Profiles of Change Video Features The Bridge & Arrowhead Park Early College High School

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce video series Profiles of Change features a segment on The Bridge of Southern New Mexico and the Arrowhead Park Early College High School (APECHS) in Las Cruces. The series was introduced in September 2013 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Summit, “Connecting the Dots: Education, Policy, Workforce” in Washington D.C.

Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce CEO Bill Allen presented their Skill Ready Dona Ana program on a featured U.S. Chamber of Commerce panel discussion. The summit explored how both private and public sectors are working to reduce the nation’s skills gap. In 2007, the Las Cruces Chamber spearheaded a collective community study that evolved into the Regional Education Initiative, an intensive research project to assess workforce needs and gaps between educational programs and employment opportunities in Doña Ana County.

The Bridge and APECHS are products of the research that identified needs to collaborate and leverage public/private resources to support educational excellence and optimize the county’s workforce. That work continues to push toward the vision that all students in DoñaAna County graduate with skills to compete in an international workforce.

The Las Cruces video segment features Kari Mitchell, CEO of Las Cruces Machine, Manufacturing & Engineering Inc.; Superintendent Stan Rounds of Las Cruces Public Schools; and Dr. Garrey Carruthers, President of New Mexico State University. Each of the featured speakers is a member of The Bridge of Southern New Mexico Board of Directors.