About US

Mission

SWD is workforce driven, provides career coaching, vocational education, recruitment and employment opportunities services. Our beneficiaries are justice involved adults, discouraged populations and mid-level workers in the Greater Kansas City area. SWD provides skilled career trades, jobs in 7 sectors of employment with a focus on financial stability and job shadowing. SWD has job development professionals, who apply a holistic approach to help the discouraged and mid-level workers find work, with in-depth solicitations of their clients lifestyle, career goals and employment approach.

Vision

SWD's vision of "where opportunity meets potential" is about finding talent for the employers and creating a pool of skilled and successful workforce from the burgeoning, stagnated, overlooked populations.

Strategic Workforce Development Team

York Wilson

Executive Director &Founder

Community Outreach & Business Development

Mr. Wilson has worked as a Job Specialist and Community Outreach Expert. He has worked with local non-profit organizations such as Aim 4 Peace and Building Brighter Futures. At present he is the Community Workforce Developer for Councilman Brandon Ellington, 3rd District -at -Large, Kansas City, MO. Mr. Wilson has MRSS, Peer Certificate and Trauma Informed Care ( Aim 4 Peace) certificate.

Anjou D Giri

Executive Vice President & Founder

She has been actively involved with Non Profits and Associations for the past several years. She has worked with associations like

AAUW (Colorado) UNA- USA (Colorado) and Epsilon Sigma Rho (Colorado). In 2015 she won the Pledge of the Year award from ESA. She worked with Building Brighter Futures as General Manager and Talent Acquisition Expert. She is on Leadership Board for G.Y.R.L.S. Please ( domestic non violence) Non Profit Organization in Kansas City.

Ms Giri has experience with the news media as a journalist from Mumbai (India) for 14 years plus. She is now based in Kansas City, MO.

Ms. Giri has an M.A. in English Literature and minored in Greek Art and Litt. Has Trauma Informed Care ( AIM 4 Peace) certificate.

Theodore C Houdek

Legal Counsel

Legal Attorney primarily in the fields of juvenile law, military justice, administrative matters, and criminal law. He has around 12 years of service in the U.S. Army as an officer/judge advocate, both on active duty and in the Reserves. Mr. Houdek has practiced in the Army Court of Criminal Appeals and served three tours as a Trial Defense Counsel, representing Soldiers at courts-martial and in other military justice matters. He is a certified V.A. Claims Attorney.

NatalieWilliams

Board Secretary

Mrs. Williams joins SWD, her first Non Profit Organization. Her background is that of a skilled Corporate Partnership Management professional largely working with Sport professional teams. She presently works with Kansas City, Royals, as a Partnership Accounts Manager. Her previous work has been with Chicago Cubs as Corporate Partnership Sales Specialist and worked as Partnerships Manager for All American Game; Rockaway. Williams is a Mass Communications graduate from Miami University and Oxford (OH). She has minored in Spanish and Rhetorical writing.

Jordan Ayala

Research & Data Analytics Director

Jordan Ayala is a research analyst and Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. He holds a research associate position with the UMKC Center for Economic Information where he conducts several community-based participatory research projects, data analysis, GIS mapping, and spatial econometric analysis. Jordan is a research fellow with the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity where he assists in leading a team of researchers in the development of alternative indicators of unemployment, financial instability, and the costs of unemployment. He received his Master’s in Economics in 2017 from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Focusing on urban economics and public policy, his primary research interests include workforce and housing policy for equitable and sustainable community development.

Leonard Jonas Hughes IV

Director Training and Chair

Former State Representative, four terms in the Missouri State House, former Chief of Operations, Consor Int., currently President, Abraxas Unlimited Inc., Executive Management consultant, over two decades of civic participation, brings knowledge of operations, marketing, executive management and politics. He brings over two decades of leadership and business experience to help SWD reach their full potential.

Romond Holt

Workforce & Training Specialist

Mr. Holt is Outreach Manager for The Builders Association. His experience has been in the field of Construction Management and Engineering. Holt has been a Field Engineer with Fry & Associates, Inc and Kiewit. He has a Bachelors Degree in Construction from University of Central Missouri.

Linda Cason

Volunteer-on- Board and Fundraiser

Ms Cason has worked with several banks as an accountant and customer service representative, for over 25 years. She also worked with The Student Loan Corporation and has expertise on student loans.Outside of her work, Cason has been actively involved in fund-raising activities or donating volunteer-time for other non profits and now SWD.

Ms GG Owens

Advisory Board

Community Relations Coordinator JE Dunn Construction. President of the Kansas City's Land Bank's board of advisors. Activist and Speaker. She has legendary networking and community outreach as a Kansas Citian. She has been instrumental in helping thousands of people get jobs.