Speaker Profile

Brooke DeRenzis is Chief Executive Officer of National Skills Coalition, where she leads the organization’s mission to expand access to skills training, quality jobs and economic opportunity for workers across the United States. With more than 20 years of experience as a coalition builder, policy expert and advocate, she has dedicated her career to advancing workforce development, postsecondary education and economic mobility.

Since joining National Skills Coalition in 2014, DeRenzis has led several of the organization’s most significant initiatives, including the launch of SkillSPAN, the nation’s first network of state workforce coalitions. As the organization’s former Chief Strategy Officer, she directed its policy and advocacy agenda, guided strategic priorities and built partnerships that expanded its national impact.

Before joining National Skills Coalition, DeRenzis served as Project Director at the DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, where she led advocacy efforts on public policy issues affecting working families. She also held research positions with the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program.

DeRenzis holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College. She is based in Washington, D.C.