About Me
Sawubona Mhlaba!
My name is Dr. Chris Benner. A California native, I received my Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, I can be found riding unreasonable distances on my bike, rafting, pondering technology and social inclusion, and working with students on social change. My background in activism and fighting inequality has greatly influenced my work in social and economic dimensions of technological change, workforce development policy, the structure, dynamics and evaluation of workforce intermediaries, and strategies for promoting regional equity.
In addition to publications and current work with the Everett Program and the Institute for Social Transformation, my past work has included:
- Visiting or associate academic appointments at the University of Southern California, Maynooth University in Ireland, University of kwaZulu-Natal in Durban, and University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
- Evaluating workforce development programs for the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry and the Keystone Research Center
- Providing research and technical assistance to a wide-range of public, private and non-profit agencies, including the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, the California Energy Commission, the California Workforce Investment Board, the California Labor Federation, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the Food Chain Workers Alliance among others
- Analyzing regional development strategies for the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development
- Serving on advisory boards for the Center for Amazon Community Ecology, the Urban Habitat Program (San Francisco), the Center for Policy Initiatives (San Diego) and the California Economic Strategy Panel, among others