Introducing: Jillana Finnegan, Executive Director of Strategic Projects, College of Western Idaho Describe the business/organization you work for: College of Western Idaho opened its doors as the Treasure Valley's first community college in 2007. Today, we serve over 30,000 students annually. CWI serves community members at any stage of life's path with these educational programs: Dual Credit: Get a head start on your college education, explore your interests, and save time and money while in high school. Academic Transfer: Build the right foundation for a career pathway or to transfer by earning an associate degree. Career & Technical: Engage in fast-paced, hands-on, and focused training to gain the competitive edge employers are seeking. Workforce Development: Rapidly acquire career-focused skills to facilitate employment, retrain, or advance in your career. Adult Education: Gain life-changing, essential skills to reach your goals and succeed, such as completing a GED or improving literacy skills. What sets this business apart from others in the industry? CWI change's the trajectory of lives for generations to come. We offer: Open, affordable access unparalleled in the Treasure Valley. Student-centered commitment, adapting to meet students where they are. Career-oriented outcomes to provide students a competitive edge. Share something you love about Idaho, or a specific community you serve, or any special projects you would like to share with our followers, or even something specific you love or want to share about the company you represent. CWI students are the most hardworking and tenacious I have ever met. They are from all walks and stages of life. There is no typical CWI student, except that most are managing multiple responsibilities and challenges that could easily make them quit on their education. Instead, it seems to fuel their determination to continue. What inspired you to join the ITC? The two strategic projects I am leading right now are related to growing the tech workforce. I support our partnership with Micron to train more technicians and am the chair of CWI's AI Committee. Both projects have given me insights into the challenges and opportunities of building the workforce we need right now and predicting what will be needed in the future. I am inspired by ITC's mission to connect the tech community, because I know how vital collaborative and coordinated efforts will be to our success as a State. What are you looking forward to the most about serving as a board member of the ITC? I am looking forward to building relationships with other members and finding opportunities to collaborate. What do you like to do in your free time, or anything else you would like to share with our network? Like most Idahoans, I like to spend my free time with my family, friends, and dogs; ideally enjoying Idaho's beautiful outdoors. Connect with Jillana on LinkedIn HERE Check out CWI on their website HERE

Introducing: Nathan Foss, Account Executive, Lightcast Describe the business/organization you work for: Lightcast connects people with jobs by providing businesses, communities, and education institutions with the best labor market data possible. Our data-driven insight enables better, faster decisions. What sets this business apart from others in the industry? Lightcast prides itself in having the most robust selection of labor market data while also having the most accurate on the market. We combine traditional government labor market information with proprietary real-time labor market information to better understand where there are gaps in the workforce in terms of people, education, certifications, skills and much more. Share something you love about Idaho, or a specific community you serve, or any special projects you would like to share with our followers, or even something specific you love or want to share about the company you represent. Lightcast is proud to be headquartered in Moscow, ID. Being located in Idaho provides unique opportunities and advantages for our business. In Moscow, we are able to have direct access to both the University of Idaho as well as Washington State University. This gives us a chance to cultivate our talent from the ground up, as well as help us grow the region by keeping our students local instead of them having to move out of state for a job. We have partnered with a variety of groups across Idaho to help grow our economy. Some of these groups include the Idaho Technology Council, Idaho Department of Commerce, Idaho Department of Labor, Inland Northwest Partners, and many more.  What inspired you to join the ITC? As a quickly growing data company in Idaho, we are always looking for new connections throughout the state. The ITC provides opportunities to network with other tech companies, get to know our market and region, and learn about potential new partners. What do you like to do in your free time, or anything else you would like to share with our network? I am an avid golfer, and am always looking for some good competition. I believe at this point, I have played a large majority of the courses in Boise, so if you are ever looking for recommendations or some friendly competition, reach out! Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn HERE Check out Lightcast on their website HERE