The national nonprofit organization CareerWork$®, a signature program of the The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, announced today that Kiana Scott has joined as its first-ever Director of Development to help support the organization’s continued expansion and growing impact of its free career training programs across the country.
CareerWork$ connects young adults from low-income communities to employers in banking and healthcare through its BankWork$® and CareerWork$ Medical® programs to create access to lasting, meaningful careers. Working with local community-based training organizations and employer partners, CareerWork$ provides free, eight-week comprehensive trainings that cover the hard skills for on-the-job success and the soft skills needed to succeed anywhere, and includes placement assistance and ongoing coaching.
Since starting in her newly-created role in May, Kiana works with philanthropies, corporate foundations, and other funders to generate support for CareerWork$’s programs and training partners. She is also building out a fundraising strategy to support CareerWork$’s expansion.
“This is such an exciting time to join CareerWork$,” said Kiana. “The organization has demonstrated national impact, the ability to scale, and the nimbleness of a startup. It’s an impressive team of brilliant people doing work they love and with a shared commitment to serving others. Sheri and Les Biller founded this program with an incredible vision, and since launching as an independent national non-profit, Sherry Cromett has brought the smart, proven leadership necessary to grow this ambitious endeavor. The pandemic amplified a long-standing problem—the huge barrier faced by people who have all the ability and motivations to build careers, but don’t have access to those career opportunities yet. CareerWork$ is that essential bridge. I am excited to help CareerWork$ reach the next phase of our growth and spread our impact even further, and ultimately help more communities thrive.”
Kiana joins CareerWork$ as it continues to expands its presence and impact across the country. Today, it operates its 16 training programs in 13 markets across the country and has helped launch nearly 4,000 careers nationwide. Earlier this year, CareerWork$ announced that it was partnering with the Texas Bankers Association to expand its BankWork$ program across the state.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, CareerWork$ also launched CareerWork$ Ready, a free, online job readiness training, to help job seekers build their confidence and develop their professional skills to support their job search process.
Before joining CareerWork$, Kiana spent a decade working in nonprofit development and strategic communications, most recently advancing higher education at the University of Washington and economic mobility at Raise Wages Now, where she saw first-hand how a steady paycheck can shape a family’s future.
Along with her current work at CareerWork$, Kiana serves as Vice President of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, and is an active civic volunteer. She earned her BA from Williams College, her MPA from the Evans School at the University of Washington, and her MA and PhD in political communication at the University of Washington. While in graduate school, she was appointed the sole student member of the University of Washington Board of Regents.
Outside of work, Kiana loves exploring the Pacific Northwest with her husband and rescue dog, and spending as much time as possible near the ocean.
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