Kevin Moore is a fresh face on the board of directors of the Portland Workforce Alliance, where he was voted into membership in September.
Moore has worked in the human resources industry for more than 15 years. He is now the director of human resources at Gunderson, where he is passionate about helping people find jobs involving the manufacturing, mechanics, and welding of marine vessels. Gunderson is experiencing significant growth and has hundreds of job opportunities for people of all ages.
Moore has led Gunderson’s partnership with PWA over the past year. Gunderson helped catalyze PWA’s formation and has supported workforce development through PWA and the annual NW Youth Careers Expo ever since.
Tell us about your work with young people.
KM: “I’ve met with several high schools since I’ve [started working at] Gunderson, trying to revitalize our partnerships, and I look forward to continuing that revitalization; especially on the manufacturing side of things. The reality is there is a huge skilled labor shortage right now, we’re experiencing it firsthand. With the right mechanisms in place, [our goal is to] help people find jobs.”
What inspired you to get involved with PWA?
KM: “The mission of PWA is really close to my heart, because my son is entering high school age next year. Gunderson has also been involved with PWA for several years now as a key sponsor and in the past we’ve taken a lot away from having a large booth at the Expo, from the students that participate. This is a great opportunity for both Gunderson and I to get more involved with [the students].”
What do you bring to PWA?
KM: “From what I’ve found, there’s a huge opportunity in our community to influence youth and help them make career decisions. To me, that’s what this organization is all about. I’m really excited to be a part of [career learning] and hopefully influence some direction that PWA has with the youth.”
For more information about the PWA Board of Directors, go here.
For more stories on the PWA Board Members, go here.
Some quotes were edited for length and clarity.