Greg Wolley.
Principal Consultant, Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce
“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live”.
-Flora Whitmore
Hello!
My name is Greg Wolley
Alumni Service Award
Southern Oregon University (2021)
Business Champion of the Year
Northwest Minority Supplier Development Council (2010)
I help organizations build inclusive, equitable, and sustainable cultures by guiding strategic change, empowering leadership, and fostering authentic community engagement.
Through creating Tomorrow's Workforce, I focus on workforce development, youth engagement, and equity-centered consulting—connecting people, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, to meaningful careers and opportunities that make a lasting impact.
ORIGIN
How It All Started: A Calling Rooted in Nature and Service
I established Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce in 2018 after a long and somewhat circuitous career which provided me with 30 years of experience working in government and non-profit organizations.
Following a Bachelors Degree in Psychology with an focus in life sciences and ecology, I began my career in environmental education bringing youth from the Los Angeles area backpacking in the Mojave Desert.
Work with conservation corps organizations followed, in roles as crew supervisor, education and career coordinator.
LAND
From the Classroom to the Wild: Managing Land and Learning on the Job
I left the SF Bay Area for Southern Oregon and grad school in environmental education, but by the time I obtained my Master of Science degree, I had became more interested in decisions around how land is managed.
I began my “dream job” as preserve manager with The Nature Conservancy after I returned to the Bay Area. I was responsible for managing two preserves totaling nearly 2,000 acres.
During that time I developed an inter-agency wildfire response plan, a preserve management plan, managed volunteers, conducted range and native bunchgrass studies, conducted prescribed fires, and other responsibilities.
PEOPLE
Uplifting People,
One Job at a Time
The pull to help uplift people in a more tangible way brought me back home across the Bay from Marin County to Richmond, where I worked with the City of Richmond and the Private Industry Council to help local residents to obtain jobs on a new freeway being built.
This was very satisfying work; my clients had a range of legal and other personal life history that could have barred them from employment in various sectors.
However, if they wanted to work and learn, we set them up as apprentices with various large construction contractors, and with support, saw them successfully complete their freeway construction season.
FOREST
Finding My Way Back to Oregon and Into the Forests
A change was in air. As the Bay Area became more expensive and congested, I was drawn back to the beauty and affordability of Oregon. Following a stint teaching science with OMSI (The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), I landed a job with the US Forest Service as a forest planner for the Mt. Hood National Forest.
As lead writer-editor for the Forest Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), I worked with an interdisciplinary team and NEPA coordinator to create the Forest’s guiding planing documents that would shape forest management for next thirty years.
When my two-year task was completed, I launched the Forest’s Conservation Education Program. My role was to develop programs that help the public to better understand forest management and ecology, and I was fortunate to work with local schools to create opportunities students to expand their conservation knowledge.
COMMUNITY
Staying Local, Getting Involved, and Learning Urban Lessons
When my local position became “surplus” and would require me to relocate out of state, I opted to stay local and accepted a position with our three-county regional government, Metro.
As regional natural areas planner, I worked with newly acquired properties to prepare them for master planning. This included reforestation, invasive plant removal, structural demolition, grant writing, and hiring/managing contractors and consultants to get the work done.
As Metro’s bond-funded acquisition program balance was shrinking, I concurrently realized that I was losing touch with what happening in urban Portland. I accepted a job offer with our regional transit agency TriMet as community affairs coordinator.
In that role, I implemented programs to help businesses in the Interstate Avenue construction zone to stay afloat during the impacts of a large transit construction project. Out of 104 businesses along the construction corridor, only three closed or relocated in the two years of light rail construction.
MISSION
Turning Experience Into Impact: Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce
When the Interstate Max light rail was completed, I accepted a job as small business development manager with the City of Portland.
My work supporting small business success, managing City-wide training, and hiring/managing a workforce development and training team helped me to realize that, by establishing and managing my own workforce development business with an equity lens, I could make the most immediate and meaningful impact on small business success.
Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce was born. My community volunteer work has been an important part of my personal commitment to uplifting communities. I’ve served on the board of directors of Friends of Trees, Zenger Farm, City of Portland DEEP (Diverse Empowered Employees of Portland), the Portland Urban Forestry Commission, and Commissioner with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Awards & Recognition
Alumni Service Award
Southern Oregon University (2021)
Business Champion of the Year
Northwest Minority Supplier Development Council (2010)
Experience
Principal Consultant - Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce – Lake Oswego, OR (2018–Present)
Greg founded the firm to advise organizations on workforce equity, inclusive hiring, and small business development.
City of Portland - Workforce Development & Training Manager (2015–2017)
Hired and managed a team to increase hiring and training by 25% over two years.
City of Portland - Citywide Training Manager (2013–2015)
Oversaw professional development curriculum and training delivery for city staff.
City of Portland - Small Business Development Manager (2004–2013)
Led outreach and coaching to expand small business access to government contracts.
TriMet - Community Affairs Coordinator (2001–2003)
Designed and implemented small business retention strategies during light rail construction.
Metro Regional Government - Regional Natural Areas Planner (1996–2001)
Developed site-specific management plans and oversaw contractors for public land acquisitions.
USDA Forest Service Mt. Hood National Forest - Forest Planner & Conservation Manager (1989–2006)
Lead writer of the Forest Plan and FEIS. Founded the Forest’s Conservation Education Program.
Education
B.A., Behavioral Biology
University of California, Berkeley – 1976
M.S., Environmental Education
Southern Oregon University – 1981
Public Speaking
Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (2024)
Topic: Public Lands for All: Blackness Outside
Climate Frontline Podcast (2021)
Topic: Mentorship and Workforce Development with Youth
Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance Webinar (2021)
Topic: Outdoor Access for All: Exploring Safety, Equity & Inclusion
Travel Oregon Webcast (2020)
Topic: Leadership, Hope, Action: Diverse Voices for Environmental Leadership
Lewis & Clark Graduate School Seminar (2014)
Topic: Nature, Health, and Access
TEDx Talk at Portland State University (2014)
Topic: True Stories of Climate Action
Western Association of Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) Annual Summer Conference (2018)
Topic: The Importance of Diverse Leadership Teams.
California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Annual Conference. (1986)
Topic: A Restoration Plan for The Nature Conservancy’s Ring Mountain Preserve.
