GPEDC | About Workforce Solutions

- Greater Peoria -
Workforce Solutions Team

About the Workforce Solutions Team

The Workforce Solutions team at the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council leads efforts to support the development of a more resilient, robust, and equitable talent pipeline across the region by troubleshooting systemic gaps and challenges and connecting regional organizations to resources to scale effective programs.

We aim to develop and retain a skilled workforce by employing strategies along the career development continuum - from preschool through retirement. The regional scope of our work enables us to build collective capacity and competency across organizations. We can better serve local employers by removing silos and bringing together expertise from various sectors and communities to align, scale, and enable a more significant impact.

We are active partners in the Regional Workforce Alliance and the Choose Greater Peoria initiative. We work tirelessly to facilitate meetings that bring appropriate stakeholders to the table to continue to make great things happen for the Greater Peoria region's students and workforce. This is by no means an exclusive club, and we welcome conversations with anyone with ideas to help others achieve career success or those passionate about improving the lives and livelihoods of our community.

Meet our team.

Jeffrey Inman (Director of Workforce Solutions) is the data nerd of the team and loves to pull together information to tell a powerful story. If you need data insights on the workforce or creative ideas to help solve talent person, Jeffrey's the right person to chat with. He is passionate about helping others and is always open to helping others with resumes, interview prep, and their job search. He was an undergraduate at Illinois State University, earned his MBA from the Wharton School, and has since spent over a decade in the Talent Acquisition space. When he's not helping people get jobs, Jeffrey enjoys spending time with his family and cats and learning useless trivia.

Sara Kupperschmid (Workforce Solutions Partner) is the team go-to for all things education. She has attended numerous trainings on the PaCE Framework. She leads the GPEDC's efforts to support events like CareerSpark, the Discover Manufacturing Career Expo, and programs that help connect schools so they can make their CTE programs great! She attended Western Illinois University and has spent several years serving those in need in the community. When she's not helping people get jobs, Sara enjoys hanging out with friends and her animals and loves to learn about dinosaurs!

Courtney Moore (Talent Attraction Coordinator) is the point person in supporting the Choose Greater Peoria initiative and provides concierge services to professionals considering a move to Greater Peoria. She stays up-to-date with the top employers in our region to help facilitate introductions with top talent from across the U.S. She spends most of her time traveling across the region to build an extensive support network to make moving to our region seamless with things like Welcome Kits, newcomer mixers, and more. When she's not helping people get jobs, Courtney is a successful entrepreneur, active in the arts, and feels most at home when visiting Disney!

How We Serve Greater Peoria

At the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, the office of Workforce Solutions leads the efforts to develop a more resilient, robust, and equitable talent pipeline in Greater Peoria by troubleshooting systemic gaps and challenges to connect regional organizations to appropriate, necessary resources. In considering a region for doing business, the top concern of prospective business owners is the quantity and quality of the workforce. Our team aims to develop and retain a skilled workforce by employing strategies along the career-development continuum - ranging from elementary school past retirement - in order to ensure that our workforce continues to have the capabilities and capacity to meet evolving business needs. The regional scope of this work builds collective capacity and competency across organizations and serves the local business community in meeting their most pressing workforce needs.

This hub is a one stop resource to learn more about the services that we provide at the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council as well as information on relevant partners in the workforce ecosystem, the programming they offer, and how to connect with those partners directly. In addition, we provide a blog with tons of information and insights about Greater Peoria, including workforce programs, quality of life, and exciting news for our region. We welcome you to discover how our team is dedicated to making a difference in our communities and to supporting individuals in their career journeys.

Our Mission, Vision, and Values

Our Mission:

Empower individuals to achieve greater economic prosperity by providing access to a wide range of workforce services and by ensuring that those services are accessible, equitable, and beneficial to individuals in Greater Peoria.

Our Vision:

We envision a Greater Peoria where every individual understands the pathways and resources needed to gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work they love to do - while aligning that talent to the evolving needs of employers to foster continuous growth and competitiveness to drive a positive economic impact on the entire Greater Peoria region.

Our Values:

Innovation: Pushing past the status quo with bold, progressive ideas. Stay curious and challenge deeply engrained assumptions and traditional methods.
Honesty: Always be upfront and forthcoming with information, insights, and processes, and build lasting relationships built on trust.
Respect: Go beyond simple politeness; treat all individuals from all backgrounds and experiences with dignity and worth.
Passion: Share a contagious enthusiasm for shared goals and tasks to find purpose in the work and to persevere when faced with inevitable challenges and obstacles.
Teamwork: The work is ample and ambiguous - working cohesively and collaboratively with internal team members and external stakeholders alike towards something bigger.
Compassion: Actively seek to understand and empathize with the experiences and challenges of others, without judgment or assumptions.
Courage: Standing up for principles and values despite personal fears or risks of negative outcomes - make a stand against discrimination, biases, and unfair practices that harm others.
Community: Strive for more than individual connections - act to bring people together through common interests, objectives, experiences, and causes to build a sense of belonging, connection, and shared purpose.