ABOUT US
WE ARE YES2JOBS.
BUILDING WORKFORCE EQUITY.
The need is urgent. The proof is undeniable. Meet the team closing the generational wealth gap.
OUR STORY
Yes2Jobs did not start yesterday.
1987 – THE VISION
The Yes2Jobs model — Y.E.S. (Youth Entertainment Summer) — was created in 1987 in direct response to the NAACP's criticism that the music industry lacked diversity in management positions. A&M Records' founders convened a group of industry leaders who concluded that increased awareness of career options and opportunities for underrepresented youth was essential — as Jaleesa Hazzard, Executive Director of Y.E.S., powerfully stated: "People can't be what they don't know exists."
The model proved transformative. Y.E.S. earned an NAACP Image Award for opening the entertainment industry to minority youth, expanded to 14 cities across the country, and connected more than 2,500 high school and college student interns with over 100 companies. The program built career pathways across music, TV, film, telecommunications, and video gaming — impacting companies including A&M Records, HBO, Sony Music, Tri-Star Television, Overbrook Entertainment, WEA Distribution, MTV, BET, and more.
The impact endures to this day. Many Y.E.S. alumni continue to hold leadership positions across the music industry, TV production, finance, marketing, human resources, and beyond. Among them: acclaimed TV producer Carl Beverly and Ethiopia Habtemariam, former Chair/CEO of Motown Records — living proof of what becomes possible when young people are shown the door.
2007 – THE PAUSE
When the financial crisis reshaped the landscape of nonprofit funding and community programming, Y.E.S. paused — but the mission never did. The relationships held. The alumni network endured.
2020 – THE RETURN
Yes2Jobs re-emerged with the same founding conviction and an expanded vision — moving beyond entertainment into media, technology, esports, and finance, and building the infrastructure, professional networks, and technology partnerships needed to dismantle the systemic barriers limiting the job-readiness and financial equity of the next generation of Los Angeles youth from underrepresented and under-resourced communities.
The legacy was the foundation. The future demanded something bigger.
TODAY – THE MOVEMENT
Yes2Jobs is more than a program. It is a workforce movement — growing in scale and impact through our Expose, Prepare, and Support framework, empowering future workforce leaders and entrepreneurs with project-oriented experience, paid internships, and early career opportunities in high-growth industries. Yes2Jobs is expanding its school and community partnerships and entering its third consecutive year of paid summer internships — connecting our most prepared students directly to industry.
Since 2024, Yes2Jobs has achieved 100% year-over-year growth — and the next generation is just getting started.
Join the movement. The next generation is ready.
OUR MISSION
Yes2Jobs is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit on a mission to close the racial wealth gap — one career at a time.
Our Expose, Prepare, and Support framework ensures a young person's zip code never defines their economic opportunity.
SUPPORT FRAMEWORK
Our framework
Expose
We provide career discovery, industry speakers, site visits, and professional network building to intentionally open doors to industries and opportunities our students did not know existed.
Prepare
We build real, competitive skills through rigorous career cohort training, including personal brand development, AI, and tech-readiness powered by our Korgi platform, and curated experiential learning through project-oriented development challenges sponsored by businesses that simulate real-world professional environments.
Support
We create lasting financial equity through paid internships, early career placements, and long-term advocacy — connecting our most prepared students directly to industry. Through our Intern to C-Suite program and alumni network of mentors, speakers, and champions, Yes2Jobs creates a support community around students from their first opportunity to their highest aspiration.
OUR IMPACT BY THE NUMBERS
The proof is in the numbers.
100%
Year-over-year
growth since 2024
150
Students projected
in 2026
9
Active cohorts in 2026
7+
School & community partners
In 2024 we graduated 25 students. In 2025 we graduated 76. In 2026 we are tracking to graduate 150 students across nine cohorts — 100% year-over-year growth powered by a small but mighty team and a growing network of community, school, and industry partners.
WHO WE ARE
Our team
STAFF
Brian Wright
Managing Director
Alexandra Labat
Communications Manager
Christine Verduzco
Operations Administrator
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Yolanda “Cookie” Parker
Board Chair & Co-Founder
Jaleesa Hazzard
Vice Board Chair & Co-Founder
Chad Gordon
Treasurer & Board Member
Katheryn Kennedy-Labat
Secretary & Board Member
Lissette Garcia
Board Member
Khalil Abdul-Rahman
Board Member
OUR PARTNERS
Best Buy Teen Tech Center
Brotherhood Crusade
CreateNow
Culver City Unified School District
Diego Rivera Learning Complex
Gameheads
Korgi
Los Angeles Unified School District
New Earth
Stocker Street Creative
Valley Oaks Center for Enriched Studies
Youthbuild CTRL+Create Studio
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Our values
Economic Justice
Find out what you are actually good at and what industries are hiring people like you right now. Media. Technology. Esports. Finance. The creative economy. It is bigger than you think.
Authentic Community
We do not parachute in. We show up, stay present, and build relationships that outlast any single cohort or program cycle.
Radical Access
Find out what you are actually good at and what industries are hiring people like you right now. Media. Technology. Esports. Finance. The creative economy. It is bigger than you think.
Continuous Learning
We practice what we teach. Yes2Jobs is a learning organization — always evolving, always improving, always asking how we can serve our communities better.
Designing your future
starts here.
And we are honored to be part of the journey.
TAKE ACTION
Let's build a workforce solution together.
Whether you're a student ready to compete, an employer ready to hire, a teacher ready to refer, or a donor ready to invest, there's a seat for you.