Cynthia Walker is a pivotal leader in expanding Registered Youth Apprenticeship (RYA) programs through the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). She is deeply committed to motivating and empowering the next generation of workers and future leaders. Her extensive experience spans training, career services, and Generation Z mentoring, making her a key figure in developing and accelerating RYA programs. Her team of consultants offers personal coaching and technical support, working diligently to represent employers and industry credentials. As a registered USDOL Sponsor, she has worked closely with her ATR, Jeanna Caldwell, and employers to develop the Apprenticeship Coordinator occupation. The intensive, year-long training is based on one of her formatively coached programs at Missouri’s Ft. Zumwalt School district’s model. With a proven record of expediting the implementation of an active and robust initiative, it is changing the workforce landscape by selecting skilled youth for multiple industries. The Career WayZ team has developed robust LMS-related instruction based on collaborative decades of expertise. She is coaching and sponsoring Missouri's first apprenticeship coordinators US DOL registered apprentices, representing some of the nation’s top-performing CTE programs.Walker’s influence extends across the nation. She has collaborated and consulted on national projects and provided training with high-profile USDOL intermediaries, employers, government agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. She has played a crucial role in placing hundreds of youth apprentices with employers nationwide. Her contributions include serving as the first Missouri Apprenticeship Specialist for the Department of Education, a National USDOL Apprenticeship Ambassador, a National Workforce Development Hero(NAWDP), and a current Apprenticeship Trailblazer. The Youth Apprenticeship Initiative, led by The Urban Institute and IWSI America, is her favorite and most satisfying career contribution. Academically, Cynthia holds a Business Administration degree from William Jewell College and an MBA with an emphasis on Leadership Development from Trinity Seminary. Despite her professional achievements, her family remains her greatest joy. She lives in the Missouri countryside with her husband of twenty-nine years, a retired U.S. Air Force aviator who is now a high school principal in his alumni high school. Their two sons are both on active duty in the Air Force. Cynthia is a devoted patriot who lives by her motto: “Equipping tomorrow’s workforce today!”