Phoenix (STN) – Building a stronger workforce in Arizona means no one can go it alone, according to three leaders who joined the October episode of ‘It Happens at STN‘ to talk about creating pathways to prosperity.
Mary Noor, senior vice president and market executive at Bank of America; Tamala McBath, CEO of Dress for Success Arizona; and Mark Garcia, vice president of learning systems at New Pathways for Youth, discussed how partnership, trust, and early exposure can open doors for young people and adults entering the workforce.
Noor said progress begins when businesses, corporations, and community leaders sit down and truly listen to one another.
“You can’t do it in silos,” Noor said. “It definitely takes a village.”
Garcia said workforce development for teens starts well before the first job application. “At New Pathways, workforce development really starts early,” he said, pointing to foundational skills such as communication, accountability, confidence, problem solving, and goal setting. Exposure matters too. “How do we help these young people to really see what’s out there?” Garcia asked.
McBath said the women Dress for Success Arizona serves face a different set of barriers, including quality childcare, transportation, access to education, and housing insecurity. “Really hard to show up on a job when you don’t have a roof over your head and perform,” she said.
When choosing partners, Noor said she looks for trust, measurable impact, and strong collaboration. “At the end of the day, when there’s competition involved, there’s no collaboration,” she said.
In their calls to action, Garcia urged organizations to invest upstream by mentoring, volunteering, and bringing young people into their workplaces. McBath said leaders can’t afford to compete because the need is too great. “People are waiting for us to get it right,” she said. “They’re waiting for us to show up.”
Noor closed the panel with a call for partnership. “Take that phone call, take that meeting, show up,” she said.
The conversation ended with a major surprise. Noor announced that Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders program was awarding unrestricted $200,000 grants to both Dress for Success Arizona and New Pathways for Youth. Scott Vanderpool, president of Bank of America Phoenix, joined the panelists on stage to present the checks.
“These investments are not just programmatic, but they’re leadership investments because of all the great work that you guys are doing,” Vanderpool said.
