Jackson, TN named one of just 10 cities nationwide chosen for Work for America's second Talent Accelerator cohort
JACKSON, Tenn. — The City of Jackson, TN (“The City”) has been selected as one of only 10 cities across the country to participate in Work for America’s (WFA) second Talent Accelerator program, Data-Driven Hiring for Cities.
Chosen from a competitive pool of applicants from municipalities nationwide, The City will participate in an 8-week program that examines how its hiring data is collected, managed, and used. By the end of the Data-Driven Hiring for Cities workshop, The City will define its priority hiring metrics, produce specified data practice improvements, and deliver a briefing to leadership outlining its findings and recommended next steps.
WFA’s Talent Accelerator programs are free, virtual workshops that help city HR and operations teams that want to make practical, near-term improvements to their hiring systems. Selection to this cohort recognizes The City's commitment to investing in the systems that deliver for its community by strengthening data-informed decision making.
"Delivering exceptional service to our residents begins with attracting, hiring, and supporting exceptional talent," said Mayor Scott Conger. "Being selected for Work for America’s Talent Accelerator cohort is a tremendous opportunity to modernize our recruitment practices. By utilizing data to make our hiring process faster and more efficient, we are ensuring that Jackson City Hall operates effectively, removes unnecessary barriers for dedicated job seekers, and continues to build a top-tier workforce ready to serve our community."
“When we strengthen how we recruit and hire talent, we are investing not only in our employees but in the future of the City of Jackson,” said City of Jackson, TN Director of Human Resources Kelsea Merriweather. “Through this program, we will have the opportunity to use data to identify ways to improve efficiency and make informed decisions to strengthen our workforce. We are extremely excited for this partnership and the results that this program will yield.”
“There is no shared standard for excellent government hiring,” said Caitlin Lewis, Executive Director of Work for America. “These 10 cities will use existing data to set clear hiring metrics, track their progress, and take the first step toward a national baseline other cities can rally around.”
Jackson, TN joins the cities of Baltimore, MD; El Paso, TX; Erie, PA; Jackson, TN; Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA; Nashville, TN; Pompano Beach, FL; San Francisco, CA; and St. Louis, MO in the Fall 2026 cohort. The workshops run from October 13 through December 15, 2026.
The upcoming workshop follows WFA’s inaugural Talent Accelerator workshop, Transforming City Hiring Processes, where participating cities mapped their end-to-end hiring processes, identifying bottlenecks and delays. Based on findings from the inaugural cohort, WFA developed a free toolkit that any government HR or operations team can use to pilot fixes that speed up hiring and improve the candidate experience.
Access Built to Hire: A Process Mapping Toolkit for Government Hiring Teams here.
About Jackson, TN
Located halfway between Nashville and Memphis on Interstate 40, people visiting Jackson find there is a lot to like. When Country connected to the Blues in Jackson the sound was heard around the world and Rock-A-Billy was born. Jackson is where baseball players, beauty queens, heroes, and legends are all connected. Jackson offers great places to stay, great places to eat, great places to shop, fun things to do and interesting things to learn.
About Work for America
Honored by Fast Company as one of 2026 World’s Most Innovative Companies, Work for America is a nonpartisan nonprofit rebuilding the talent pipeline into state and local government. Work for America connects talented professionals to public sector roles, helps governments modernize how they recruit and hire, and inspires the next generation of public servants to see government as the most powerful place to drive progress. By expanding pathways into government and telling a new story about public service, Work for America is helping communities build the teams they need to deliver results.
Work for America has been recognized by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and TIME. Read more here.