Network2Work

Real jobs. Real people. Realizing potential.

Network2Work USA equips communities to lift families out of poverty and help employers recruit qualified workers.

Through our award-winning framework and technology platform, Network2Work USA provides a proven approach for engaging historically marginalized job seekers. We help communities connect job-seekers with the training and resources they need to secure family-sustaining employment that aligns with local industry needs.

Network2Work USA helps families, employers and communities reach their full potential.

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How does it work?

How do you solve poverty?

Get money to poor people.

There is only one group with the capability and interest in getting people money—even more than they “need”—month after month, year after year.

Employers.

Any successful workforce development effort must directly address barriers to employment and intentionally recruit historically marginalized job-seekers and connect them with employers interested in filling available jobs.

Network2Work does exactly this by bringing together three critical networks within local workforce ecosystems: employers, job seekers, and social service providers.

Job Seeker Network - The Secret Sauce

Rather than wait for job seekers to come to us, we recruit trusted neighbors, “Connectors”, to intentionally reach out to members of their community who are experiencing economic insecurity and connect them with Network2Work.

Provider Network

We build a network of resource providers in the community and connect job seekers to the support services they may need to secure and maintain employment using our nationally-recognized technology platform.

Employer Network

We build relationships with local and regional employers and post their available job opportunities on our award-winning N2Work online platform.

Looking for a job?

If you are a community member looking for a job leading to a family-sustaining wage, please visit our curated list of jobs at n2work.org.

Visit n2work.org

Our Technology

Curated Job Postings

Quality jobs, verified by Network2Work, are published to the network.

Job Tickets

Include easy-to-understand wage, benefits, & requirements information along with a video of the job.

Community Recruiters

Neighborhood-based “Connectors” reach out to family, friends and neighbors who are a good match for published jobs.

Needs Survey

Job-seekers complete a survey that identifies resource needs, such as training, childcare and transportation.

“Best Fit” technology

Based on a job-seeker's profile and needs, the technology identifies the resource providers best-equipped to serve them.

Charted Pathway

During enrollment, job-seekers are connected to the “best fit” providers via their smartphones.

Closed Loop Referrals

Alerts the job-seeker and the team assisting them when progress along the pathway has stalled, so action can be taken .

Employment Vouching

Network2Work vouches for job-seekers who have acquired the skills and supports they need to be quality employees.

Our Recent Awards

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American Association of Community Colleges: 2024 Award of Excellence for leadership and innovation

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Virginia Community College System: 2024 Excellence In Education for Workforce Preparation

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Coalition on Adult Basic Education: 2021 State Innovation of the Year

Total Job Seekers Served

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Who We Serve

100%
Low-Income/No-Income
78%
Black and Other Minorities
41%
Single Parents
37%
Criminal Justice Involved

Our Results

102%
Average Annual Wage Increase
$17,169
Average Annual Wage Gain

Current Locations

Charlottesville, VA

Richmond, VA

Petersburg, VA

Staunton, VA

Harrisonburg, VA

Waynesboro, VA

Winchester, VA

Your Community

Board of Directors

  • Karen Waters

    Karen Waters, President

    Karen Waters is Director of Community Education for Albemarle County (Virginia) Public Schools and is a co-founder of the Equity Center at the University of Virginia (UVA). She currently serves on the President's Council on UVA-Community Partnerships. Previously, she served as the Executive Director of the Quality Community Council, a non-profit launched by the City of Charlottesville committed to “more affordable housing, more jobs that pay a living wage, more effective drug prevention and wellness programs, more effective educational programs for our young people, and a safer city.” She was appointed to a Governor's Task Force and has served on over a dozen local boards, committees, and task forces, with a continued focus on quality jobs, housing, youth development, and healthy food access. She holds a Master's in teaching from the University of Virginia and enjoys spending time with her daughter and twin grandchildren.
  • Erika Viccellio

    Erika Viccellio

    Erika Viccellio serves as the Executive Director of the Fountain Fund, a nonprofit that provides low-interest loans and financial coaching to formerly incarcerated people, helping them build credit and achieve their self-determined goals. Before this role, Erika worked as the Executive Vice President at the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area, launching and chairing the Early Education Task Force, a multisector collaborative focused on placing all at-risk 4-year-olds in high-quality preschool. She has also served as Executive Director of the Charlottesville Free Clinic (CFC) and the Virginia Institute of Autism for 20 years. Erika is active in the community and passionate about creating opportunity and implementing leadership models that emphasize sharing power and co-creating.
  • Lucinda Robb

    Lucinda Robb

    Lucinda Robb worked for 15 years at The Teaching Company/Great Courses, where she was Director of Recruiting and advised world-class professors on how to give better lectures. Prior to that she worked for the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives, serving as Project Director for exhibits and educational outreach projects. Robb has written nonfiction book reviews for The Washington Post, and in 2020 she co-authored an award-winning young adult book, The Suffragist Playbook: Your Guide to Changing the World. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards and is currently on the boards of Scholarship America and Running Start. In 2015 she founded KidsGiving, an organization to teach children philanthropy. Robb lives in Arlington, VA, with her husband and three children.
  • Brita Strandberg

