Kalilah Moon and Debbie Roman on Building Jobs, Wages & Wealth at the 2025 NYCETC Conference

In this episode of The NYC Workforce Drop, NYCETC CEO Gregory J. Morris sits down with Kalilah Moon, Executive Director of Drive Change, and Debbie Roman, Managing Director, New York, at Per Scholas, for a conversation that bridges personal journeys, nonprofit innovation, and systems-level change.Kalilah reflects on her path from Oakland to New York, sharing early career lessons from The Door to leading Drive Change’s culinary training and social enterprise work with justice-involved youth. She opens up about leadership growth, tough decisions, and the power of rebranding a food truck into a broader movement for equity and opportunity.Debbie traces her journey from Puerto Rico to New York’s workforce ecosystem, spotlighting how strategic partnerships and intentional training pathways at Per Scholas are closing gaps in the tech sector for underrepresented communities. Together, they tackle questions of economic mobility, affordability, and how nonprofits can sustain impact in a changing city.Greg, Kalilah, and Debbie also preview NYCETC’s annual conference, “Advancing Affordability Through Jobs, Wages, and Wealth,” discussing why now is the time to align systems, center workforce development in the city’s policy agenda, and hold leadership accountable for tangible change.Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood NetworkTopics: nonprofit leadership, culinary and tech training, reentry and workforce, affordability crisis, partnerships and systems alignment, NYC workforce ecosystem, leadership journeys, strategic advocacy.