The Government Performance Lab (GPL) at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University announced today that North Carolina will benefit from the assistance of a government performance expert, at no cost to taxpayers. This new collaboration between the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Harvard Kennedy School marks the first time that the state has been awarded technical assistance by the GPL. North Carolina was one of six jurisdictions selected to receive pro bono technical assistance.
“Employers and other business leaders tell me time and again that their number one need is a well-trained workforce,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “North Carolina’s 80 NCWorks Career Centers connect people with the training and skills required for good-paying jobs. We welcome this collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Government Performance Lab, which will allow us to do even more to prepare North Carolinians for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”
In the new partnership, GPL Assistant Director Sarah Allin will collaborate with N.C. Commerce’s Workforce Solutions team and a pair of local Workforce Development Boards to develop strategies for improving service delivery at NCWorks Career Centers. The ultimate result will be a data-informed model that can be replicated statewide to help jobseekers obtain employment, training and higher wages.
“North Carolina is seeking to better connect residents with jobs by improving the delivery of workforce services,” said Professor Jeffrey Liebman, Malcolm Wiener Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and GPL Director. “We look forward to working with North Carolina’s team to make progress in this important policy area.”
Allin grew up in Winston-Salem, N.C., and earned a BA in Economics and a BA in Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Prior to joining the GPL team, Allin worked on advancing the economic security of vulnerable communities in North Carolina, Arkansas and Mississippi. She has experience managing GPL technical assistance across the Southeast -- supporting GPL’s work through engagements with Florida’s Department of Children and Families, South Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services and Louisville, Kentucky’s Department of Corrections.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to work with professionals at the Department of Commerce in my home state, as they continue to improve the services provided to members of our workforce and employers,” Allin said.