About Us

Julian L. Alssid

Partner

Julian is a nationally recognized strategist who has been at the leading edge of education and workforce development for over 35 years. Having held various leadership positions. Julian advises C-suite leaders who seek to optimize their organizations as workforce entities for transformational impact. Leveraging his expertise across education, workforce, and economic development, Julian has led groundbreaking efforts that have profoundly shaped the field. Prior to forming J. Alssid Associates, Julian served as Vice President of Workforce Partnerships at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), where he partnered with Governor Gina Raimondo, her leadership team, and industry leaders to align CCRI’s offerings with the economic and workforce development priorities of the state. Julian transformed CCRI’s workforce operation into a key driver of workforce and economic development in the region, serving over 25,000 students annually. At Southern New Hampshire University, Julian helped design College for America (CfA), a groundbreaking competency-based education model. Drawing on his extensive network, Julian built partnerships with over 100 innovative corporate leaders that led to the establishment of CfA as a proof of concept for competency- and skills-based approaches to sourcing and training talent. Prior to SNHU, Julian led Workforce Strategy Center for over 15 years where he significantly influenced workforce policy and practice across over 23 states and the federal government. He is known for building and popularizing the career pathways framework. On a practitioner level, Julian established the workforce development arm of the Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit membership organization consisting of a select group of business leaders and employers from corporate, investment, and entrepreneurial firms. Julian engaged those leaders and their organizations in major partnerships with New York’s K-12 and postsecondary systems. He also developed an acclaimed small business management training program that presaged the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses initiative at LaGuardia Community College. As advisor to New York City's Mayor, Julian also staffed the blue ribbon commission that established the High School Institute for Law and Social Justice, one of the nation's first high school career academy models. Julian also served as an Adjunct Lecturer at LaGuardia Community College, and as a teacher at City-As-School, one of the nation’s leading experiential learning model for high school students. Julian speaks and writes extensively on crafting effective workforce systems. He co-hosts Work Forces, a podcast exploring the future of work and learning. Julian has a bachelor's degree from Boston University, graduating magna cum laude with distinction.

Julian Bio

Kaitlin Bio

Kaitlin LeMoine

Partner

Kaitlin LeMoine has dedicated her career to designing innovative learning models that reach new learner populations. She is passionate about creating programs that bridge the connection between academic content, the workplace, and lifelong skill development and guiding other leaders through that design process. Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience in the higher education, non-profit, K-12, and workforce development sectors, Kaitlin works with leaders and practitioners across academic, business, and intermediary partners to bring new programs to life. She also brings particular expertise to developing scalable, practical approaches to program design that align educational requirements and employer needs. Kaitlin is a thought leader at the nexus of education and industry, drawing upon her applied experience in her writing, and co-hosting the Work Forces podcast, which features innovators at the cutting edge of the future of work and learning. Prior to becoming Partner at J. Alssid Associates, Kaitlin served as Director of Learning Solutions at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). During her eight years at SNHU, she was a founding member of the College for America curriculum team and designed courses for competency-based, project-based, online degree programs. As part of these design efforts, she interfaced with SNHU’s workforce partners to create content, competencies, and program structures to effectively meet their needs. Kaitlin also promoted the use of competencies and competency-based learning through presentations at regional and national conferences, including Educause and the Online Learning Consortium. Through her work within SNHU’s Workforce Partnerships division, Kaitlin built and sustained strong relationships with the university’s external and employer partners by determining their learning solution needs and taking a user-focused, iterative approach to meeting those needs. Prior to joining SNHU, Kaitlin oversaw the design and implementation of programming at a Boston-based non-profit organization committed to helping students and their families navigate the college access and financial aid processes at nine program sites in the greater Boston area. She also designed and taught independent research and service-learning courses at a high-performing charter school in Cambridge, MA. Along with her various professional experiences, Kaitlin earned a B.A. with honors from Brown University and an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Michael Moretti

Senior Advisor

Michael Moretti brings new products, programs, and services to market for higher ed, K-12, and workforce in order to expand access to education for diverse learner populations. He is committed to designing innovative solutions to close achievement and opportunity gaps for individuals experiencing the greatest fragmentation in our economic, educational, and social systems. With a multidisciplinary perspective and a user-focused approach to problem-solving, Michael is adept at collaborating with diverse teams, exploring new opportunities, and delivering outcomes that meet user needs and business goals. Michael's career spans over twenty years in the K-12, higher education, educational technology, workforce, and non-profit sectors. Most recently, he worked in Southern New Hampshire University’s Office of Product and Program Innovation on a large-scale greenfield project to build SNHU's next generation educational platform. Prior to this work, Michael partnered with high schools and non-profit organizations to pioneer the hybrid-college program model, which combined the personalized support, barrier resolution, and community connections of a campus experience with the flexibility and affordability of competency-based, online learning. He also piloted SNHU’s first learn-and-work ecosystem in New Orleans, LA, which connected learners to education and career opportunities through seamless, stackable pathways from high school to postsecondary, at little to no cost for learners. Prior to joining SNHU, Michael created and facilitated innovative project-based, service-learning programming and STEM curricula at a charter school in Cambridge, MA. He also led outdoor-based, learn-and-work experiences for youth and operationalized a new line of business for an international education non-profit organization. Michael has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont and a Secondary Education Teaching Certification from Providence College.

Mala Thakur

Senior Advisor

Mala Thakur is a national leader with more than two decades of experience advancing workforce, education, and youth development policy, systems, and practice to expand economic mobility. She brings deep expertise in designing and scaling cross-sector approaches that build resilient talent pipelines for the future—helping organizations, systems, and communities prepare youth and adults for careers offering family-sustaining wages. Mala has held senior leadership roles at the local, state, and national levels, including with the National Association of Workforce Boards, Results for America, the Greater Washington Community Foundation, MDC, and the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC). As Executive Director of the NYEC, she led successful federal policy efforts to preserve critical investments and key provisions supporting youth programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. A frequent speaker and published author, Mala serves as a trusted advisor to government, nonprofit, business, community, and philanthropic leaders seeking to transform systems and drive measurable, long-term impact. She has served on the Boards of Directors of the National Human Services Assembly, Advocates for Children, and the Latin American Youth Center Career Academy. Mala holds an M.A. in Education from New York University and a B.A. in Political Science, with a minor in French, from the University of California, Berkeley.

Joan Loor

Advisor

Joan is a meticulous business intelligence researcher and analyst with years of proven experience in enhancing business processes and driving organizational growth through data analytics. Hailing from Ecuador, Joan brings a unique international perspective to his work. Throughout his career, Joan has expertly harnessed the power of data analysis, data visualization, machine learning, and statistical modeling to provide data-driven solutions to academic and administrative challenges. His proficiency in tools like Power BI, R, and Python enables him to extract meaningful insights from complex data sets and create compelling dashboards for real time business performance insights. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire in Biology, showcasing his dedication to analytical thinking from the outset. His pursuit of knowledge continued as he earned a Master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire in Analytics, honing his skills in the field.