Marina
Zhavoronkova

Marina Zhavoronkova is a senior fellow for workforce development at American Progress. She was most recently assistant secretary for programs and performance at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD). During her five years at EOLWD, her portfolio included management of the Governor’s Healthcare Collaborative, a public-private partnership addressing health care skill gaps in Massachusetts; oversight of the commonwealth’s apprenticeship expansion initiative and the Division of Apprentice Standards; rebranding and unification of the state’s 16 workforce boards and 29 career centers under the “MassHire” brand and identity; management of the state’s regional planning initiative across local and state workforces, education, and economic development partners; COVID-19 emergency staffing and training for the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance; and more.

Prior to her time with EOLWD, she held a variety of roles across workforce and education, including a Dukakis Fellowship in Gov. Charlie Baker’s (R) office, managing a workforce training program for high school students in New York City, and teaching ninth-grade English in Houston.

Marina immigrated to the United States with her family from St. Petersburg, Russia. She has a bachelor’s degree from New York University and a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.