Fred Dedrick has more than 40 years of experience in organizing community initiatives to address economic and workforce development challenges. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions from 2010 to 2020. The Fund, with substantial investments from major national foundations, operates across more than 30 communities in 25 states, promoting workers to secure good jobs, advocating for systems reform, and addressing racial inequities.
Prior to joining the National Fund, Mr. Dedrick served as Pennsylvania’s Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development, overseeing more than $200 million in annual state investments. Before his tenure as Deputy Secretary, Mr. Dedrick was the Executive Director of Pennsylvania’s Workforce Investment Board where he led the development of workforce policy recommendations for Governor Ed Rendell.
Earlier, he was Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Economic Development Coalition and the Greater Philadelphia International Network. In these roles he was responsible for attracting new businesses, developing industry-specific educational programs, and producing regional labor market studies. He recently served for two years as a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE).
Mr. Dedrick earned his BA from the University of Notre Dame and his MPA from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs.