Building Data-Driven Workforce Solutions
Commerce Blog
By Chauncy Lennon, Senior Program Director, Workforce Initiatives JP Morgan Chase Foundation and Member of the Commerce Department's National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE)
December 15, 2014
Last Friday was the kickoff meeting for NACIE 2.0 – the Department of Commerce’s National Advisory Committee on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. I was proud to join my fellow committee members to address global competiveness. Without question, the meeting started in what can only be described as a sprint out of the blocks. We began the morning with Secretary Pritzker asking us what transformational investments and policies the Federal Government facilitate to help communities, businesses, and workers be globally competitive. By the end of the day we were presenting a list of ideas with the potential to answer this charge. Additional comments from Julie Lenzer, Director of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Tom Kalil, Deputy Director of Policy for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, helped frame the opportunities ahead.
A new and welcomed feature of NACIE 2.0 is three subcommittees focusing on innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. I’m looking forward to serving on the workforce subcommittee. At JPMorgan Chase, we’ve just completed the first year of New Skills at Work, a five-year, $250 million global initiative supporting the development of data-driven workforce training and education solutions to help address the mismatch between the needs of employers and the skills of current job seekers.
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It’s an honor to serve with such distinguished members of NACIE and to have a voice in this national conversation about innovation and entrepreneurship. This is an especially personal topic to me. Innovation and entrepreneurship are in my blood – and a part of my heritage. I’m the son of international students from China who sought – and largely achieved – the American dream in Delaware, where I grew up and first discovered my love of science and technology.
Innovation is a huge priority for the Department of Commerce. Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship is one of the five pillars of the strategic plan, and it permeates the activities across the entire department. In April, Secretary Pritzker chaired the first meeting of the President’s Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE), which is a group of successful American businesspeople who have committed to sharing their time, energy, ideas, and experience to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs.
American manufacturing is experiencing a renaissance. Manufacturing jobs are highly technical, well-paid jobs – not the gritty factory jobs of yesteryear. Promoting manufacturing is a major priority for President Obama, Secretary Pritzker, and the Economic Development Administration, which is why the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative is so critical. IMCP is designed to revolutionize the way federal agencies leverage economic development funds by incentivizing the development of comprehensive economic development strategies that will strengthen their competitive edge for attracting global manufacturer and supply chain investments. Through IMCP, the federal government is rewarding best practices – coordinating federal aid to support communities’ strong development plans and synchronizing grant programs across multiple departments and agencies.
It’s hard to believe that another year is nearly behind us. As 2015 approaches, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2014 and all of the great work EDA and our partners have embarked on. I think it’s safe to say that 2014 was an eventful year for the agency. I was honored to be confirmed as the Assistant Secretary and spearhead EDA’s efforts to support the Department of Commerce 
What do you get when you take a $15 million Regional Innovation Strategies program and add 254 applicants requesting more than $100 million in support? You get a very busy Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and compelling evidence that this program is crucial. 
Shortly after being sworn-in as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development in May, I traveled to Anchorage, Alaska on my first official trip. There, I participated in the National Congress of the American Indians’ (NCAI) mid-year conference entitled, “Claiming our Rights and Strengthening our Governance” where I had the opportunity to meet with tribal leaders from across the country and to participate in a focused discussion on the importance of developing modern trust management systems and creating the conditions for economic growth on tribal trust lands.