Close It Summit names inaugural 2026 SHIFT Legacy Award honorees

By AI, Created 6:46 PM UTC, May 21, 2026, /AGP/ – The Close It Summit honored 10 leaders at its May 3-5 gathering in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with the inaugural SHIFT Legacy Awards for decades of work shaping workforce systems, education and economic mobility. The awards spotlight people whose careers helped expand skills-based hiring, training access and pathways to work.

Why it matters: - The inaugural SHIFT Legacy Awards recognize leaders whose long-term work has influenced how employers, educators and policymakers connect people to jobs. - The honorees collectively represent more than 250 years of service aimed at expanding equitable access to work, learning and economic mobility. - The awards reflect a broader push toward skills-based hiring and workforce systems built around talent, not just credentials.

What happened: - The 2026 Close It Summit took place May 3-5 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. - National leaders in workforce innovation, education and economic mobility gathered to honor the first SHIFT Legacy Award recipients. - Innovate+Educate and Close It Summit created the award to celebrate leaders with more than two decades of impact. - Ten people were named honorees for 2026.

The details: - E. Clarke Porter was recognized for global credentialing systems and skills verification infrastructure. He founded Pearson VUE and Credly. - Ron Painter was recognized for workforce policy and sector partnerships. He led NAWB.org as president and CEO for 14 years and worked on WIOA legislation. - Kathy Mannes was recognized for large-scale workforce partnerships and national initiatives. Her work with Jobs for the Future helped mobilize employers to change workforce strategies. - Dr. Marie Cini was recognized for advocacy on adult learners and prior learning recognition. She previously led the Council for Adults and Experiential Learning and now serves as provost and chief academic officer at the University of the People. - Michelle Cirocco was recognized for second-chance employment and workforce transformation for justice-impacted people. After incarceration in the 1990s, she joined Televerde’s corporate office, earned an MBA from Arizona State University and now leads the Televerde Foundation. - Plinio Ayala was recognized for technology workforce training. He has led Per Scholas since 2003, growing it from one local program to 24 cities and more than 35,000 graduates. - Dr. Appu Kuttan was recognized for technology training and digital access. Through NEF’s collaboration with Skillsoft, the effort has distributed more than one million individualized courses in 29 languages and posted a 92% certification exam pass rate. - Marcos Martinez was recognized for more than 35 years of work in New Mexico workforce systems. He currently serves as deputy secretary of the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. - Geoffrey Roche was recognized for healthcare workforce strategy and leadership development. He is senior vice president of Healthcare Solutions at Risepoint. - Laurie Larrea was recognized for regional talent systems and workforce leadership. She has worked in workforce development for 48 years and led Workforce Solutions Great Dallas for more than 30 years. - Jamai Blivin, founder and CEO of Innovate+Educate and creator of the Close It Summit, said the award honors people who built the field and shaped the future of work through decades of persistence and innovation. - Plinio Ayala said the award reflects the work of the broader Per Scholas community and reinforces the belief that talent exists everywhere. - Marcos Martinez said workforce development is about people first and that the work has reinforced the importance of respect, partnerships and purpose. - Another honoree said the recognition was touching and noted that good jobs are central to building a good life and family. - The quote also credited Innovate+Educate and the Close-It team for the recognition. - The Close It Summit says its annual convening focuses on closing gaps between people and opportunity through skills-based hiring, workforce innovation and equitable access to education and employment.

Between the lines: - The honoree list blends national workforce-policy leaders, educators, nonprofit builders and systems innovators. - That mix signals how workforce change now spans hiring practices, training pipelines, adult learning and regional economic mobility efforts. - The emphasis on legacy suggests the summit is framing workforce reform as a long-term systems effort, not a single-program fix.

What’s next: - The Close It Summit said the event will return May 3-5, 2027. - Organizers continue to position the summit as an annual national convening on workforce and education access. - Media contact for the announcement is Daniel Davenport, director of communications, at contactus@closeit.org. - Social links included in the announcement point to the summit’s LinkedIn page, Instagram account and YouTube video.