Year Up Appoints Three New Members to Its National Board of Directors

Vertex CEO and President Reshma Kewalramani, Bank of America Human Resources Executive Karen Reardon, and McKinsey & Company Associate Partner Jared Goodman to Help Year Up Scale Its Reach and Impact

BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The national workforce development organization Year Up announced today that it has appointed three new members to its national board of directors, which meets quarterly in support of Year Up's mission to close the Opportunity Divide. Vertex CEO and President Reshma Kewalramani, Bank of America Human Resources Executive Karen Reardon, and McKinsey & Company Associate Partner Jared Goodman attended their first board meeting on September 18, 2023.

"These are seasoned business leaders who have demonstrated strong commitment to advancing equitable access to opportunity," said Year Up Founder and CEO Gerald Chertavian. "Their guidance and expertise will enable Year Up to partner with even more employers in implementing skills-first talent practices and offer more young people pathways to economic sustainability."

Dr. Kewalramani joined Vertex in 2017 and became CEO in 2020. Under her leadership, Vertex has continued to foster its strong culture for inclusion, diversity and equity. She currently serves on the Biomedical Science Careers Program's board of directors, the Massachusetts General Hospital board of trustees, the Boston University School of Medicine Dean's Advisory Board and the Ginkgo Bioworks board of directors. She has been named one of Boston Business Journal's "Power 50," one of Boston magazine's most influential Bostonians, and one of Business Insider's "10 People Transforming Healthcare." She received her medical degree from the Boston University School of Medicine and is a Harvard Business School graduate.

Reardon joined Bank of America in 1996 and serves as HR executive for Merrill Wealth Management, The Private Bank and Regional Banking. She oversees leadership development, talent acquisition, learning, employee relations, compensation, diversity and inclusion, change management, manager effectiveness and performance management. Reardon graduated from the University of Illinois and from Harvard Business School's Strategic Human Resources Management Program.

Goodman focuses on international development, climate, energy, infrastructure, and public/social sector strategy at McKinsey's Washington, DC office. He has helped emerging economies navigate the climate and energy transitions as well as promote economic and sustainable development. Previously, he worked as an advisor to both the Deputy Secretary and Counselor of the U.S. Department of State during the Obama Administration. Goodman received an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MPA in International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a B.S. from Duke University. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Nationwide, 80 percent of Year Up graduates are employed or attending college within four months of completing the program, with average starting salaries of $52,000/year. In May 2022, the federally-sponsored Pathways for Advancing Careers and Education (PACE) follow-up evaluation of Year Up showed that in the six years post-program, young adults randomly assigned to Year Up earned 30 percent more compared with similar young adults in a control group — the largest impact on earnings reported to date for a workforce program tested in a randomized controlled trial.

About Year Up Inc.
Year Up is a national 501(c)3 workforce development organization committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults—no matter their background, income, or zip code. Year Up utilizes a high-expectations, high support model where students learn in-demand technical and professional skills to help them effectively navigate a modern work environment. Year Up has served more than 40,000 young adults across 35 campuses since its founding in 2000 and has been voted one of the "Best Non-Profits to Work For" by The NonProfit Times. To learn more, visit http://www.yearup.org, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

CONTACT: Lauren Peachey, [email protected]

SOURCE Year Up