Milinda Ysasi

Milinda Ysasi

Job Quality Fellow, Class of 2018-19, Economic Opportunities Program

Executive Director, The SOURCE, Grand Rapids, MI

Milinda Ysasi leads The SOURCE, their mission is to reduce employment barriers and create opportunities for mobility for employees that work for their partner organizations. The SOURCE began as an idea by local CEO’s who wanted to retain talent in their companies and understood that talent is a differentiator for success. Their model works with the state of Michigan Department of Health and Human services, private caseworkers and employers by providing navigation and connection supports to employees. Milinda is one of the founding members of WorkLab Innovations – a national network organization that is leading the replication and scale of the “sustainable workforce model”.

Milinda joined The SOURCE in 2015 after an HR career in a variety employment sectors, including healthcare and manufacturing. She is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a B.B.A in management and marketing. Milinda is currently pursuing an executive MBA at Michigan State University.

Milinda is a co-founder of the Latina Network of West Michigan, an organic collective focused on changing the Latina narrative in the region. She is an appointed member to the Civil Service Board, city of Grand Rapids. Additionally she serves as the co-chair for KConnect (collective impact organization) high school to career work group. She has been recognized for her commitment and leadership with the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce ATHENA Young Professional award, the GVSU Alumni Service award, GR Business Journal 40 under forty, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network-GR DoGooder and Exemplary Executive awards and GR Business Journal 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan.

Milinda Ysasi is a member of the Job Quality Fellowship Class of 2018-19. To learn more about the Job Quality Fellows, visit as.pn/jobquality.

The Job Quality Fellowship is part of the Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, a network of leadership and fellowship programs run by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Within this Network, EOP connects national and local leaders from across sectors — nonprofit, government, business, philanthropy, academia, and more — to advance policies and practices with the potential to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/eofn.

Bio updated September 2018.