Amanda Cage is the President and CEO of Shift Work Forward, where she leads national efforts to strengthen workforce systems so workers, employers, and communities can thrive together. She brings more than 30 years of experience across federal workforce systems, philanthropy, and organized labor, and is widely recognized as a leading voice on job quality and economic equity.

In her role at Shift Work Forward, Amanda drives strategy to strengthen regional workforce partnerships, influence national policy, and elevate job quality as a cornerstone of economic mobility. Her leadership is grounded in decades of experience managing large-scale public and private investments, guiding systems-level change, and building coalitions that center workers’ voices.

Previously, Amanda served as chief program officer of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, overseeing a $70 million portfolio and a network of more than 50 agencies in the nation’s second-largest workforce system. She has also held senior roles in philanthropy and citywide workforce strategy and began her career as a labor organizer with Jobs with Justice and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). She is an alumna of the Harvard Trade Union Program at Harvard Law School.

Amanda serves on the board of WorkRise, a national research-to-action network advancing worker mobility and job quality. Her insights have appeared in the Financial Times, New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.

Education

• Master of Public Policy – Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
• Bachelor of Arts Degree – Oberlin College