Yanni Deconescu

Yanni joined WPTI in 2020. His career spans over 20 years in the nonprofit and private sectors in the U.S. and Europe. Yanni is a multi-disciplinary leader with expertise in workforce development, project management, business strategy, retail management, talent development, and stakeholder engagement. He brings a passion for supporting and guiding workforce development practitioners, leveraging the adoption of new technologies, transforming the workforce development field, improving processes, and creating economic opportunities in underserved communities.

In his recent role as Director of Strategic Initiatives at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT), Yanni served as a strategic partner working with cross-functional teams, board members and stakeholders to develop initiatives that create access to jobs, education, and trainings for local communities across New York City. In addition, he led the Innovation Lab - a public-private partnership that included Industry City, workforce agencies and New York City College of Technology.

Prior to OBT, Yanni managed the workforce development program for Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES). He was a key contributor in developing the infrastructure for the Lower East Side Employment Network (LESEN) - an innovative collaboration of workforce development agencies that work in partnership to meet business hiring needs and support candidate supply. He is active in the Romanian-American community and a founding member of the Romanian-American Business Council (RABC).

Yanni is a graduate of Cornell University with a master’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations. He holds a B.S. in Business Management and Economics from SUNY Empire State College, and is a credentialed Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF).