About Us

Mission

Livable Wage Jobs 501(c)(3) supports making equitable life’s work practical and possible for all by co-creating innovative, inclusive, work-based learning, upskilling, and reskilling programs, crews, and apprenticeships that support livable-wage employment. With deep respect for youth, individuals experiencing disabilities, retirees, justice system involvement, or other social and economic challenges, we design pathways, products, and certificates that expand opportunity and dignity. We advance this work by developing and publishing open-source tools and work-based learning resources, partnering with public agencies and industry. Guided by transparency, stewardship, and accountability, we ensure that every solution we create is relevant, accessible, and current for communities at the edge.

Vision

We envision a future where every person, particularly those facing systemic barriers, can compete for and secure livable-wage employment with confidence. We cultivate a culture of possibility by engaging employers, consistently collaborating with partners and apprentices, and working alongside industry and community-based partners to co-create relevant, rigorous, and accessible work-based learning experiences, pathways, and certifications. Through ongoing outreach to ecosystem partners and practical advocacy, we strengthen the systems that connect learning and work. By applying emerging practices, leveraging technology, building open-source partnerships, and developing work-based learning resources, we aim to be innovative implementers who turn promising ideas into real opportunities for people to shape their life’s work and future.

Values

We are:

• Bold Explorers. We seek new ideas, embrace challenges, and push boundaries to discover better ways forward. 
• Pragmatic and Outcomes-Oriented. We focus on solutions that deliver meaningful, measurable impact. 
• Co-Creators and Partners. We work side-by-side with learners, organizations, and communities to achieve shared goals. 
• Determined and Persistent. We persevere through obstacles with resilience and commitment. 
• Respectful – We honor diverse perspectives, experiences, and contributions. 
• Responsible Stewards. We manage resources with integrity, transparency, and accuracy, ensuring compliance and sustainability in everything we do. 
• Creatively Principled. We innovate with imagination while holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards, never sacrificing quality for shortcuts. 
• Technology forward. We thoughtfully apply digital, data, and AI tools to expand opportunity and access, keeping communities at the center of every decision.

We are guided by:

• Our belief in every person’s right to provide for their family through meaningful, well-compensated work. 
• Our knowledge that everyone’s path is different, and that multiple on-ramps, credentials, and certifications can lead to livable wage careers. 
• Praxis: creativity undergirded by theory and practice, tested in real workplaces with real learners and employers. 
• Our commitment to communities historically excluded from quality learning, credentials, and opportunity. 
• Our dedication to transparency, integrity, and ethical stewardship in everything we do, including how we design, use, and govern data and AI tools. 
• Our pursuit of continuous learning, adaptability, and improvement as technology, labor markets, and community needs evolve. 
• Our focus on measurable outcomes and high-quality, future-ready skills, credentials, and content that translate into real jobs and advancement. 
• Our insistence on accountability, compliance, and verifiable reporting in all programs and partnerships, recognizing that this space is vulnerable to misuse and fraud and choosing to operate well above the minimum bar.

Team

Kelly Cooper works across education, industry, and technology, pulling together ideas and logistics with people, organizations, funding, and tools to make complex projects actually run. She designs career and technical education pathways, courses, and certifications; builds and tests product ideas and prototypes; aligns new technology and work‑based learning with current workforce priorities; and leads data, compliance, and budgeting efforts that support colleges, companies, and communities to create accountable, livable‑wage opportunities.

With more than two decades of teaching computer science and information systems, Kelly has a long track record of making complex technology accessible and useful. She has served as a CIO/CTO in higher education, co-authored books on XML and SVG, and now openly publishes work‑based learning resources that connect tech and math to real jobs. Today she works hands‑on with public and private datasets, AI and analytics, and business analysis tools, drawing on her PMI Agile Certified Practitioner background to support teams moving from concept to execution with clarity and discipline.