Dr. Bret Halverson is a strategic advisor to JobsFirstNYC. Since 1996, he has consulted for workforce development organizations, corporations, and foundations in the areas of program development and executive coaching, including serving as the staff consultant to the New York City Workforce Funders between 2003 and 2019. His prior positions include senior vice president of United Way of New York City, where he managed fundraising activities and a series of public-private partnerships, and director and associate dean of the Research, Demonstration and Policy Division at the Bank Street College of Education, where he developed and directed innovative employment and education projects. Prior to that, Dr. Halverson was a high school teacher and coach at Taupo-nui-a-tia College in New Zealand. He currently serves as the board chair of New Ways to Work in Sonoma County, California. He has also served on the boards of the Community Service Society of New York, Literacy Inc., and the National Youth Employment Coalition and was a Rotary Foundation Fellow. Dr. Halverson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and a master’s degree and PhD from the Graduate School of Geography, Clark University.