Dr. Monique Reeves, Austin Community College District’s (ACC) Executive Vice Chancellor for the Future, will present on May 15 at a national summit hosted by Harvard Graduate School of Education to talk about the future of higher education. 

The prestigious Next Level Lab (NLL) Learning Summit brings together experts from higher education, workforce development, and industry to examine how adults learn and succeed in today’s economy.

Challenging the Status Quo
Dr. Reeves’ talk, “The $122 Billion Misunderstanding: Why Higher Education Holds the Key to America’s Largest Untapped Talent Pool,” focuses on one of the most urgent and overlooked higher education and workforce challenges: connecting neurodivergent talent to meaningful employment.

“Each year, more than 50,000 autistic Americans enter the workforce, yet only 14-16 percent secure full-time employment,” says Dr. Reeves. The issue is not due to a lack of ability, but because education and hiring systems were not designed with them in mind. The result is an estimated $122 billion in lost economic potential annually.”

Dr. Reeves will show that this is not a talent pipeline issue, but a design challenge for higher education. This concern is one that institutions like ACC are uniquely positioned to address. Her presentation will draw on national research and emerging workforce trends, including the impact of AI, shifting hiring practices, and changes in workplace structures.

Rigorous Evidence, Cross-Sector Impact
She will present in the summit’s “From Research to Practice” track alongside experts from Boston College’s Center for Digital Innovation in Learning, Project on Workforce at Harvard University, and Cool.org.

The NLL Summit is a leading forum for thought leaders, bringing together Harvard faculty and affiliates, top workforce strategists, senior Learning & Development leaders from the world’s most influential companies, innovators in learning design and technology, and top-tier practitioners working at the frontier of workforce learning.

Learn more about the Next Level Lab Learning Summit here.