Robert Shimkoski Jr. lives in Detroit Michigan and is the Director of Planning and Resource Development for the Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation (DESC), a Michigan Works! Agency that administers Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) Programs in the city of Detroit. He holds a B.S. in Public Administration from the University of Scranton and a M.A in English from Wayne State University. He has served as a volunteer with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and worked for the city of Detroit’s Workforce Development and Housing Departments and several non-profits.  He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the United Community Housing Coalition, President of the Board of Directors for the Mary Turner Center for Advocacy and is a board member for several other organizations.   He has also completed a fellowship with the Aspen Institute’s Detroit Workforce System Leadership Development Academy.