Joint Center Co-Hosted Congressional Roundtable Discussion ‘Women, Work, and AI: Preparing Workers and Communities for the AI Economy’

A group of thirteen professionally dressed women stand and smile behind a conference table in a meeting room with a wooden wall and nameplates visible on the table.

Joint Center June 4, 2026

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Women’s Tech & Telecom Partnership, and Acacia Hill Strategies co-hosted a congressional roundtable discussion, “Women, Work, and AI: Preparing Workers and Communities for the AI Economy,” on Thursday, June 4, from 12:00 – 2:00 pm in the Senate Visitors Center. This Hill-focused conversation discussed emerging policy discussions around AI, workforce transformation, and economic opportunity, including strategies to support worker readiness, career mobility, entrepreneurship, and broader participation in AI-driven growth as it pertains to women, Black communities, and communities of color.

Attendees included:

Senator Angela Alsobrooks (MD)
Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE)
Sophia Kerby, Vice President of Government Affairs, Joint Center
Joi Chaney, Founder of Women’s Tech and Telecom Partnership
Kate Black, Founder of Women’s Tech and Telecom Partnership
Narda Jones, Founder of Acacia Hill Strategies
Mary Beech; Fellow, Workshop; Visiting Fellow, Washington Center for Equitable Growth
Sharita Gruberg, Vice President for Economic Justice, National Partnership for Women & Families
Ariane Hegewisch, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Elyse Shaw, Director of Education, Labor & Worker Justice, CLASP
Shane Tews, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Crystal Weise, Policy & Programs Director, AFL-CIO Tech Institute
Danielle Davis Canty, Senior Advisor and Director of Technology Policy, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Natalie Madeira Cofield, President & CEO, American Enterprise Opportunity (AEO)
Allyson Knox, Senior Director, Senior Director of Education and Workforce Policy, Microsoft

See photos below.

A woman stands and speaks into a microphone in a conference room, with an American flag behind her. She is addressing seated attendees, while another woman sits at a table in the background.

A woman stands at a podium speaking in a wood-paneled room with an American flag behind her. She is wearing a black suit and holding a pen, with a microphone attached to the podium.

A woman in a blue and white floral dress stands smiling next to a large sign titled "Women, Work, & AI Panel: Preparing Workers and Communities for the AI Economy" with a list of panelists and event details.

A group of people sit around tables in a conference room with red carpet and tan walls. An American flag stands near a podium where a person is speaking. Attendees listen, work on laptops, and have boxed lunches.