    Brita Strandberg

    Brita Dagmar Strandberg is a strategic advisor to communications and technology companies, with a particular focus on helping companies grow and scale to prepare for initial public offerings. Before joining the tech industry, she graduated from Princeton University and Yale Law School, and she clerked for judges in Texas and D.C. She has also worked to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the bar and the communications industry, having served as inaugural Diversity Partner at her former law firm, President of the LGBT Bar Association of D.C., and Co-Chair of the Federal Communications Bar Association's Diversity Committee. Brita lives in University Park, Maryland.
  • Glen Mone

    Glen Mone

    Glen Mone is an accomplished supply chain executive with extensive experience in the automotive and retail sectors. Currently serving as Vice President of Supply Chain at Big Brand Tire & Service since March 2021, Glen previously held key leadership positions including Vice President of OEM Strategy at Caliber Collision, where responsibilities included developing and executing OEM strategic plans. Glen's experience also includes managing the parts procurement program as Assistant Vice President at ABRA Auto Body & Glass and optimizing financial results as Director of Merchandise Buying and Supply Chain at Jacent. Additionally, Glen has a strong foundation in client relationship management and inventory operations from previous roles at 4R Systems and Pep Boys. Glen brings an employer's perspective to Network2Work USA.
  • Angela Lean

    Angela Lean

    Angela Lean is Microsoft's Senior Business Program Lead for Accessible Employee Experience as well as the global co-chair of their Families Employee Resource Group. A graduate of Yale University and NYU's Stern School of Business, she has been at Microsoft for over 14 years and previously worked at T-Mobile, J.P. Morgan Chase, and American Express. Angela also chairs NYC's Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Council and serves an advisor to The Huddle for Families, a non-profit dedicated to helping parents and educators advocating for kids with disabilities. She is mom to Luke (21) and Sofia (17), and lives in New York City.

Ridge Schuyler

Founder & CEO

Ridge Schuyler graduated from the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia School of Law. He spent 10 years on Capitol Hill serving as Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Rick Boucher (VA-9) and Chief Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Charles S. Robb of Virginia.

While serving as District Director for U.S. Congressman Tom Perriello (VA-5), Ridge met with constituents who, despite their enormous potential, could not find family-sustaining employment. Leveraging his policy experience and his position as Dean of Student Support and Community Partnerships at a local community college, he built Network2Work to help families, employers, and communities reach their full potential.

In 2024, Ridge received the prestigious Award of Excellence from the American Association of Community Colleges and the Excellence in Education award from the Virginia Community College System for his work in developing and implementing the Network2Work framework.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our approach differs from traditional workforce programs in three critical ways:
  1. Most importantly, we intentionally recruit those who have historically been left behind in our economy by leveraging the individuals in the community who know them best—individuals who are well-known and well-respected in their neighborhoods. We recognize that people don't generally decide to change their lives because they saw a flyer, visited a website, or got a pencil with a community organization's name on it. They change their lives when someone they know and trust reaches out to them with a real opportunity.
  2. We serve our job seekers holistically, knowing that it is the “whole person” who shows up to work. Using the “best fit” technology developed by Network2Work, we make warm hand-offs to the community-based resource providers who can help our job seekers get the support they need to succeed, including skills training, childcare, transportation, healthcare, legal assistance, and more.
  3. Network2Work develops relationships with quality regional employers to understand their needs. We then recruit, train, and support job seekers, and when we determine they are “job ready,” we vouch for them when they apply for jobs with those employers. This reduces any perception of risk an employer may have when considering our job seekers, such as those who were criminal-justice involved.
This approach has allowed our job-seekers to experience annual wage gains of 109%.
Please reach out to us at [email protected] if you'd like to explore partnering with us in your community. Once we've connected:
  • We'll make sure our framework can serve your community well and help you achieve your goals.
  • If we're a good fit, we'll then work with you to reach out to the key leaders who will be critical to the successful implementation of the model, including regional employers and resource providers.
  • Once the key community leaders are onboard, we'll train everyone on how to implement our model and use the technology we've developed.
  • We have partnered with community colleges, workforce development boards, and a coalition of community organizations to operate Network2Work, and we can adapt our approach to fit your unique circumstances.
Your support is essential to our success, and there are several ways you can contribute to our mission:
  • Make a donation to help families, employers, and communities reach their full potential.
  • Share our work with your community, including family, friends, colleagues, and faith communities.
  • Become a Connector or Navigator if you live in a current Network2Work community by clicking here: I'm interested in becoming a Connector or Assistant Coach.
  • Encourage your employer to partner with us.
To make a donation:
  • Click on this link or the blue Donate button at the top of the page
  • If you would prefer to send a check, you can make it payable to: Network2Work USA, 1900 Half St. SW, #L11, Washington, DC 20024
Donations are tax-deductible and gratefully-received!
If you would like to partner with us or have any questions, please email [email protected].

Contact

If you are interested in bringing Network2Work's innovative framework and technology platform to your community, or if you would simply like more information about who we are and how we work, please reach out!

  • Address

    1900 Half St. SW, #L11

    Washington, DC 20024

  • Contact

    [email protected]

  • Hours

    M-F: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM