Amanda
Olmstead

Amanda Olmstead has dedicated her career to building equitable career pathways for students. As the director of workforce alignment at Achieving the Dream, Amanda leads the Texas-based professional learning communities focused on industry-aligned credentials and works to scale these learnings to ATD’s Network.  

Amanda joins ATD after serving as director of programs and operations for NASPA’s Advising Success Network, where she oversaw a national network of partners in developing resources and services to help institutions improve holistic student supports for racially minoritized and poverty-affected students.  

Amanda also held roles in state and local government, administering philanthropic and federal funding for career pathways initiatives. Her roles included overseeing innovative work-based learning and stackable credentials at community colleges throughout Maryland, partnering with businesses to ensure credential programs align with employer needs, and working with a K–12 CTE office to connect high school graduates to credential programs, pre-apprenticeships, and other work-based learning.  

Prior to roles in state and local government, Amanda worked at Baltimore City Community College where she managed credential programs and courses in career readiness and English for Speakers of Other Languages. She started her career at Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, helping immigrants access employment and education opportunities.  

How has education changed your life/your family? 

My college education taught me how to be a critical thinker, which continues to impact how I interact with the world to this day. I am passionate about how education can be used as a powerful tool towards economic mobility.