Over the next 20 years, immigrants and the children of immigrants will account for 85% of the growth in the U.S. workforce. In addition, proposed immigration reform could mean that more professional, midlevel, foreign-educated workers will be our workforce than ever before. Are you aware of the large population of foreign-educated workers that already exists in the U.S. with permanent work authorization? Do you know how to evaluate foreign degrees and experience? Do your D&I policies include welcoming initiatives that account for a different level of cultural competency and/or cultural awareness? What are the practices and policies that can ensure you are and will continue to tap into this talent pool? This session will take you through the strategies you need to recruit global talent, evaluate foreign experience and degrees and ensure the successful integration of tomorrow's professional workers. This session will help you:
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Nikki Cicerani
president and CEO
Upwardly Global
Connect Online with this Speaker
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Nikki Cicerani became president & CEO of Upwardly Global in April 2009 after serving as founding managing director of the organization’s New York Office. During her tenure as CEO, the organization expanded from two major metropolitan areas to five, launched online, virtual services and elevated its mission from a local program to a national conversation around skilled immigrants’ value to the United States. Upwardly Global's services now reach thousands of underserved immigrants and refugees across the country, who are increasingly being recognized as a valued community asset at the city and state level.
Today, Nikki leads the organization’s efforts to scale its impact by advocating for inclusion of skilled immigrants in federal, state, and local workforce policy, as well as full integration of this population into corporate recruiting and diversity programs. Nikki believes in building strong national and community partnerships that support the awareness and resources available to this often invisible and overlooked talent pool.
Nikki is a founding member and serves on the steering committee of IMPRINT, a coalition of organizations working to promote and implement best practices in the integration of immigrant professionals. She has advised the White House Domestic Policy Council on the economic integration of foreign-trained professionals. She has also served as an expert panelist at national and international forums on migration, including the 2010 Cities of Migration Conference, 2014 Global Great Lakes Conference, and the 2011 and 2013 Clinton Global Initiative meetings on the U.S. economic recovery.
Prior to joining Upwardly Global, Nikki worked in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. She was an associate in Morgan Stanley's Private Wealth Management Practice, and spent several years with Ernst & Young in the Economics Consulting Practice, as well as in the Office of the Chairman where she focused on evaluating the success of integration strategies for advancing women to the Partner level. Nikki proudly initiated and led the creation and implementation of the first network for women of color at the firm. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, where she was president of Columbia Women in Business, and a bachelor’s degree in Policy Analysis from Cornell University.
Nikki lives in Millburn, New Jersey with her husband and two children.