Crystal Bridgeman,

Senior Director, Workforce Development Programs Siemens Foundation

Biography:
Crystal Bridgeman is the Senior Director of Workforce Development Programs for the Siemens Foundation, leading a multi-million dollar investment to help close the opportunity gap for young adults in the U.S. through STEM technical careers. The Siemens Foundation focuses on promoting the value of STEM middle-skill jobs and credentials; accelerating effective education and training models; and expanding the national dialogue to include the important issues facing the next generation of STEM technical workers. Crystal has more than a decade of professional experience in workforce development and postsecondary education. Immediately prior to joining the Siemens Foundation, Crystal led workforce development issues for former Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). Crystal led the committee work on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, signed into law by President Obama on July 22, 2014, the nation’s cornerstone policy on workforce development. Crystal also managed policy related to career and technical education, adult education, high school reform, and community colleges for the Chairman. From 2007 to 2013, Crystal managed similar policy and funding issues, in addition to work-family employment and labor policies, for U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) as Chairwoman of the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety. She crafted legislation on career pathways for high school students, capacity funding for community college training programs, pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship expansion, training provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and health care workforce provisions in title V of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. She joined Murray’s team as Presidential Management Fellow. Prior to her federal work, Crystal managed a professional development program for graduate students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, helping students translate their academic and professional skills to the needs of non-traditional careers and the regional labor market. She also spent two years in higher education administration in coastal Georgia managing a campus serving non-traditional undergraduate students, including military students, military spouses, dually enrolled high school students and National Guard Challenge program participants. Crystal earned her graduate degree in public administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her undergraduate degree at Mercer University.