Jess Key is the assistant commissioner of workforce and executive director of the Rhode Island Higher Education & Industry Centers (RIHEIC). RIHEIC manages and operates three workforce development centers: Westerly Education Center, Woonsocket Education Center, and RI Nursing Education Center in Providence. Jess is responsible for developing and overseeing Rhode Island’s system-wide postsecondary workforce strategy and policies. She will monitor campus-level progress on key state workforce goals and advance state-level work on aligning Rhode Island’s higher education system with the current and future workforce needs of the state.
Most recently Jess worked at General Dynamics Electric Boat, serving in the role of manager of supplier and workforce development where she oversaw more than 40 adult training pipelines and K-12/CTE programs in three states. During her 10-year employment with Electric Boat, she developed networks within the company and across broader workforce and supply chain organizations serving the defense industry to effectively implement and scale up workforce readiness programs supporting the submarine industrial base.
Jess earned an MBA from the University of Florida and two bachelor’s degrees from University of South Florida, Tampa.
