Marjorie Parker, president and CEO of JobsFirstNYC, is the primary lady of coloration to guide the group.
Picture by Claudia Paul/Claudia Hehr Pictures
JobsFirstNYC has emerged as a beacon of hope for younger individuals searching for significant employment in a metropolis of plentiful alternatives and complicated challenges. Below the management of CEO and President Marjorie Parker, the group has remodeled the lives of greater than 20,000 people, providing progressive options to deal with youth unemployment.
Parker, who immigrated from Jamaica within the Eighties, assumed management of JobsFirstNYC in 2017 after serving as deputy government director. With over 25 years of expertise in youth companies and nonprofit consulting, she has redefined how workforce growth organizations function.
“JobsFirstNYC develops, assessments, and scales progressive financial options,” Parker mentioned. “We collaborate throughout sectors — authorities, philanthropy, nonprofits, and personal employers — to extend financial alternatives and enhance the general well being of communities.”
Parker explained that JobsFirstNYC operates as an incubator and accelerator, connecting communities with essential sources, abilities, and investments whereas offering a platform for impactful contributions. “Consider us as a enterprise capital agency for economically challenged communities,” she mentioned.
Parker’s dedication to illustration in management additionally stands out. As the primary lady and first particular person of coloration to guide JobsFirstNYC, she emphasizes the significance of various voices at decision-making tables. “Illustration issues,” Parker mentioned. “Diversifying management is important to driving significant change and provoking the subsequent technology.”
New York Metropolis is grappling with a major subject: greater than 100,000 younger persons are neither at school nor employed, with the bulk concentrated in 20 under-resourced neighborhoods. JobsFirst NYC addresses this disaster by way of a place-based technique specializing in training, employment, and funding in these communities.
“We companion with over 200 organizations to investigate circumstances and implement options,” Parker mentioned. The group advocates for improved post-secondary training and employment alternatives and outcomes, higher insurance policies and investments, and fosters collaboration amongst native leaders, stakeholders, and employers.
Below Parker’s management, JobsFirstNYC has strengthened its partnerships and elevated funding for packages that ship outcomes. “Up to now 12 months, practically three-quarters of our initiatives obtained extra funding as a consequence of their confirmed success,” she famous.
Parker’s transformative strategy has earned her important recognition. In 2022, she was named a Robin Hood Energy Fund Chief, a Crain’s New York Enterprise Notable Black Chief in 2023, and a Metropolis & State Financial Growth Trailblazer in 2024.
“Serving the neighborhood effectively means enhancing younger individuals’s lives and the financial well being of their neighborhoods,” Parker mentioned.
