Caroline Turner

Caroline joined ESG in early 2024 to help states and districts bridge the gap between classroom learning and meaningful careers. As an Associate at the firm, Caroline contributes to the evaluation, design, and implementation of high-quality college and career pathways, with a particular focus on high school redesign and work-based learning. Caroline’s work is defined by a commitment to systems-level change, using labor market information analysis and stakeholder engagement to ensure that every student has a clear, supported, route to postsecondary success.

Caroline has supported several of ESG’s major multi-year initiatives including JP Morgan Chase’s New Skills ready network, Ascendium’s Opportunity Alliance, and the PathwaysPLUS program as part of the Southeastern Industry Workforce Council. Her expertise is regularly applied through direct district partnerships with regions across the country including Philadelphia’s pathway improvement strategies for key industry sectors, evaluating Early College programs in Massachusetts districts, and supporting West Tennessee districts to expand advanced manufacturing pathways to meet evolving regional labor needs. Recently, Caroline contributed to the field’s growing body of knowledge by authoring research on connecting youth apprenticeship programs to high school pathways.

Prior to joining ESG, Caroline was a policy manager at Jobs for the Future, where she contributed to national initiatives focused on economic mobility and work-based learning. Before entering the policy space, Caroline served as a City Year Corps Member in Boston Public Schools, an experience that continues to ground her current work in the daily realities of students and educators.

Caroline earned her Master’s in Public Policy in Education Policy from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and her Bachelor’s degrees in Education and Psychology from the University of Virginia. During her graduate studies Caroline completed a fellowship with Tennessee SCORE,where she supported the analysis of Tennessee’s 146 districts ESSER plans and the advocacy for overhauling the Tennessee K-12 funding formula.

Why are you in this work?

I’m in this work because I believe a high-quality education and the training to back it up are fundamental rights, not privileges reserved for those in the “right” zip code or with the “right” connections. My experience, both in the classroom and through this role, has shown me that while talent is everywhere, opportunity is not. When we provide the structural support for students to persist through high-quality pathways, education and skill acquisition become more than just milestones, they become transformative tools for economic mobility and personal agency.

Why ESG?

After working in research and advocacy at both the state and national levels, I was drawn to ESG”s commitment to the “how” of implementation. We don’t just theorize about change; we help build the infrastructure to make it possible.

Reflecting on five years of the New Skills ready network, though I was only part of it for its final two years, I’ve seen how long-term, intentional collaboration can lead to meaningful progress in dismantling silos between K12 education, higher education, and the workforce. ESG is where policy meets the pavement; and we get the privilege of working alongside local leaders to ensure that the bridge between education and a meaningful career is sturdy, transparent, and accessible to every learner.