Organization Name:
KentuckianaWorks
Executive Leader Name/Title:
Michael Gritton, Executive Director
and
Tera N. West, Deputy Director
Website:
Tell us about your organization’s mission and the communities you serve:
KentuckianaWorks, the workforce development board for the Louisville region—including Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble counties—is funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Labor (WIOA Funding), and Louisville Metro Government. Our mission is to engage employers, educators, and job seekers with resources that build a stronger community through meaningful work. Guided by our vision of a fully prepared workforce aligned with employer needs, we prioritize racial equity, career pathways to middle-class wages, and workforce alignment by equipping students and adults with the skills that local employers require.
Building Stronger Futures Through Workforce Alignment in Louisville
For more than two decades, Michael Gritton has led KentuckianaWorks with a steady hand, guiding Louisville’s workforce development board through growth, diversification, and change. Under his leadership, the team has tripled in size and strengthened its ability to connect talent with opportunity across all counties we serve (Listed Above). Alongside Deputy Director Tera N. West, he continues to champion the organization’s mission of engaging employers, educators, and job seekers with resources that build strength and hope through the dignity of work.
That mission came into sharp focus last year when KentuckianaWorks, together with nine other workforce boards in Kentucky, secured support from the state legislature through House Bill 1. For the first time, state resources were dedicated to helping young adults connect to quality jobs. With a goal of placing more than 3,000 young people into meaningful work by 2026, the initiative reflects the organization’s drive to build career pathways that are sustainable, responsive, and life-changing.
KentuckianaWorks sees its membership in Midwest Urban Strategies as a natural extension of this work. MUS is a place where collaboration is intentional, and the exchange of ideas leads to real results. Conversations with peers in Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and even as far as Boston, D.C., and Georgia have sparked new approaches that come back to Louisville and strengthen local programs. Just as important, MUS provides a platform where KentuckianaWorks can align with others who share a commitment to economic mobility, skill building, and preparing future generations for success.
For KentuckianaWorks, being part of MUS is about belonging to a community of practice that makes them stronger and more effective. With a legacy of leadership and an eye on the future, they remain focused on aligning talent with opportunity and inspiring hope through work that matters.
ABOUT KENTUCKIANAWORKS
KentuckianaWorks is the workforce development board for the Louisville region, connecting adults, youth, and employers with training, career services, and resources that build skills, strengthen talent, and create pathways to meaningful work
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the author’s articles featured in this newsletter are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Midwest Urban Strategies nor do they represent the views of any federal funding agency. Inclusion of these articles does not imply endorsement by Midwest Urban Strategies.
