BuildWithin Expands Leadership Team to Help Municipalities and Employers Nationwide Grow Apprenticeship and Upskilling Programs

O’Brien, New VP of National Programs, will Oversee Implementation of $7.9M Grant from U.S. Department of Labor’s ‘Apprenticeship Building America’ Program in Five Key Innovation Districts Nationwide

BuildWithin, a venture-backed technology company and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) approved Apprenticeship Intermediary, has added Keely O’Brien to its leadership team as Vice President, National Programs. In this role, O’Brien will be responsible for directing BuildWithin’s efforts to generate awareness and expansion of apprenticeships and upskilling programs in the US. O’Brien will initially focus on five Apprenticeship Innovation Hubs: Washington, D.C./Maryland, Northern Virginia, Chattanooga and Hamilton County, TN, Los Angeles County and Sacramento/Northern CA. Establishing these hubs are part of BuildWithin’s charge as the recipient of a $7.9 million grant from the Apprenticeship Building America program, which was created to strengthen, modernize, expand and diversify the DOL’s Registered Apprenticeship Programs to enable more workers to find reliable pathways into the tech world.

BuildWithin was founded in 2022 by Michelle Rhee, former DC Public Schools Chancellor, and Dr. Ximena Hartsock, founder of acquired SaaS company, Phone2Action, with the goal of not only building awareness around technology apprenticeships, but also changing how companies and recruiters fundamentally think about candidate sourcing and skills development, especially when it comes to non-traditional talent.

“Keely is a master operator, with experience in big-picture strategic planning, on the ground tactical execution, community building and a variety of marketing and sales campaigns,” Ximena Hartsock, BuildWithin’s co-founder and CEO stated. “These types of skills – especially when possessed by a single candidate – are incredibly valuable to us and match what we were looking for in a leader to help us build out our programs and begin to change the mindset around apprenticeships, upskilling and the overall future of workforce development. While her successful career to-date in sports entertainment is undoubtedly impressive, her existing skills as a leader and connector is what let us know she was the right candidate for this position.”

O’Brien began her career in the Nation’s Capital as an intern and worked her way up to the lead role of the Citi Open Tennis Tournament, an international men’s and women’s professional tennis tournament. Under her leadership, the Tournament delivered on average $25M of economic impact and 1200 jobs over its 9-day run in Washington each summer. During this time, O’Brien was also an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, School of Continuing Studies from 2014-2018. In Spring of 2021, O’Brien embarked on a new endeavor with the Washington Nationals as its Executive Director, Ballpark Enterprises. O’Brien led the team to achieve record-breaking department growth of 43% year over year.

O’Brien will be supported by a team of Executive Directors who will each oversee an Apprenticeship Innovation Hub, working to build strong relationships and a coordinated community presence with local employers, government agencies, community-based organizations, workforce boards and associations. The current team includes Pete Kirschner overseeing Washington, DC and Maryland; Rob Sanger overseeing Sacramento County/Northern CA; Walton Robinson overseeing Hamilton County – Chattanooga and Marilyn Stemper overseeing LA County. The organization is actively searching for a candidate to oversee Northern Virginia and Technical Managers for each hub.

"An opportunity like this is rare - pivoting from a 20-year career in sports and entertainment to join another highly competitive industry in tech, is only possible when you have leadership that executes with big picture vision and sees the value of one's credentials and potential, not just one or the other. What Ximena, Michelle and the rest of the BuildWithin team has accomplished, in the short window since inception, is unparalleled. This is not by luck or mistake - this is the result of identifying key talent with unwavering drive and focus to execute a plan. It was of great importance to recruit with the same mindset, which led us to our group of Executive Directors, who we believe will make an immediate impact in each of their respective hubs nationwide,” said O'Brien.

About BuildWithin

BuildWithin is a venture-backed technology company and Department of Labor approved Apprenticeship Intermediary. BuildWithin’s proprietary software makes it easier for employers and jurisdictions to manage apprenticeships and other workplace learning programs. Founded by Michelle Rhee and Ximena Hartsock, BuildWithin is dedicated to upskilling today’s workforce. For more information, visit www.buildwithin.com

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