Tracy Judge Appointed to CSU AI Workforce Acceleration Board to Support Workforce Readiness in an AI-Driven Future
Soundings today announced that Founder and CEO Tracy Judge, a proud CSU alum, has been appointed to the California State University (CSU) AI Workforce Acceleration Board. The statewide initiative brings together leaders from education, government, and industry to accelerate AI skills development and workforce preparedness across California.
The Board includes senior executives from organizations such as OpenAI, IBM, Adobe, LinkedIn, Google, AWS, and Intel, alongside CSU faculty and representatives from the Governor’s Office. Its mission is to align education, industry, and government to ensure students and professionals are equipped to succeed in an AI-enabled economy.
Judge joins the Board as a workforce strategist with deep expertise in how people build skills through formal education, applied learning, and shared professional development. Her background in the hospitality and business events sector brings a unique industry perspective to the Board’s work on future workforce needs.
“I am honored to join a board that is deeply committed to preparing our workforce for the future of work in an AI-driven world,” said Judge. “This role allows me to contribute to a cross-sector effort, share insights with the business events industry, and help create new opportunities for professionals, students, and the Soundings Thrive community as work continues to evolve.”
As CSU aligns education, industry, and government around a unified workforce strategy, Judge’s appointment highlights a parallel opportunity for the business events sector. By bringing together planners, agencies, suppliers, destinations, educators, and technology partners, the industry can apply similar collaborative models to prepare for AI-driven change. Judge’s role helps bridge these efforts and translate insights into practical, industry-relevant action.
Soundings’ Commitment to Workforce Readiness
According to LinkedIn workforce intelligence, AI hiring has grown 30 percent faster than overall hiring in the past year and more than 300 percent over the last eight years. Kory Kantenga, Head of Economics for the Americas at LinkedIn and a fellow Board member, noted:
“AI is reshaping work and creating demand for emerging jobs and skills. We must equip the workforce with the tools and insights needed to land the jobs of the future.”
Judge’s appointment aligns with Soundings’ continued investment in helping individuals and organizations understand, adopt, and adapt to AI-driven change. Key initiatives include:
AI Impact Study and White Paper
Research identifying lack of understanding, not cost, as the primary barrier to AI adoption in the events industry.AI Impact Workshop Series
An eight-session cohort program helping teams assess AI readiness, explore use cases, and integrate AI into collaborative workflows.Future of Work Blueprint
A practical framework supporting agile, resilient, and AI-ready teams through aligned skills, workflows, and talent structures.
Why This Matters for the Event Industry
Judge’s appointment comes as the business events industry begins to more closely examine how AI will reshape roles, skills, and workforce expectations. The CSU program provides a scalable model for coordinated action.
Dr. Elka Walsh, Americas Higher Education Transformation Lead at Microsoft, said:
“The California State University system is demonstrating leadership in preparing people to thrive in the AI-empowered workforce. The scale of this effort shows what is possible when universities, industry, and government work together.”
For the business events industry, this creates several opportunities:
Cross-Sector Learning
Applying insights from education, government, and leading technology companies.AI Workforce Readiness
Gaining clarity on how roles, skills, and team structures will evolve.Future-Focused Talent Pathways
Creating opportunities for students, emerging professionals, and community talent to gain real-world experience.Shared Industry Understanding
Aligning around AI’s impact on collaboration, staffing models, and professional development.Accelerated Innovation
Translating statewide workforce strategies into actionable industry programs.
About Soundings
Soundings is a workforce solutions company supporting the business events, travel, and hospitality industries through agile staffing solutions, coaching and reskilling programs, and a global professional community. Through Soundings Connect, Elevate, and Thrive, the company helps organizations and individuals build future-ready teams in a rapidly changing world.
About the CSU AI Workforce Acceleration Board
The CSU AI Workforce Acceleration Board is a collaborative initiative uniting the 23-campus California State University system with leaders from industry and government. The Board focuses on identifying AI-driven skill needs, designing education and training frameworks, and creating pathways that help students and workers thrive in an AI-enabled economy.
Phase IV of the AI Impact Survey is live. Participants will discover their own AI Engagement Persona and help expand the industry’s understanding of what effective AI adoption really looks like.
Media Contact:
Melinda Powers
press@soundingsconnect.com