Front Line Leadership Track

Kelly Aiken is vice president at the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, based in Washington, DC. Working in collaboration with its network of 32 urban and rural communities, she oversees a portfolio of strategic initiatives focused on achieving inclusive community prosperity by activating employers to invest in their workers, preparing a competitive workforce, making jobs better and changing systems to be more equitable. She also leads the National Fund’s healthcare initiative, CareerSTAT, a network of healthcare leaders investing in the skills and careers of frontline workers.

With over a decade of experience in healthcare, Ms. Aiken has built and sustained collaborative partnerships to ensure workers have access to career pathways and the support services they need to fill critical vacancies and succeed in today’s rapidly changing workplace. Prior to joining the National Fund, Kelly served as the director of labor and workforce development for the Massachusetts Senior Care Association and director of healthcare initiatives at the Workforce Investment Board of Springfield, Massachusetts. Kelly holds a master's degree in education and community development from the University of California at Davis and a bachelor’s degree in environmental design from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Medicine Technology from Rhode Island Hospital, and a graduate degree in Health Care Management from Cambridge College.

Megan Guido is the Chief Marketing & Community Relations Officer at Pullman Regional Hospital, where she teaches Color Code at new employee orientation every month. She is a certified Color Code trainer and conducts Color Code workshops for professional and community organizations. Listen and subscribe to her podcast “What’s your MO in healthcare?” at moinhealthcare.com on Apple podcasts and Podbean. You can learn more at www.colorcode.com or if you are interested in holding a Color Code workshop for your team, please contact her at megan@moinhealthcare.com. Additionally, Megan is a certified life coach and speaks on generations in the workplace and pushing through adversity.

MJ Ryan is the senior director for workforce development and economic opportunity for Partners HealthCare, where she has held various clinical, teaching and management positions. MJ currently leads a small team that complements hospital-based workforce initiatives and fosters system-wide collaborations with key partners and stakeholders involved in skill development and job readiness training for community residents, (youth and adult), and career advancement opportunities for Partners’ incumbent workforce. Over the past decade, Partners incumbent worker initiatives have focused on innovative strategies to increase access to higher education and career advancement through digital learning, coaching and flexible options for working adults.

MJ is an active participant in multiple local, state, and national workforce convenings, and leads several healthcare workforce initiatives. She is the current chair of the Boston Health Care Careers Consortium and member of the MassHires Workforce Investment Board Council and the JVS Boston Advisory Council. Additionally, MJ helped to launch and continues to provide technical assistance for The CareerSTAT Health Care Workforce Academy, an initiative of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. MJ also co-chairs the Direct Care Workforce sub-committee of to the Massachusetts Health Care Collaborative, a newly established statewide initiative to increase access to health care roles leading to family sustaining income for Massachusetts residents. MJ holds a BS degree in Education from University of Maine at Orono, a certificate in Nuclear Medicine Technology from Rhode Island Hospital, and a graduate degree in Health Care Management from Cambridge College.