Unlock Hidden Talent: Workforce Solutions for CNY Employers 

REGISTER FOR EVENT HERE. 

Struggling to find qualified talent or improve workforce retention? 

Join CNY SHRM for a dynamic sessions highlighting powerful workforce solutions available to local employers. 

Learn how regional One-Stop Career Centers, through the Workplace Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), can support your hiring, training, and workplace development needs. 

You'll learn about resources that help remove employment barriers - such as transportation and childcare support - connecting businesses with motivated, often overlooked talent pools. 

Walk away with practical tools, new partnerships, and strategies to strengthen your workforce in today's competitive labor market. 

Event Details:

• Date: November 19, 2026
• Location: OneGroup | 706 N Clinton Street, Syracuse, NY 13204
• Registration: 8:30am
• Program Time: 9-10:30am
• In-person

Event Cost: 

• Member: $50
• Future Member: $60
• Student/Transitional: $40

This event is pending 1 HRCI/SHRM credit. 

Speakers (from left to right): 

Rosemary Avila
Chief Executive Officer, CNY Works - Onondaga County Work Development Board

Rosemary Avila is the Executive Director of the Onondaga County Workforce Development Board and Career Center—CNY Works, based in Syracuse, New York. In this role, she leads the design, implementation, and oversight of workforce development programs serving youth, adults, dislocated workers, and individuals with disabilities under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), including year-round and summer youth employment initiatives funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. During her tenure at CNY Works, she also directed the Syracuse Build initiative while it was housed within the organization.

Rosemary brings a wealth of experience across multicultural settings, the private sector, non-profit organizations, and both federal and local government. Prior to her current position, she served as Executive Director of the Tompkins County Workforce Development Board, where she managed WIOA-funded programs, services for individuals with disabilities, and the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).

Rachel Pierce
Executive Director, Workplace Development Board of Oswego County 

Rachel Pierce is the Director of Workforce Development for Oswego County Workforce New York and serves as Executive Director for the Oswego County Workforce Development Board. In this role, she oversees many work readiness and training services for jobseekers and collaborates with businesses and community partners to meet the current future workforce needs. 

Rachel also sits on numerous boards and committees to support training programs, transportation expansion, economic development, and childcare. She is a proud advocate of the ACT WorkKeys assessments and Oswego County’s designation as a Work Ready Community, the first in the Northeast. Rachel is a lifelong resident of Fulton, raising her two young daughters that keep her incredibly busy.