Joanne Pokaski
Assistant Vice President, Workforce Development

Joanne Pokaski is the Assistant Vice President of Workforce Development at Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) system, the second largest private employer in Massachusetts with over 35,000 employees. Her team sponsors employees’ training and promotion to hard-to-fill roles, supports all BILH employees in their career development, and partners with community organizations to connect community members to jobs and careers at BILH.

Prior to her current role, Joanne served as Senior Director of Workforce Development and Community Relations at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). Prior to BIDMC, Joanne served as director of Boston Career Link, a one-stop career center based at Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries. She has also worked at the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the Clinton White House and as Special Assistant to the Administrator of the Medicare and Medicaid programs during the Clinton Administration. Joanne earned a Bachelor’s degree in Government from Harvard College and a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from Princeton University.

Joanne is the Chair of the Massachusetts Workforce Board and a member of Boston’s Workforce Board. She serves on the board of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. Joanne founded and for seven years chaired the Boston Healthcare Careers Consortium, which convenes Boston’s healthcare employers, academic institutions and workforce system to improve training pathways that lead to healthcare jobs. Joanne was a founding member and for three years chaired the executive committee of CareerSTAT, an initiative of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions encouraging more US healthcare employers to invest in frontline workers.