Membership

Our work is driven by the collaborative efforts of urban workforce development boards (WDBs) across the Midwest, working together to strengthen communities and expand economic opportunity.

What is MUS Membership?

Midwest Urban Strategies offers a unique collaborative network that connects urban workforce development organizations across the Midwest, fostering innovative solutions and sharing best practices to enhance regional economic growth.

By joining our organization, members gain access to a wealth of resources, including expert insights, funding opportunities, and powerful partnerships, all aimed at driving meaningful change in their communities.

Together, we are dedicated to creating a more skilled and prosperous workforce, making Midwest Urban Strategies the ideal partner for organizations committed to making a difference in the urban landscape.

Member Resources

Member Categories

Affiliate Member

  • Affiliate members are organizations that share an interest in the work of the public workforce system (and/or operate local systems) and support the vision and mission of MUS. They are aligned with organizations that collaborate with workforce development boards and share the values of the membership.  

MUS Member

  • MUS members are a consortia of Midwest workforce development boards spearheading innovative practices that drive economic prosperity for all. With an intentional focus on underserved/under-resourced communities, the consortium aims to leverage resources, best practices, networking, tools, and technology to advance employment and economic opportunity.
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Our Member Organizations

DESC - Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation

Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation (DESC) became the city of Detroit’s workforce agency in 2012. DESC is part of the Michigan Works! Association anda proud partner of the American Job Center network. DESC regularly partners with political and community leaders, employers, community-based organizations, and stakeholders to raise awareness regarding education and workforce issues facing Detroit residents. DESC serves as the fiscal and administrative entity that provides workforce employment and training services for the City of Detroit. DESC reports to the Mayor’s Workforce Development Board (MWDB), which was appointed by the Mayor of the City of Detroit and is responsible for developing the strategy for Detroit’s workforce development service delivery system.

City Of Minneapolis Employment & Training

Minneapolis Employment and Training administers a variety of employment and training programs under the direction of the Mayor, City Council, and Minneapolis Workforce Council. Minneapolis Employment and Training is the administrative entity and staff to the Minneapolis Workforce Council. City programs under the oversight of the Workforce Council include services for low-income adults, dislocated workers, and youth. In Minneapolis, these services are delivered to job seekers and businesses by community-based organizations that have been competitively evaluated and selected based on their ability to effectively serve target groups and achieve employment-related outcomes, including both placement and support for retention in employment.

The Full Employment Council (FEC)

The Full Employment Council Inc. (FEC) is the administrative entity and fiscal agent for two workforce development boards: Kansas City & Vicinity Workforce Development Board and Eastern Jackson County Workforce Development Board. FEC is a business-led private nonprofit corporation whose mission is to obtain public and private sector employment for the unemployed and underemployed residents of the greater Kansas City area. FEC accomplishes this goal by working in collaboration with businesses, local units of government, educational institutions, labor organizations, and community-based organizations. This partnership responds to employer needs while reducing unemployment and underemployment of area residents.

The Northwest Indiana Workforce Board

The Northwest Indiana Workforce Board is a 27-member business member led board representing seven counties of Northwest Indiana including Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton, Jasper, Starke, and Pulaski counties. The board incorporated in 2005 as a non-profit board working in partnership with Local Elected Officials covering each of the seven counties. As part of its infrastructure, the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board has contracted with the Center of Workforce Innovations, Inc. to serve as the board staff, as the One Stop Operator, and to provide some services of Title 1 of WIOA.

EmployIndy

EmployIndy has transitioned to focus on target impact areas to create a more community-driven initiative, becoming a hub for targeted populations and those who have given up hope in the possibility of entering or re-entering the workforce. Establishing a more neighborhood-focused form of workforce development will be designed by both increasing the implementation of resources in local community centers and reducing barriers for residents so they may have access to career pathways and gain the necessary skills to excel in the workforce. This strategy presents employers with qualified candidates to fulfill their hiring needs. This ABC (Any Job, Better Job, Career) Approach exemplifies the transitional goal for both workers and employers, realizing that having access to a career and skilled workers is a journey, not just a destination.

Employ Milwaukee

Employ Milwaukee (EMI) was established in 1989 and is the largest Workforce Development Board in Wisconsin, serving the most diverse racial and economic area in the state. Governed by a board of 36 leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, EMI employs 72 workforce development professionals, coordinates industry leaders across five sector-based advisory boards, and administers an annual budget of over $20 million. The board conducts data tracking and case management for its monthly quantitative and narrative reports to its 20+ funding and government partners. EMI has established an Industry Advisory Board (IAB) operating model around key industry sectors and occupations. Employer and industry representatives drive the alignment of EMI’s talent sourcing and skill development strategies to respond to the current workforce and labor market needs.

Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership

Created in 2012, The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership) is an umbrella organization operating the public workforce system in the City of Chicago and Cook County. The Partnership combines federal and philanthropic resources to broaden the reach and impact of workforce development services for both employers and job seekers. As the largest non-profit workforce development system in the nation, The Partnership has helped place more than 70,000 individuals in employment, collaborated with more than 2,000 employers, and administers more than $300 million in federal and philanthropic funds. The Partnership’s network of more than 50 community-based organizations, 10 American Job Centers, and sector-driven workforce centers serve 132 municipalities.

https://chicookworks.org/

Stark Tuscarawas Workforce Development Board

The mission of the Stark Tuscarawas Workforce Development Board is to assist area businesses in meeting their workforce needs by coordinating the workforce development activities of the numerous employment, education, and economic development entities in the region. The OhioMeansJobs One-Stop System strives to act as a consolidated employment resource for all partner programs, employers, and job seeker customers while supporting the mission of the Workforce Development Board. These platforms provide free services made possible through funds provided by the U.S. Department of Labor and operated locally by the Stark Tuscarawas Workforce Development Board and the Stark and Tuscarawas Boards of County Commissioners.

Aspire Workforce Initiative

The Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio serves the city of Columbus and Franklin county. The Board serves the residents and employers in their workforce region, connecting them to training and supportive services and coordinating the planning and convening of workforce system partners from throughout the region. Operating in a collaborative service delivery model, the Board contracts with ResCare to convene three trusted workforce system partners to deliver services to job seekers and incumbent workers. Those system partners include the Urban League, Goodwill, and Jewish Family Services.

Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas

The Workforce Alliance is the Local Workforce Development Board, Administrative Entity and Program Administrator for US Department of Labor Education and Training programs in Local Area IV of Kansas, which includes Butler, Cowley, Harper, Kingman, Sedgwick and Sumner counties. It is a proud partner of America’s Job Center Network and Kansansworks.com. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was signed into law in 2014 and is comprised of multiple titles that provide federal job training programs and adult education programs into block grants. The Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) assures WIOA funds and operations are invested in workforce development activities that address the needs of employers and job seekers in South Central Kansas. Currently, the LWDB operates One Stop Workforce Centers in El Dorado, Winfield, Wellington, and Wichita.

St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE)

The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) offers job seekers and businesses a variety of no-cost employment services, including job training and career counseling. It is the City of St. Louis government agency that offers job seekers and businesses a variety of no-cost services related to employment, training, and career advancement. SLATE, in coordination with the Missouri State Department of Economic Development (DED), Division of Workforce Development (DWD), the City of St. Louis Mayor's office and several partners, operates SLATE Missouri Career Centers, which connect employers to a skilled workforce and provide training and placement services to the City's adult workforce.

Workforce Council of Southwest Ohio

The Workforce Council of Southwest Ohio is a 501c3 Ohio chartered nonprofit organization. The Workforce Council of Southwest Ohio implements the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The board is responsible for developing strategies to engage employers, employees, government, education, organized labor and community-based organizations in a partnership to strengthen and expand the workforce resources of the region for the benefit of all the participants and communities where we live, work and raise our families. The SWORWIB sets the vision, policy, and performance expectations for the regional OhioMeansJobs (OMJ) workforce development system In Cincinnati-Hamilton County.

Center of Workforce Innovations

Center of Workforce Innovations is a multi-management nonprofit workforce development organization with its finger on the pulse of employment, education, and economic development. They are a catalyst for community and business investment in workforce, education, and economic development building and enhancing collective capacity to succeed in a new global economy.

Understanding challenges associated with aligning workforce skills to meet the needs of employers, and elevating talent for emerging next generation jobs, CWI is poised and ready to provide solutions and implementation processes.

Consider this.  As an organization CWI has a dual purpose.

They serve as an intermediary which is known for its convening community and industry groups to facilitate solutions, providing data and labor market information, offering information about resources, and seeding best practices that help in formulating the solutions. They also directly deliver services such as career advising, provide credit recovery programming, have community learning centers for adult education services while overseeing a network of adult education providers, and they provide oversight for the American Job Centers, known as WorkOne in Indiana.

Commonly known for identifying and implementing best practices, CWI has administered more than 40 public and private ventures intended to improve the quality of the workforce, enhance the business climate, and ensure the realization of a higher quality of life.

While remaining a driver of workforce development in NW Indiana, CWI strategic priorities are on empowering its regional workforce through high quality career advising, skill building and efforts to increase post-secondary credential attainment.

