Colleen Thouez

Colleen Thouez works at the intersection of democracy and economic opportunity. Across higher education, international organizations and city-level governance, her work has been guided by a central concern: how institutions can expand access and belonging in times of structural change.

Currently Vice President for Workforce Development at the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) in the United States, she works with public university systems serving millions of college and university students. Her focus lies on building education-to-employment pathways that strengthen economic and social mobility at the community and regional level.

During her fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy, she explores the relationship between the future of work and the future of democracy.

How does workforce preparedness shape civic trust?
What happens to democratic cohesion when economic transitions accelerate, and social divisions deepen?

Rather than treating labor market transformation and political polarization as separate developments, she examines how they intersect. Access to meaningful work, locally grounded cooperation and accessible opportunity structures are not only economic concerns — they influence participation, belonging and democratic resilience.

The fellowship offers space to reflect on these connections in dialogue with practitioners and policymakers in Germany and across Europe. At the same time, she brings long-standing experience in cross-border cooperation and city-level innovation to the Academy’s conversations.