{"id":52554,"date":"2025-11-18T14:37:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T19:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=52554"},"modified":"2025-11-17T14:44:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T19:44:41","slug":"acc-chancellor-joins-statewide-leaders-to-discuss-expanding-high-quality-career-pathways-at-tribfest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/11\/18\/acc-chancellor-joins-statewide-leaders-to-discuss-expanding-high-quality-career-pathways-at-tribfest\/","title":{"rendered":"ACC Chancellor Joins Statewide Leaders to Discuss Expanding High-Quality Career Pathways at TribFest"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"ACC<\/figure>\n

Austin Community College District (ACC) Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart joined state and national workforce leaders for an in-depth conversation on the future of Texas\u2019 talent pipeline at the 2025 Texas Tribune Festival (TribFest), one of the state\u2019s most influential public policy events.<\/p>\n

The panel \u2014 \u201cJPMorganChase Presents a Fireside Chat: Expanding High-Quality Career Pathways in Texas\u201d \u2014 brought together experts to examine how the state can better prepare workers for rapidly evolving labor market needs. Heather Higginbottom, Head of Research, Policy, and Insights at JPMorganChase, moderated the discussion with Dr. Lowery-Hart, Todd Williams of The Commit Partnership, and Melissa Johnson of the National Skills Coalition.<\/p>\n

Panelists explored the transformation of Texas\u2019 workforce, driven by emerging industries and increasingly specialized job requirements. The conversation focused on strengthening cross-sector collaboration, expanding access to high-quality training, and ensuring all Texans can participate in the state\u2019s economic growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents should be able to follow their passion, but with a clear understanding of the economic reality attached to it. At ACC, we\u2019re building advising and academic structures that connect students to labor-market outcomes from day one. That clarity helps them make informed choices that lead to family-sustaining careers,\u201d said Lowery-Hart.<\/p>\n

Dr. Lowery-Hart also participated in a session called \u201cThe Pathway.\u201d It examined how community colleges are creating affordable opportunities for the next generation of workers. He was joined by Northwest Vista College President Amy Bosley and Victoria College President Jennifer Kent to highlight higher education\u2019s role in delivering accessible, career-focused pathways that lead to upward mobility.<\/p>\n

\u201cAffordability remains one of the biggest barriers to student success. We\u2019re redesigning our systems so students aren\u2019t just getting into college \u2014 they\u2019re staying, completing, and stepping into family-sustaining careers. That means tackling child care, transportation, housing, and emergency aid alongside academics,\u201d said Lowery-Hart.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s TribFest, held November 13\u201315 in downtown Austin, convened policymakers, educators, journalists, and community leaders for conversations on the most pressing issues facing Texas. ACC is a proud sponsor of the annual event, which brings critical statewide policy discussions directly to the heart of Central Texas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Austin Community College District (ACC) Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart joined state and national workforce leaders for an in-depth conversation on the future of Texas\u2019 talent pipeline at the 2025 Texas Tribune Festival (TribFest), one of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3930,"featured_media":52555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,12,13,19],"tags":[4301,4302,3055,3056],"class_list":["post-52554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-announcements","category-business-and-community","category-current-students","category-students-and-alumni","tag-chancellor-dr-russell-lowery-hart","tag-jpmorganchase","tag-texas-tribune","tag-tribfest"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3930"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}