The Workforce Alliance

The Workforce Alliance, initially established in 2016 among six workforce boards in North Florida and South Georgia to break down barriers for job seekers while helping employers hire and retain skilled workers, expanded in FY 2020-2021 with two additional Florida boards and Southeast AlabamaWorks.

The Workforce Alliance is now the first tri-state alliance in the southeast, with nine workforce boards serving 76 counties, thoughout North Florida, South Georgia and Southeast Alabama.

Southwest Indiana Workforce Board

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in.gov/dwd

The Southwest Indiana Workforce Board is comprised of business and community organization representatives in Southwest Indiana. The Board oversees the workforce development initiatives and the WorkOne Southwest offices in Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.

South Central Region 8 Workforce Board, Inc.

The South Central Region 8 Workforce Board, Inc. (WDB) is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation which has oversight of employment and training programs in the following eight counties: Brown, Daviess, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange and Owen. The WDB serves as a pass through entity providing employment and training programs in the Economic Growth Region 8 using a variety of state and federal grant resources, including those available through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Re-employment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA), Adult Education WorkINdiana Training Program, Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), Business Services.The WDB is governed by a volunteer board that will initiate program directives and provide oversight and guidance on program operations. Crowe, LLP serves as the Board's Fiscal Agent.

https://www.in.gov/dwd/workonesouthcentral/resources/

Kentuckiana Works

KentuckianaWorks is the workforce development board for the Louisville region, which includes Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble counties. We are funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (through the Kentucky Education Workforce Development Cabinet) and Louisville Metro Government.

We operate a regional network of Kentucky Career Center services that includes job and career counseling, training, resume-building and direct referral to employers.

Our 2021 Strategic Plan lays out our priorities as an organization. We have also developed a Regional Plan for the Central Kentucky region's workforce as well as a Local Plan, both of which are required by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

In January (Indiana) and May 2021 (Kentucky), we submitted a draft Bi-State Regional Plan for review. This plan, among the first of its kind in the nation, lays out a framework for KentuckianaWorks and Southern Indiana Works to share data and collaborate across the 13 counties that comprise the Louisville region. It is designed to improve the responsiveness to the needs of the region's employers, job seekers, and students. 

Visionz | Support Education Empowerment

Urban and low income youth, especially in Detroit, face a staggering, potentially life-threatening life skills and technology gap. They have lower internet connectivity, fewer computers at home, abysmal access to technology in schools, and they shoulder significant opportunity challenges outside the classroom. Acquiring the life skills that will close these gaps, unfortunately, is a luxury. The Visionz Project plans to close this gap by providing these youth with skills training, education and life support, direct work experience and mentoring relationships.The Visionz Project is a highly interactive training, experiential learning and support program that uses technology, instructor-led classroom training and career exploration activities to teach low income and at-risk youth life skills to help them succeed in life

Career Solutions

Career Solutions is an employment and training organization. For over thirty years, through career counseling, job training, and business relationships, we’ve helped entry-level to experienced workers – youth to adults – train for and gain meaningful self-sustaining employment.

Southeast Alabama Workforce Board

MUS Member Spotlight: Visionz Group, LLC

Organization Name: Visionz Group, LLC

Executive Leader/Title: Christopher Rivers, Founder and CEOEmail: crivers@visionzgroup.com
Secondary Contact: Preston Howell, Director of Innovation
Secondary Contact Email: phowell@visionzgroup.com
Website: www.visionzgroup.com

Social Media Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-rivers-visionz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visionzgroup/
Twitter: https://x.com/visionzgroup

About the Organization Visionz Group empowers young people and adults to not only succeed in the moment but to sustain that success throughout their lives. We provide access to critical life skills, practical workforce readiness training, and personal development strategies that prepare individuals to thrive in any environment. Through cutting-edge tools, engaging and culturally responsive curriculum, and a nurturing learning climate and culture, we equip participants with the mindset, skills, and confidence to overcome barriers, seize opportunities, and achieve lasting personal and professional growth.

Visionz is driving change in some of the nation's most underserved and high-potential communities. They are steadily expanding their footprint across Detroit and Southeastern Michigan, building on a proven track record of measurable impact. Their work also includes transformative programming with Dallas County Juvenile Detention in Texas, where they've equipped justice-involved youth with the skills, confidence, and mindset needed for lasting change. They are equally committed to empowering future leaders through their ongoing partnership with Grambling State University, where they deliver annual Leadership Development Conferences for Career Development students. Fueled by a mission to open doors and create pathways to opportunity, they are energized to bring their proven model to new markets, touching more lives, strengthening communities, and helping individuals achieve sustained success, no matter where they start!!

