Ms. Andrea J. Wooten

Andrea Wooten recently “temporarily retired” after serving sixteen years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Experience Works (formerly Green Thumb, Inc.), the nation's leader in older worker training and employment. Last year, Experience Works enabled over 125,000 older Americans in all fifty states, the District of Columbia , and Puerto Rico to remain independent and productive by providing high quality, innovative training and employment services. At the same time, thousands of local communities benefited from essential services delivered by the 35,000 low-income seniors employed through Experience Works' Senior Community Service Employment Program funded by the US Department of Labor.

Under Andrea's leadership, Experience Works developed expertise in recruiting and training seniors to meet diverse employer needs in occupational areas ranging from healthcare and technology to banking and customer service. One of the organization's most successful initiatives, initially launched in partnership with the Microsoft Corporation, has prepared hundreds of seniors in urban and rural areas for promising information technology careers. In addition, Experience works is providing talented older artisans with small business assistance and a nationwide market for their handcrafted goods through Geezer.com. One of Andrea's enduring contributions has been the Experience Works Prime Time Awards Program, which annually focuses national attention on the contributions of our older population by honoring America's Oldest Worker and outstanding older workers from every state.

Andrea is frequently consulted as an expert on workforce, aging, and rural issues. She has testified before numerous Congressional committees and is widely recognized for her commitment to quality, creative thinking, and entrepreneurial success. Her numerous awards include the following:

• Outstanding Leadership Award, The George Washington University
School of Business and Public Management

• Award for the Advancement of the Profession: Professional Staff
Development, National Association of Workforce Development Professionals

Under Andrea's leadership, Experience Works was also a two-time finalist for the Ford Foundation's Innovations in Government Award and a semifinalist for the RIT/USA Today Quality Cup.

Andrea is also known as a dynamic speaker and trainer on subjects as diverse as productive aging, the aging workforce, organizational leadership and change, workforce trends, employment law, effective advocacy, group communication, and rural issues. She is an experienced facilitator of both large and small groups, ranging from White House conferences and major national conventions to local business meetings and educational forums. She is an active member of the Young President's Organization, serving as Regional Board Member and Forum Chair for the Northeastern United States, Forum Chair for the Washington, D.C. Chapter, Study Group Leader for the annual YPO Harvard Seminar, and Forum Moderator. She is also a member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Virginia State Workforce Council, and the Virginia Vocational Rehabilitation Council for the Blind.

Andrea's education includes a B.S. in political science and speech and theater arts from Colorado State University and a law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. She clerked for Judge Cecil F. Poole of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit before practicing labor and employment law with Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe in Sacramento, California.

Andrea grew up in a rural community in West Texas where her parents were cotton and grain farmers. She now resides in Great Falls, Virginia, with her husband Steve Ray, their rescued Springer spaniels, Lucy and Maggie, and Percy, a rescued tabby cat. Her hobbies include gardening, traveling, skiing, windsurfing, fitness, reading, and handicrafts.