The City of Tulsa has an ambitious goal of placing 15,000 additional children and youth on pathways to economic mobility by 2030. Youth workforce development is central to this vision. The FUSE Executive Fellow will conduct comprehensive analyses, convene key cross-sector stakeholders, and develop an actionable strategy to strengthen Tulsa’s youth workforce ecosystem. As a result of this work, Tulsa’s young people will gain access to dignified, sustainable career opportunities in their hometown and beyond, creating meaningful economic mobility regardless of their educational pathway.

Fellowship Dates: October 27, 2025 – October 23, 2026

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual salary of $80,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. This amount is not representative of market-rate salaries for the experienced professionals in our program but is intended as compensation for a year of public service.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing the capacity of local governments to work more effectively for communities. We embed private sector executives in city and county agencies to lead projects that improve public services and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 400 projects in 58 governments across 26 states, impacting a total population equivalent to 1 in 10 Americans.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and community stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward high-priority local needs. Projects address today’s most pressing challenges and opportunities, including affordable housing, economic mobility, climate resilience, public safety, infrastructure, technology, and more.

FUSE conducts a full executive search for each individual project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the community being served.

Executive Fellows are embedded in government agencies working with senior leaders for at least one year of full-time work. Prospective responsibilities may include thorough data analytics and research, developing enhanced operations and financial models, building change management and strategic planning processes, and/or building broad coalitions to support project implementation efforts. Executive Fellows are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects. They build strong relationships with a broad array of stakeholders, foster alignment within and across various layers of government, and build partnerships between governments and communities.

Throughout the fellowships, Executive Fellows receive training, coaching, and professional support to help achieve their project goals.

PROJECT CONTEXT

Earlier this year, Tulsa’s mayor set an ambitious goal of putting 15,000 children on a pathway to economic mobility by 2030. He subsequently founded the Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth, and Families and the Tulsa Children’s Cabinet to lead and coordinate progress toward this goal. This represents the latest phase in the City's long-standing commitment to children—particularly those from historically underserved communities—as part of its strategy for building long-term economic prosperity. For example, in 2023, the Obama Presidential Center named Tulsa a My Brother’s Keeper Model Community due to its decades of work applying evidence-based approaches to uplifting young men and boys from underrepresented communities.

So far, the City of Tulsa and its partners have been particularly successful with early interventions for children’s pathways to economic mobility. For example, between 2013 and 2019, the City and its partners conducted a comprehensive campaign to increase Pre-K enrollment. This resulted in a 33% increase in enrollment for historically underserved children. Now, the City wants to build the other end of the economic mobility pipeline: paid internships, apprenticeships, job training, and higher education. In Tulsa, the current post-secondary landscape is fractured and difficult to navigate. Many of Tulsa’s most promising job sectors (e.g., advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and IT) have a variety of entry points into the industry. Formalized training programs that local youth can easily access would create sustainable, relevant opportunities for long-term careers. This will require extensive partnerships and mutual investment in infrastructure (e.g., knowledge sharing, transportation, soft skills training) between the City, nonprofits, and business leaders.

The City of Tulsa will partner with FUSE to advance the youth workforce development agenda. The FUSE Executive Fellow will conduct a landscape analysis of workforce training opportunities, convene cross- sector stakeholders to co-create solutions, research evidence-based practices, analyze available and potential resources, and develop an actionable strategy informed by these findings. As a result of this work, young people in Tulsa will be able to build the necessary skills to pursue a dignified, long-term career in their hometown and access economic mobility, regardless of whether they pursue a 4-year degree.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Starting in October 2025, the FUSE Executive Fellow will develop deep relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including City partners (e.g., the Mayor and Deputy Mayor), local business and nonprofit leaders (e.g., Campus Tulsa, Tulsa Innovation Labs, Green Country Workforce Development Board), and members of the public (with an emphasis on youth and families from underserved communities). The fellow will seek to understand the resources, opportunities, and aspirations these partners have for workforce development in Tulsa. In addition, the fellow will review best practices for youth-driven workforce development in communities similar to Tulsa. Finally, the fellow will work with their Executive Sponsor and Project Supervisor to develop and approve specific project goals and deliverables.

Next, the fellow will conduct a landscape analysis of workforce development resources, partners, opportunities, and supporting infrastructure (e.g., transportation, childcare). This analysis should also identify critical gaps and potential new partners that would fill out a comprehensive post-secondary training and education ecosystem. If successful, the landscape analysis will map out the opportunities and barriers for youth seeking career training, regardless of the educational path they are on or the sector they are interested in.

Informed by the landscape analysis, the fellow will host stakeholder convenings with local employers, educators, nonprofit leaders, and youth. During these meetings, they will facilitate discussions about the landscape analysis and co-create potential solutions or new ideas to strengthen the youth workforce ecosystem. The fellow will document these discussions in reports so that the City can use the ideas developed in these sessions in future programs. At the same time, the fellow will expand their initial best practices review to focus on the programs that are evidence-based and relevant to Tulsa’s landscape. The topics should range from infrastructure to competencies (e.g., soft skills) and types of training. If successful, the stakeholder convenings and best practices review should provide City leaders with a broad suite of options that they can select from to fill key gaps or improve existing services.

The fellow will also conduct a comprehensive resource analysis to map current and potential assets available for youth workforce development. Since success in this area requires extensive partnerships,

co-investment, and grants, the analysis should specifically identify both existing partnerships and strategic opportunities for new collaborations.

Informed by all these analyses, the fellow will conclude their year by developing a long-term sustainability roadmap. This will equip the City with a concrete plan for addressing gaps and pursuing priority opportunities to strengthen the youth workforce ecosystem. To ensure sustainability, the roadmap will be designed for implementation within current staffing patterns and leveraging external resources (e.g., grants, co-investments, etc.). The fellow will also ensure a thorough handover of any ongoing responsibilities before the fellowship concludes.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

  • Executive Sponsor: Krystal Reyes, Deputy Mayor
  • Project Supervisor: Ashley Philippsen, Director, Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth, & Families

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
  • Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
  • Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to complex challenges.
  • Respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies, and other processes.
  • Communicates effectively verbally and in writing and excels in active listening and conversing.
  • Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies to support more effective decision-making.
  • Establishes and maintains strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, particularly community-based relationships.
  • Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground. Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.

FUSE is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position.