Nneka K. Carter-Young, MBA is a workforce development leader, systems thinker, and doctoral researcher exploring one of the defining questions of our time: How must workforce systems evolve when artificial intelligence changes the nature of work itself?

For more than 30 years, Carter-Young has worked at the intersection of workforce development, economic development, education, and community change. Her experience spans leadership roles in youth development, higher education, nonprofit management, economic development, and workforce innovation. Today, she leads initiatives at Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation focused on removing barriers to employment and expanding economic mobility for individuals and families.

As a doctoral candidate in Education, Leadership, and Innovation, Carter-Young challenges the assumption that workforce systems designed for previous economic eras are equipped to meet the realities of the future economy. Her research examines how organizational design, leadership practices, and collective impact strategies can help communities respond to rapid technological change while expanding opportunity for those historically left behind.

Central to her work is the belief that every major economic transformation has required society to rethink how people are prepared for work. The Industrial Age transformed entrepreneurs into factory workers. The Information Age elevated technical expertise and formal education. The rise of artificial intelligence may require something different—adaptable thinkers, problem-solvers, creators, and entrepreneurs. Yet many workforce organizations continue to operate with structures, roles, and assumptions designed for a different era.

Carter-Young's research explores how communities can redesign workforce systems to prepare people not only for jobs, but for participation in a rapidly changing economy. She is particularly interested in how collective impact, organizational redesign, and cross-sector collaboration can help communities of color build economic resilience, create new pathways to prosperity, and ensure that the next economic transformation creates opportunity rather than deepening existing inequities.