What We Do | Win-Win Collective Strategy Services

Future Forward Strategies

“Rebuilding an economy that works for everyone is the calling of our time.”

— Dr. Angela Jackson

We work with leaders who want to create or transform their company cultures to center inclusion, belonging, and thriving. We call them “The Coalition of the Willing.” We draw on our deep expertise and networks to offer these leaders custom strategies and measurement tools to drive lasting impact for their businesses and workers alike.

Our Strategic Approach

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Discover

We work hand in hand with leaders to address unique challenges and opportunities they can implement across their human capital portfolio.

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Define

We develop a personalized strategy that leverages rigorous research, best practices, and relationships to create a measurable impact that stakeholders can feel.

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Implement

We work together to build a roadmap for turning 1-to-1 change into 1-to-many change. As a research and implementation partner, we help connect the dots and evaluate progress as you scale.

Consulting

Strategy Services

Win-Win Co-Lab

“Leading with equity is about recognizing that different people have different needs and being committed to giving people what they need to succeed.”

- Vickie Braden

How it Works

Launched at Harvard in 2025, the Co-Lab is a research-backed series of in-person and virtual collaborations between the Future Forward Institute and learning executives targeting a specific topic, such as scaling apprenticeships. It brings together like-minded employer leaders to learn from one another in a high-trust space. Past participants include McKinsey & Company, EY, Royal Caribbean, Workday, NFL, and Paypal.

How it Helps

Grounded in a data-driven, practitioner-centered, and research-informed approach to workplace learning and talent development, our Co-Labs surface practices that work for more people while strengthening performance and building more profitable, resilient enterprises.

Employer Pilots

“An equitable future of work is one in which data-driven insights improve policy and practice for disadvantaged populations.”

- Kyle Albert

How it Works

Each Employer Pilot generates measurable business outcomes, implementation insights, and decision-ready evidence about what works, for whom, and under what conditions. Built for execution, measurement, and scale, our pilots provide a structured, research-informed infrastructure that turns evidence into enterprise learning. Focus areas may include retention, performance variability, managerial effectiveness, or the adoption of new ways of working.

How it Helps

Designed as a strategic accelerator, our pilots help organizations test, refine, and operationalize targeted, human-centered interventions that strengthen leadership capability, team performance, and workforce resilience.

Specialized Consulting

“By tackling systemic inequality, we have an opportunity to change the trajectory and improve outcomes.”

– Rémale James

How it Works

Our specialized consulting offers bespoke engagements built for each company’s specific needs and goals. With over 30 team members, we match you with the Future Forward consultant(s) whose expertise best aligns with your area of focus. We are proud to be from 10 different nationalities, with 70% women and People of Color. Past clients include Microsoft, US Department of Commerce and Economic Development Administration, and Advocate South Health System.

How it Helps

Each business is different. Whether you’re a high-growth startup prioritizing employee well-being while also achieving ambitious growth goals or a large company seeking to develop new leadership training centered on belonging, we can work together to create a program specifically for you. We bring deep expertise, lived experience, and rigorous research to every project. By creating bespoke strategies, we’re able to maximize our impact for each business's unique needs.

The Situation

When Intel announced a $20 billion investment to build two semiconductor factories in New Albany, Ohio, it faced a stark reality: the U.S. semiconductor workforce needed to grow 33% — from 345,000 to 460,000 jobs — by 2030. Ohio lacked a ready talent pipeline, and roughly 70% of Intel's 3,000 new hires would need highly specific technical skills that didn't yet exist in regional curricula.

How We Helped

Rather than waiting on traditional higher education to catch up, Intel invested $50 million to design the industry's first stackable, transferable one-year semiconductor technician certificate program—with embedded math and science content to lower barriers to entry. The model scaled across all 23 of Ohio's community colleges. The program also prioritized equity, targeting 33% enrollment of underrepresented minorities and 40% representation of women in technical roles by 2030.

The Result

Rather than waiting on traditional higher education to catch up, Intel invested $50 million to design the industry's first stackable, transferable one-year semiconductor technician certificate program—with embedded math and science content to lower barriers to entry. The model scaled across all 23 of Ohio's community colleges. The program also prioritized equity, targeting 33% enrollment of underrepresented minorities and 40% representation of women in technical roles by 2030.

The Situation

Jergens Inc. faced the same persistent labor shortage squeezing manufacturers nationwide. Operating a 130,000-square-foot facility and manufacturing over 80% of what it sells — serving industries from aerospace to automotive — the company needed a reliable pipeline of skilled workers. Traditional recruiting channels were running dry, and competing for the same shrinking talent pool was proving costly and unsustainable.

How We Helped

Rather than fishing from an ever-smaller pond, CEO Jack Schron Jr. chose to open what he calls a "big tent." He deliberately recruited people most employers overlook: individuals with disabilities, returning citizens re-entering after incarceration, and candidates without formal credentials. Jergens partnered with organizations like Cleveland's Towards Employment, whose Access program pre-trains returning citizens in foundational manufacturing skills. The company also invested in fully paid on-the-job training, giving non-traditional hires a real pathway to advance.

The Result

The strategy turned a workforce liability into a competitive advantage. Reentry program graduates chose Jergens over competing job offers. Employees who entered with no manufacturing background advanced from entry-level roles to operating sophisticated machinery and into supervisory positions. Jergens proved that expanding the definition of "qualified" doesn't just solve a hiring problem — it builds a more loyal, motivated, and resilient team.

The Good Job Institute

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The Just Jobs Scorecard

Just Capital

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The American Opportunity Index

The Burning Glass Institute

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The Social Determinants Of Work

Forbes

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“When the conditions are right, work provides workers with more than just a paycheck, but with a sense of community and dignity.”

—Dr. Angela Jackson

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Join the Collective!

The future of work will be designed, not drifted into. Join a network of leaders committed to expanding agency and driving measurable performance. Let’s build what works — for people and for business.

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Future Forward Strategies