Nina Pande
Executive Director
Skills for Rhode Island’s Future
AWARD PROFILE
Courageous Thinking and Actions
Nina has always felt a calling to serve others and make a positive impact on individuals, communities, the state, and well beyond. Since she graduated with a master’s degree in social work, Nina immediately set out to address pressing social and economic issues, never afraid of pushing boundaries to make the world a better place. Her career began at the Rhode Island Training School, where she helped countless justice-involved youth recognize their potential through innovative programming that positively impacted families, while simultaneously addressing systemic barriers to success.
Since then, she has served as a leader at several nonprofit organizations where she developed programs for individuals facing challenges – families living in extreme poverty, individuals with disabilities, those with low academic achievement, and individuals for whom English is not their first language – to name a few examples. In 2016, Nina made the decision to serve as the founding Executive Director of Skills for Rhode Island’s Future (SkillsRI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the state’s workforce skills gap by developing programs that meet employer demand while preparing the unemployed and underemployed to get on a path to sustainable careers and upward economic mobility.
Vision and Innovation
In partnership with then Governor Gina Raimondo, former RI DLT Director Scott Jensen, founding Board Chairman William Hatfield, and the Providence Chamber of Commerce, Nina turned the vision of a new statewide employer-demand driven strategy into a reality. In less than six years, the agency has grown to a team of nearly 70 employees working to help community members get on a sustainable career path and ensure local businesses have a pipeline of talent available so they can grow and prosper. Today, SkillsRI boasts more than 180 employer partners and has achieved many milestones: more than 15,000 individuals have received career enhancement services and over 5,200 Rhode Islanders have been placed into jobs or job training programs at an average hourly rate of nearly $19.00, resulting in a $146 million economic impact on the state.
Inspiring Leadership
Nina is a passionate leader whose dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion is evident in all that she does. As a member of the Providence school board for twelve years, Nina developed numerous programs aimed at closing the achievement gap among low-income students and insisted on equitable opportunities for all youth. In addition, Nina has served on numerous nonprofit boards and statewide committees charged with improving outcomes for underserved populations while tackling the systems that perpetuate unfair outcomes for some and prosperity for others.
Under Nina’s leadership, SkillsRI has been voted one of the “Best Places to Work in Rhode Island” several years in a row and was recently selected to receive the Providence Business News’ 2021 Editors Choice Community Impact Award through their annual Diversity & Inclusion Awards ceremony. Last month, Nina Pande was one of only 40 women in Rhode Island to be honored as one of Leadership Rhode Island’s 2022 Inspiring Leaders at its “Threads of Leadership” Awards Luncheon.
Community Mindedness
SkillsRI is a true community resource, supporting local employers while inspiring better futures for both youth and adults. SkillsRI has developed job readiness training programs designed to increase access to equitable employment opportunities through customized solutions targeting various populations such as individuals with disabilities, those previously incarcerated, veterans, and individuals with limited English proficiency.
Through the agency’s “workABILITY” initiative, SkillsRI has developed partnerships with a host of employers open to hiring individuals of all abilities, furthering inclusion and diversity in the workplace while making a meaningful difference in people’s lives. It is also a top priority for the agency to connect to the state’s young people and better understand their personal, academic, and professional needs for growth. Through SkillsRI’s PrepareRI high school and first-generation college internship programs, 1,381 young people have completed rigorous paid summer internship programs intended to prepare them for the real-world of work while teaching valuable essential and technical skills.
JA Mission Moment
As an agency dedicated to delivering high quality career exploration and year-round work-based experiential learning programs in the K-12 space, the partnership between Skills for Rhode Island’s Future (SkillsRI) and Junior Achievement of Rhode Island (JA) is an important one. I have always had deep admiration for JA’s mission, and it’s been inspiring to join their annual JA Inspire career fair and see first-hand the thousands of eight graders from across the state excitedly participate to learn about future opportunities and start thinking about their own careers. As our partnership continues to grow, I know we will continue to inspire students to learn about various careers in high growth industries and am confident that we will build local talent, strengthen education and create bright futures for students.