The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

We are pleased to present a selection of our work from the past month.

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Publications

The following publications were created in partnership with Shared Success grantee Northern Initiatives.

• Creating Good Jobs: Budgeting for Benefits
• Developing your Employee Handbook

Click here to view more publications.

Commentary

• Local Leaders Advancing Workforce Development by Maureen Conway and Dee Wallace, Workforce Leadership Academies
• Moving Beyond a “Marriage” to Education by Chelsea Miller, UpSkill America
• The Human in the Machine — at Work by Liba Wenig Rubenstein, Future of Work Initiative
• Power, Agency, and Autonomy: The Future of Worker Voice by April Verrett, President, SEIU, for our series, “Back to the Future of Work: Revisiting the Past and Shaping the Future”
• As Temperatures Soar, Heat Protections for Workers Can’t Wait by Maxwell Johnson
• To improve economic opportunity, we need better transit by Maxwell Johnson

Click here to view more commentary.

Videos

Feeling the Heat: Workplace Safety in a Warming World

• Tragedy Leads to New Heat Protections in Oregon — Reyna Lopez, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste
• Extreme Heat Is a Workplace Responsibility — Jon Esformes, Sunripe Certified Brands
• New Indoor Heat Rules Passed: Now Comes Enforcement — Sheheryar Kaoosji, Warehouse Worker Resource Center
• Rising Temperatures: Rising Risks at Work — Rosemary Sokas, Georgetown University

Owning It: Experiences from the Front Lines of Employee Ownership, from the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, hosted in partnership with the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing

• Building Financial Security through Ownership – Sarah St.Onge, Admix
• A Workplace Where Everyone is Taking Care of One Another – Adrian Flores, Accent Landscape Contractors
• A Place Where My Ideas Are Heard – Ashley Bell, A Few Cool Hardware Stores
• A Cooperative That Gives Workers a Voice – Juan Carlos Lopez, Cooperative Home Care Associates

Strengthening Small Business Through Employee Ownership, from the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, hosted in partnership with the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing

• Truck Drivers Who Think Like Owners — Rachel Hockenberger, Parman Holding Companies
• Teaching People to Own Their Lives — Kevin Clegg, Clegg Auto
• Yes, Small Companies Can Be ESOPs — Sean Tamba Matthew, SES ESOP Strategies

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Podcasts

• Feeling the Heat: Workplace Safety in a Warming World
• Making Skills the Currency of Opportunity, featuring UpSkill America Senior Director Haley Glover, for RedThread Research’s Workplace Stories podcast

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In the News

What If Employers Gave Workers Their Learning Records? Writing for Lifelong Learning Edge on Substack, Wendy Palmer cites findings from “Employer Insights on Digital Credentials and Skills Profiles: Lessons Learned” by UpSkill America Senior Director Haley Glover.

Desire to Make Change at Scale Drove Miller to Clinton School. Writing for the University of Arkansas’ Clinton School of Public Service, Dwain Hebda profiles alum Chelsea Miller, highlighting her interests, experiences, and professional journey to UpSkill America, where she now serves as associate director.

Newsletters

• From the Forum — Small Business, Community, and Local Ownership
• Job Quality Newsletter — Rest Is Essential Work
• From the Forum — Experiences from the Front Lines of Employee Ownership
• Upcoming Events — Summer & Fall 2025
• Economic Opportunities Program Monthly Digest — July 2025

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Upcoming Events

• September 4 — The Future of Equal Opportunity (online).
• October 20-21 — Aspen Ideas: Economy (Newark, New Jersey).

Click here to view more events.