“NGIN’s vision is ambitious and inspirational. The founding members, the founding donors, NGIN’s board of directors and NGIN’s members bring a deep expertise and commitment to building inclusive growth. By uniting economic development leaders across the nation we will identify profound innovations which will change lives and uplift communities.”
Alkeyna Aldridge is an Inclusive Economic Development Advisor at New Growth Innovation Network (NGIN). Alkeyna’s work at NGIN centers on building Civic Infrastructure to bridge connections between economic development players community development players in effort to improve inclusive outcomes and access to marginalized communities.
Alkeyna is passionate about innovating policies and systems across government, education, and workforce to deliver more equitable and inclusive solutions for geographies and people often left behind by traditional modes of community and development planning. Her work experience includes serving as Director of Engagement & Economic Empowerment and Deputy City Clerk/Director of Policy for the City of South Bend, Indiana, Assistant Director of Outreach Engagement Recruitment at the University of Notre Dame and serving as the former Regional Outreach Coordinator for JAG Indiana where she prepared high school students across the region to successfully enter the workforce or post-secondary education.
Alkeyna completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame in Sociology Africana Studies, and Education and Schooling in Society and pursued a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) through Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning. Alkeyna is recognized as a 2019 Diversity Champion by the Indianapolis Recorder, and a 2018 awardee of the Roland Chamblee Trailblazer award. She is also a proud member of Sigma Gamma Sorority, Inc. and serves on several local boards.
Jessica L. González Martínez is Senior Advisor and Co-Lead for the Inclusive Recovery Initiative project at New Growth Innovation Network. Jessica leads a National Community of Practice of regional economic organizations working to implement inclusive economic strategies as well as supports Insights and Innovations which aim to generate deep insights through original research and design innovations to advance the field of inclusive economic development.
Jessica brings experiences across workforce, community, and economic development which build upon solutions that work alongside people and the places they reside. Whether navigating the complexities of gentrification and displacement in neighborhoods in her role at Local Initiatives Support Corporation, or leading federal grant programs at the City of Phoenix (AZ), Jessica utilizes her skills to connect hard to access resources and support to communities most in need. Jessica previously served as Business Librarian at Phoenix Public Library (AZ), establishing greater access points to city services that serve entrepreneurs and leading a team to launch the hive @ central entrepreneurial resource center, aiding entrepreneurs, and small business owners in incubating new businesses.
Jessica holds a MPA from Arizona State University and a B.S. in American Studies & Sociology from Rutgers University. She is currently a PLACES fellow with The Funders Network.
Swati Ghosh is Vice President, Insights and Innovations at NGIN. In this capacity, she leads NGIN’s program delivery to deliver insights, best practices and innovations which will advance the field of inclusive economic development.
Prior to NGIN, Swati served as the Senior Director of Research at International Economic Development Council (IEDC), where she led the research department in addition to contributing to technical assistance and training programs. Swati has nearly 15 years of experience in economic and community development, including analyzing and designing economic development strategies in entrepreneurship and workforce development, inclusive growth, economic recovery and diversification, and organizational capacity building, among others. She has authored several papers and articles on economic development and related topics.
Swati has a Master of Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Urban Planning from the School of Planning & Architecture, India. Swati is also a Board member and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Work and Economy
M. Yasmina McCarty is CEO and President of NGIN, focused on inclusive economic growth and closing structural opportunity gaps, to ensure that people of color, women and overlooked geographies are a core part of regional economic growth and prosperity.
Prior to NGIN, Yasmina was the Head of Mobile for Development at the GSMA, where she led a global team of 130 people using technology to deliver socioeconomic impact for the underserved in the areas of mobile money, health, agriculture, energy, water, sanitation, climate, humanitarian response, digital identity, digital inclusion, gender equity, and disability. Yasmina was CEO and Co-Founder of GreenMango, a digital platform in India that helped low-income entrepreneurs increase their incomes and worked in microfinance for five years with ACCION USA and Women’s World Banking. Yasmina started her career in the private sector.
Yasmina holds an Executive MBA Global from Columbia University and London Business School and a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University. She has been recognized as a Presidential Leadership Scholar, World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, Echoing Green Fellow, TED India Fellow, and served as an AmeriCorps Vista.
Press release: NGIN appoints CEO.