Key Services and Programs Visionz Group is a specialized soft and life skills training organization committed to transforming lives and communities. They specialize in empowering justice-involved, at-risk, and underserved individuals to achieve lasting personal growth and career success.

Through a comprehensive suite of outcome-driven workshops, one-on-one and group mentoring, and intensive case management, Visionz equips participants with essential soft skills, job readiness training, and direct career placement support. Their programs are designed to meet people where they are, whether they are youth navigating their first job, young adults seeking stability, or returning citizens rebuilding their lives, and are delivered through a strengths-based, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive approach.

Visionz partners with a robust network of employers to create direct hiring pipelines, ensuring participants not only gain employment but also receive the ongoing coaching and retention support needed to thrive in the workplace. With an expanding portfolio of digital learning tools and hybrid training models, Visionz extends its reach beyond the classroom, providing flexible, accessible pathways to success.

Success Stories Through our work at Visionz Group, we've been privileged to witness incredible transformations, stories of resilience, determination, and the life-changing impact of targeted support. While there are many, two stand out as powerful examples of why we do what we do.

Eric Bledsoe's story is one of perseverance against all odds. Released from prison at the age of 32 after serving 17 years, having entered the system at just 15, Eric returned to a community where he had no identification, no family support, and no social or professional skills to help him navigate life outside. The challenges were immense; the world had changed dramatically, and Eric was essentially starting from zero. Through the Visionz Group's intensive training, hands-on support, and connection to vital resources, Eric began rebuilding step by step. Within 45 days, he obtained all of his vital documents, secured employment in construction with the City of Detroit, and began shaping a new vision for his life. Two years later, his hard work and dedication propelled him into a leadership role as a Supervisor in the City's General Services Department. Today, while thriving professionally, Eric is also pursuing a degree in criminal justice, transforming his lived experience into a platform for future impact.

Ashjunaria Townsend's journey is equally inspiring. Before joining the C.H.O.I.C.E.S Program, facilitated by Visionz Group in partnership with Detroit Employment Solutions, her life was marked by instability, frequent incarceration, and survival-driven decisions. The program's structured focus on emotional intelligence, soft skills, and personal responsibility gave her the tools and mindset to chart a new path. Through workshops, mentoring, and consistent accountability, Ashjunaria developed time management, communication, and goal-setting skills that she applied to her education. Her commitment paid of;, she earned her Associate's Degree in Cybersecurity from the University of Phoenix and is now pursuing an internship with U.S. Senator Gary Peters' office. Her journey reflects the powerful combination of personal determination and the right support system in unlocking potential and creating lasting change.

Both Eric and Ashjunaria's stories embody the mission of Visionz Group: to meet people where they are, equip them with the skills and resources they need, and empower them to build a better future. They are living proof that with the right opportunities, guidance, and perseverance, individuals can not only rebuild their lives but also rise to positions of leadership, contribute to their communities, and inspire others to do the same.

MUS Membership & Collaboration: Why did you join MUS? We joined Midwest Urban Strategies to gain access to powerful networks, resources, and opportunities that amplify our impact and expand our capacity to serve the community effectively. How has being a part of MUS benefited your organization so far? Becoming an affiliate member of Midwest Urban Strategies (MUS) has been one of the best strategic decisions we've made as a company. This partnership has opened doors to industry leaders, timely information, funding opportunities, and a network of mission-aligned organizations. As a smaller organization, Visionz has gained access to tools and resources that are often reserved for much larger entities. Beyond the tangible benefits, we've built meaningful connections that continue to strengthen our impact. It's truly helped us evolve and expand our capacity to serve the community more effectively. Through MUS, we've expanded our reach, enhanced our capabilities, and are building partnerships that will directly contribute to better outcomes for the communities we serve.Are there any partnerships or collaborations that have grown from your MUS membership? Initially introduced to Midwest Urban Strategies (MUS) through our contracted partnership with Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation, Visionz Group has since built a strong, independent relationship with MUS, culminating in our affiliate membership. We are proud to announce our role in the Pathway Home 6 Grant, where we will have the opportunity to transform the lives of currently incarcerated individuals through impactful programming and support. We are deeply grateful to MUS for opening the door to this powerful opportunity to expand our reach and change lives.

Fun Fact A fun fact about me is that I've always been driven to help others reach the next level. In the early 2000s, a college friend and I launched Compukidz, a company dedicated to bridging the digital divide by providing digital literacy tools to at-risk populations. In 2007, we sold our proprietary intellectual rights to Microsoft, but my passion for uplifting others never stopped. I later merged that passion with my love for music, becoming a successful high-level music manager working with artists across all genres.

Christopher Rivers

Founder and CEO

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