Clyde McQueen

President & CEO, Full Employment Council

 Clyde R. McQueen has served as the president and chief executive officer of the Full Employment Council (FEC) since 1987. The FEC is the managing entity and fiscal agent for two Workforce Development Boards, which serve Kansas City and vicinity, as well as the Eastern Jackson County region, impacting the community through job training, education opportunities, and economic development activities in rural, suburban and urban areas throughout five counties, covering 2,700 square miles. Before coming to Kansas City, McQueen served as the Senior Division Director of Training and Employment Development with the Texas Department of Community Affairs. Prior to that, he spent seven years as the Senior Business Development Consultant, Training/Economic Development Consultant, and Procurement Analyst with the Texas Industrial Commission, now known as the Texas Department of Commerce. McQueen served as the Chairman of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, president of Kansas City Consensus, and is presently a member of the Executive Committee of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. 

Jeff Pinkerton

Director of Economic Research, Missouri Dept. of Economic Development

Jeff serves as Director of Economic Research for the Missouri Department of Economic Development.  In this role, he monitors Missouri’s economy and advises economic developers and state government leaders on global, national and regional economic trends.  Jeff’s research focuses on state and regional economic competitiveness. 

Prior to working for the State of Missouri, Jeff served as Senior Research for the Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City. Jeff holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.