Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Aspen Institute
Podcasts, and Videos
Advising Small Businesses on Job Quality: Lessons From CDFIS
Improving job quality doesn’t just benefit workers; it can also strengthen small businesses themselves and the broader communities they serve. Yet, many small business owners lack the resources and knowledge needed to improve the quality of their jobs. Trusted partners, like community development financial institutions (CDFIs), can make a meaningful difference.
Through its Shared Success demonstration, the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program has had the opportunity to learn about the range of strategies CDFI business advisors have employed to encourage job quality among their small business clients. EOP’s job quality advising guide, “Building Shared Success: A Guide to Small Business Job Quality Advising for CDFIs,” was developed in collaboration with business advisors based on this experience. Centered on business value, this guide provides tools, resources, and success stories that can help organizations working with small businesses coach clients on potential job quality improvements that can also enhance business resilience.
This webinar, which EOP hosted on June 26, 2025, features highlights from the guide, as well as insights from CDFI leaders about their approaches to building job quality advising into their work. It features opening remarks from the Aspen Institute’s Maureen Conway and Bryn Morgan, followed by a panel discussion with Amanda Blondeau (Northern Initiatives), Cynthia Murphy (Coastal Enterprises, Inc.), and Delphine Ntegeye (African Development Center).
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.
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“We are delighted to welcome this new class of Fellows,” said UpSkill America Senior Director Haley Glover. “Supporting these leaders, who are joining a thriving community of alumni, to advance in their work and careers creating real value for their organizations and opportunities for their workforces is so rewarding. This is an incredibly impressive group.”
We’re in the last month of our #JobQuality survey. If your org is improving #JobQuality, add your voice to this survey from The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program by December 31st.
The following transcript comes from our webinar, “Backsliding on Child Protections: The Return of Child Labor in the US,” hosted by the Economic Opportunities Program on November 19, 2025.
In this edition of the Job Quality Newsletter, we unpack why manufacturing jobs are often seen as desirable yet don’t consistently deliver on that promise, highlight research that shows how efforts to strengthen businesses can also improve the quality of jobs they provide, and consider how government purchasing power can be used to set higher job standards across the sector.
Leaders must view AI adoption as a development opportunity to redefine how capability is built, focusing on outcomes and consciously reinvesting capacity freed by automation to ensure growth and resilience for both the business and its people.
