Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Torree Pederson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Torree thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

Today’s education system works for some, but not all students. We must offer students and families multiple solutions to ensure their ability to thrive. For many students, the opportunities in front of them don’t offer much hope or success. Our work at Aligned tries to ensure that all students can see what they can be outside of their immediate world.

I remember wanting to go into the medical field with my best friend in high school. I was fortunate enough to have the guidance of my family who recommended that I go volunteer at the hospital. This advice was a blessing because I realized I did not like the hospital setting. This experience opened my eyes to what I didn’t want to do. This type of learning is valuable is because it may prevent you from heading down a career path you might not enjoy.

Real world learning access is the key to getting students exposed to opportunities. It takes coordination, participation and dedication from businesses, but this impact can be lifelong for students exposed to careers they might not otherwise be aware of. At Aligned, our goal is to expose students to opportunities such as business and virtual tours, internships, client work, etc. Any exposure for students is beneficial and can be achieved in a traditional classroom setting. For example, math teachers can highlight occupations that utilize the skills that are being taught in that classroom.

It is vital for all students to navigate their passions and skills to find the best career path for them. Students must have access and awareness of careers before they can imagine themselves in that career. I’m living proof. I never knew I would love education advocacy until my 30s because I was never exposed to it. This exposure leads to more fulfilling career attainment.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a first-generation college student from a small town, I went to college with two things in mind: to get away and have a great paying job. I found myself bouncing through three or four majors in college before I settled on a degree in finance. The finance degree was the perfect marriage of my strong math skills and my curiosity about business. The summer before my senior year, I interned for Sprint in Overland Park, KS. This great experience led to a full-time job after graduation. I was thrilled to move to the “big city” and find my own apartment, buy a car and start my own life.

I had the opportunity to experience different areas of finance, to meet people from all walks of life, and most importantly to continue learning. I was very blessed to work for Sprint for eight years in a variety of roles including financial analysis, marketing finance and corporate audit.

I found that becoming a mother proved to be tricky as navigating a career and finding quality childcare was not an easy task. In 2008, I accepted a voluntary separation package because I could not find childcare for my oldest. This career break gave me the opportunity to spend time with my daughter and to reimagine and reinvent myself. I began to dream about what I wanted to do and the impact that my next career step would have.

I was fortunate to be introduced to two organizations that provided me ideas for a path forward. With a little bit of hesitation, I agreed to accept a limited part-time role as the executive director for The Greater Kansas City National Tooling & Machining Association. This hesitation stemmed from the need for this organization to run a profitable balance sheet. My finance degree obviously came in clutch. I quickly realized that their issues were not financial related, but tied to a serious workforce shortage with skilled labor, especially impacting small and mid-size businesses.

This learning made me ask, “Why were all these businesses having trouble finding or fighting over employees? Was there a talent pipeline problem?” The answer was eye-opening: most schools had taken shop and vo-tech out of their curriculums. The bottom line is students were not being exposed to manual labor jobs anymore. Students simply didn’t know these high-skilled, high-wage jobs were available.

My first inclination was to head to both state houses (Kansas and Missouri) and start advocating for change. This didn’t happen initially because we felt we needed to make an immediate impact in the marketplace. This is when we created and launched BotsKC. The (15-pound) battle bot organization was created to expose more students to manufacturing in an environment they thought was cool and intriguing. Our competitions started with five teams in year one. We are proud to say we have roughly 36 teams competing every spring for the past eight years. Exposing students to find their passions and develop skills has proven to be a game changer for over 2,000 students in the past eight years. It has also highlighted to businesses that they can work with students directly to build their workforce.

How’d you meet your business partner?

In 2012, I was introduced to two key business leaders in Kansas City. These leaders were third- and fifth-generation business owners who needed to be focused on keeping their businesses flourishing in Kansas City. They were frustrated with their ability to find and to hire a ready workforce to help grow their businesses. Together, we determined that it was simple. These businesses needed to have a seat at the table to impact policy outcomes and their business needs. This led to the creation of Aligned, a business-led organization laser focused on getting business leaders engaged in the education system through direct interaction and state level policy engagement. At one lunch meeting, the three of us established Aligned and targeted business leaders, educators and lawmakers to start highlighting the disconnects in the current system.

I’m proud to say our organization has grown and we have been tackling these issues for 12 years as we remain steadfast in our mission of bringing the business voice to the table to ensure that every student is prepared.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Little did I know that the lunch meeting would light a passion in me that has led to multiple successes. In the ten-plus years since Aligned’s inception, the organization has achieved a steady stream of incremental wins for the region across multiple areas of the cradle-to-career spectrum.

In 2024, Aligned’s advocacy work resulted in the inclusion of language into a sweeping education reform bill that doubled the state investment in Pre-K and the creation of a differentiated pay program to address teacher recruitment and retention in Missouri. In the past eight years, Aligned’s advocacy has contributed to a combined total of $601 million appropriated investment in pre-K funding for Missouri.

It never scared me to work hard and get things done to create change. Yet, starting a non-profit from the bottom up is not for the faint of heart. I realized I had nothing to lose and so much to gain for all of us. When your job is your passion, it’s easy to go the extra mile.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wearealigned.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreAligned1
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torree-pederson-5908363/
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearealigned/