Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI) appoints new Executive Director

We are pleased to announce Ryan Davis as the new Executive Director of Seattle Jobs Initiative. The Search Committee appointed by the Board of Directors and led by Ben Wolters, SJI’s Board Chair, selected Ryan through a competitive regional and national search. His tenure will begin January 2, 2020.

Ryan brings over 20 years of a diverse blend of experiences, including leadership in workforce development, higher education, public policy, nonprofit management, and as a military officer. Most recently as the President and CEO of Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, a national nonprofit policy institute based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, focused on workforce and economic development policy, Ryan oversaw a staff of 15 remotely from Seattle and managed a $3.5 million budget. He led the transformation of the organization’s impact through data and technology tools in the workforce system to address skills gaps and tackle workforce systems challenges.

Previously, Ryan served as the Dean of Business and Applied Technology at Everett Community College, a community college in the Seattle metropolitan area, where he led four academic departments with over 60 faculty and staff with annual budgets of over $5 million. Ryan built multi-faceted workforce programs for hundreds of diverse students, including improved education offerings at the Tulalip Nation. While at Everett, Ryan was unanimously elected as Chair of the Statewide Workforce Education Council. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and holds a MPA from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs.

As a leader in workforce policy and practice, Ryan is very familiar with the shifting local, regional, and national workforce development landscape, serving individuals with barriers to economic sustainability, and the role SJI has in responding to the disruption of labor markets and advancing career pathways. Ryan is thrilled to join the dedicated staff and leadership of Seattle Jobs Initiative and looks forward to energizing SJI’s continued commitment to social and racial equity through quality direct service, research-based initiatives, and evidence-based consulting practice.