CAEL Bolsters Pittsburgh-Area Capacity With Addition of Dana Levine Kunzman

INDIANAPOLIS – CAEL, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping adult learners navigate pathways between education and employment, today announced that Dana Levine Kunzman has joined the organization in a consulting role. Based at CAEL’s Pittsburgh office, Levine Kunzman will support the nonprofit’s growing capacity in the region, including fundraising and workforce partnerships involving key sectors such as finance and banking, information technology, and manufacturing. 

Levine Kunzman’s previous roles include vice president of strategic innovation at the State System of Higher Education Foundation (PASSHE), where she was instrumental in the success of the foundation’s joint initiatives with CAEL.

“Dana brings extensive experience in cross-systems consulting and strategic innovation, including a thorough familiarity with CAEL forged through our longstanding relationship with PASSHE,” said Earl Buford, CAEL president. “Her proven ability to operationalize high-impact initiatives, coupled with her policy, education, philanthropic, and government affairs expertise, will strengthen our ability to deliver system-level improvements, especially through the regional collaboration we are leading in the Pittsburgh region.”

CAEL maintains a dedicated office in Pittsburgh to support the cross-sector partnerships it is developing to define skill set requirements and ensure education and training options are optimally aligned with quality jobs. For example, it is working with Vibrant Pittsburgh and the higher education community in Pittsburgh to develop strategies for forging productive connections with regional workforce organizations, including technical assistance to postsecondary institutions on work-relevant solutions such as credit for prior learning (CPL).

Last year, CAEL received a grant from SkillsFWD to support the development of an end-to-end learning and employment record (LER) infrastructure for the region. LERs capture diverse forms of education and employment achievements, offering individuals a more equitable way to showcase their competencies and making it easier for employers to recognize them during the hiring process.

CAEL also received a grant from the Hillman Foundation focused on advancing CAEL’s work to improve economic mobility by building education-employment partnerships supporting key local industries. Additional regional CAEL partners include Literacy Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Scholar House, Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education, and Vibrant Pittsburgh.

Prior to joining CAEL, Levine Kunzman served as senior director, cross-systems consulting at the Forum for Youth Investment. She also served as vice president of strategic innovation at the State System of Higher Education Foundation and program officer at the Shapira Foundation. 

About CAEL
Recognizing that adult learners are the backbone of the U.S. economy, CAEL helps forge a clear, viable connection between education and career success, providing solutions that promote sustainable and equitable economic growth. CAEL opens doors to opportunity in collaboration with workforce and economic developers, postsecondary educators, employers and industry groups, and foundations and other mission-aligned organizations. By engaging with these stakeholders, CAEL fosters a culture of innovative, lifelong learning that helps individuals, and their communities thrive. A national membership organization established in 1974, CAEL is a part of Strada Collaborative, a mission-driven nonprofit. Learn more at cael.org and stradaeducation.org.

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