Louis Soares Executive Director

Louis Soares comes to the NWRC with more than 15 years of private, nonprofit and public sector experience. He has worked as a nonprofit director, educator, policy analyst, volunteer and advocate across the fields of workforce, education and economic development. A leader in workforce development and human capital issues, Louis has published articles and op-eds on workforce innovation and innovation.

Prior to joining the NWRC, Mr. Soares served as Director of Business Development at the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, where he managed Rhode Island’s business attraction, export assistance, government contracting and small business initiatives from 2003 to 2006.

As Director of Education and Training for the Rhode Island Technology Council from 2000–2002, Mr. Soares developed a workforce training strategy for a 240-member trade association, which included implementing education/business partnerships at the high school, college and corporate levels to align with relevant workplace skills. He also was a small business consultant to the U.S. Peace Corps in Romania.

Mr. Soares serves on the Board of Directors of the Urban Revitalization Fund, is Chair of the Rhode Island United Way Committee on Low Income, Low Skill Workforce Issues and a Board member of City Year Rhode Island. His professional affiliations include the New England Economic Development Association, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Society of Human Resource Management and the American Society of Quality.

Louis holds a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Economics from Brown University.

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