Find the Most Qualified Candidates by Putting Skills First
In March 2022, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan enacted a first-in-the-nation executive policy to remove college degree requirements from more than 10,000 public job openings. This groundbreaking policy shift set a precedent for states across the country, highlighting the potential of skills-based hiring to create more inclusive and effective public sector workforces. Skills-based hiring has since been implemented in over 20 states. Additionally, in 2020, President Donald Trump signed an executive order removing unnecessary degree requirements from federal job requirements.
Join us for a discussion with our partner the Cicero Institute and Joe Farren, formerly the Chief Strategy Officer at the Maryland Department of Labor, serving under Former Governor Larry Hogan. Together, they will explore how to remove degree requirements in the public sector and the transformative journey Maryland embarked on to prioritize skills over degrees.
The Cicero Institute is a nonpartisan policy organization focused on fixing broken systems in the public sector. During the webinar, they will showcase their recent playbook, “Find the Most Qualified Candidates by Putting Skills First: A guide to successfully implementing skills-based hiring in the public sector.” The Cicero Institute has developed this step-by-step guide to help governments implement skills-based strategies from defining roles, responsibilities, and goals to encouraging organizational alignment, stakeholder buy-in, and developing a learning curriculum for skills training.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how the State of Maryland navigated challenges and opportunities of removing degree requirements and reimagining hiring practices
- Gain actionable strategies and tools to help you champion skills-based hiring in your organization
Joining us will be:
Michael Brickman
Education Policy Director & Senior Fellow, The Cicero Institute
Michael Brickman is an adjunct fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on higher education and cutting-edge innovation in education reform. He concurrently advises companies, nonprofits, and investors on the innovations that are changing the way we work and learn.
Most recently, Mr. Brickman was a senior adviser to the US under secretary of education. While at the Department of Education, he developed and implemented a government-wide human capital planning transformation (Executive Order 13932) that replaced college degree requirements with hiring based on skills and competencies. He also led several major reforms of federal regulations on accreditation, distance and competency-based education, and employer-education partnerships.
Previously, Mr. Brickman was national policy director of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where he focused on empowering parents and promoting high academic standards. He also served in communications roles where he developed and executed high-profile political, corporate, and issued-based messaging campaigns.
Mr. Brickman led education policy for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, where he worked with parents, promoted job creation, and directed more education funds into the classroom. He is responsible for the development and implementation of the University of Wisconsin Flexible Option, the first public, competency-based college credentials. The effort earned praise across the political spectrum and continues to benefit thousands of students.
Mr. Brickman’s writings have often appeared in daily newspapers across the country. He has an MBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology and a BA in political science from the University of Delaware.
Joe Farren
Former Chief Strategy Officer, Maryland Department of Labor
Joe Farren is a senior public affairs and brand reputation executive who has spent more than 25 years managing large corporate campaigns. Prior to joining Applecart, where he currently serves as a Senior Managing Director, Joe served in the administration of former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan where he helped to craft first-in-the-nation workforce policies that expanded economic opportunity for thousands of workers without college degrees. Previously, Joe served in executive roles at leading communications firms Porter Novelli, Weber Shandwick and WE Communications where he counseled top global brands on complex public affairs challenges that shape political dialogue and impact consumer decision making. Joe began his Washington, DC career at CTIA where he served as the national spokesperson for the mobile phone industry.
Stacey Guber
Visiting Fellow, The Cicero Institute
Stacey Guber is a Visiting Fellow at the Cicero institute. Prior to joining Cicero, she spent 10 years working in the private sector at Slalom Consulting, AllianceBernstein and Morgan Stanley. She is an experienced strategy and leadership professional, with a passion for providing innovative solutions for both public and private sector problems. Stacey received a B.S. in Communications and International Studies from the University of Miami and an M.B.A from the George Washington University School of Business.
Jonathan Wolfson
Chief Legal Officer and Policy Director, The Cicero Institute
Jonathan Wolfson is the Chief Legal Officer and Policy Director at the Cicero Institute. His research at Cicero focuses on healthcare, regulatory reform, and employment policies. He also oversees the Cicero Law & Policy Fellows program. Before joining Cicero, Jonathan led the Policy Office at the U.S. Department of Labor where he managed DOL’s deregulatory efforts and oversaw DOL’s internal policy development think tank. At DOL, Jonathan was a member of the team that developed the President’s Executive Order removing unnecessary college degree requirements in federal hiring.
He previously was a litigator and regulatory attorney at an international law firm. Following law school, he served as a federal appellate law clerk. Before law school, Jonathan was a policy analyst at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Jonathan received an A.B. in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an Olin Law and Economics Fellow and won the John M. Olin Prize for best original law and economics research.
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