Philadelphia Works Names First Female Chief Operating Officer

Accelerated change in workforce development revitalizes the organization's need for high-profile role

PHILADELPHIA, March 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- H. Patrick Clancy, president and CEO at Philadelphia Works, Inc., aligned with unanimous board member support, announced that Patricia Blumenauer, former vice president of operations and data, has been promoted to chief operating officer – a powerful addition to the organization's executive leadership team. 

Patricia brings 20 years of experience and knowledge to both the organization and the public workforce system. She is leading organizational change to make data-informed decisions that steer the board's investment strategy, creating accessible paths to good jobs and offering opportunities and support for local job seekers and businesses. 

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, like many industries, workforce development services shifted from a primarily brick-and-mortar, face-to-face experience to a virtual environment. During this time, there was an economic demand to fill 'essential worker' positions, which meant a system-wide infrastructure change that would affect anyone who utilized public workforce resources.

"When we experienced an accelerated degree of service expansion due to the pandemic, Patricia stepped up to the challenge and helped us stretch our operations to meet scale," said Clancy. "With Patricia at the helm of operations, it will allow Philadelphia Works to sustain the programs that we were able to stand up and continue meeting the needs of a rapidly changing job market. Increasing her agency in this space strengthens our mission and sets our local economy up for long-term success."

Patricia has led the charge to obtain, plan, and implement some of the most expansive regional workforce development opportunities of this generation. The Good Jobs Challenge, Apprenticeship Building America, and the CAREER Dislocated Worker initiatives are just a few of the grants awarded to Philadelphia Works under Patricia's guidance, vision, and leadership.   

Philadelphia Works is a hub of talent and with Patricia's commitment to inclusive leadership and strategic partnership, we are confident about the future of both our organization and our regional workforce ecosystem.

About Philadelphia Works

Philadelphia Works invests in solutions and services to grow Philadelphia's economy by connecting employers to workforce talent and career seekers to jobs. We influence the public policies that support economic growth and optimize funding and resources to invest in regional solutions to build a skilled and thriving workforce. For more information about our dedicated board members and staff, workforce research, labor market data, services, and initiatives, and to view success stories, please visit philaworks.org.

Contact: Dawn Thomas
Director, Communications and Outreach
[email protected]
Voicemail: 215-557-2587

SOURCE Philadelphia Works