On August 6, JVS hosted its first in-house AI Summit for staff, a full-day event dedicated to exploring how artificial intelligence can enhance the organization’s work and impact. Throughout the day, JVS staff interacted with new technologies and learned about cutting-edge AI applications that are quickly transforming workplaces.
Dylan Ruggles, Vice President of Program Delivery, says AI skills are essential for JVS staff to effectively lead jobseekers through increasingly challenging hiring processes and prepare them for AI-driven workplaces. “Upskilling JVS staff in AI ensures we can keep pace with the rapid changes shaping the job market,” Ruggles explains. “By building our own AI fluency, we’re better equipped to help participants apply these tools to their own learning, job search, and workplace success. It’s about making sure our participants aren’t just adapting to the future of work—they’re prepared to thrive in it.”
Part skills fair, part innovation lab, the AI Summit brought individuals from across all departments together to learn from each other, experiment, and upskill in practical AI tools that will help JVS serve participants, partners, and community more effectively and efficiently than before. Through hands-on, peer-led sessions, staff explored topics like prompt generation, Microsoft Copilot in Word, Excel, and Outlook, AI-powered project planning, tailored resume creation, Zoom AI summaries, and more. These skills will help staff work smarter, personalize support, and open new pathways to economic mobility in the Bay Area and throughout CA.
Tashae Hawkins-Kodjale, Manager of Outreach, is excited to use more AI technologies in her work while also being mindful of the challenges that AI presents for jobseekers and employers. “Ultimately, we recognize that AI is neither natural nor neutral. Our job is to monitor it closely to ensure it does more good than harm,” Hawkins-Kodjale says. “Now that I have attended JVS’s AI Summit, I am inspired to incorporate more AI practices into my work, especially using AI to track and analyze partnership referral data. Overall, I am very enthusiastic about the opportunities and possibilities available to the workforce and jobseekers through AI. I am grateful to JVS for helping us understand the technology better and explaining how it can positively and negatively impact us, along with practical ways to incorporate it into our work.”
JVS is excited to keep innovating and applying what we’ve learned to better serve jobseekers and our broader community.
