Ep.33 | Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity's Sebastian Aleman

We head back to the State of Arizona for episode 33 of The Native Edge podcast, where Chris and Yvette welcome Sebastian Aleman, Legislative and Tribal Liaison for the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. Sebastian discusses his office's role in economic and workforce development in Arizona, in particular tribal communities.

You'll hear about Yvette's extensive workforce development experience, and the group dives into topics like tribal consultation, housing, microlending and CDFIs, and the importance of data in economic decision making. If you enjoy this conversation, make sure to check out Episode 31 with Sebastian's colleague Jason Chavez, Director of Tribal Affairs for Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs.

Please download and tell your friends! As always, thank you for listening to and supporting The Native Edge podcast.

Sebastian Aleman |
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-aleman-829902208/

Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity |
https://oeo.az.gov/

Tribal Energy and Economic Futures Summit |
https://gotr.azgovernor.gov/gotr/tribal-energy-and-economic-futures-summit

Chapters

• 1:01 Intro
• 6:32 Meet Sebastian
• 8:32 Background on the Office of Economic Opportunity
• 10:52 Credentialing for Careers
• 14:31 Yvette's Workforce Development Experience
• 17:44 How the Office Attracts Investment to Arizona
• 19:43 The Chicken and Egg Conundrum
• 21:14 Rural and Tribal Development
• 24:06 Sebastian's Role
• 27:00 Tribal Projects and Consultation
• 31:30 Importance of Housing
• 34:36 Microlending and CDFIs
• 38:46 Future Plans for the Office
• 41:08 Data-Driven Decisionmaking
• 44:36 Workforce Development at The National Center
• 47:35 Work-Life Balance
• 49:11 More Info
• 50:26 Wrap Up