The Beacon Collective

The Beacon Collective Pilot Program

The Beacon Collective is a workforce training pilot designed to expand access to opportunity for justice-impacted women by removing the barriers that most programs overlook.

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For many women, the challenge is not motivation or capability. It is access. Transportation gaps and lack of childcare consistently prevent participation in traditional workforce programs, limiting pathways to employment and long-term economic stability.

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Beacon is built to close that gap. The program delivers job-ready skills training, digital literacy, and confidence-building directly within trusted community spaces, removing the need for participants to navigate systems that were not designed with them in mind.

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The initiative originated during the Leadership Tulsa Thrive 8 cohort, informed by firsthand experience of how transportation barriers impact economic mobility for women across Tulsa. From there, the model was developed and refined through The Mine, a four-month human-centered design program supporting high-impact solutions. Beacon was awarded a $1,500 microgrant to support its initial launch.

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This work is grounded in over a decade of experience in nonprofit marketing, development, and board leadership, including roles with Oklahomans for Equality, League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Tulsa, and Junior League of Tulsa. I am also a graduate of the inaugural Schnake Turnbo Frank Nonprofit Leadership Institute. Through The Unicorn Agency, this work has focused on building systems that convert engagement into sustained funding and measurable impact.

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Beacon has been shaped in collaboration with community partners, including She Brews and Resonance, ensuring the program reflects real needs and lived experience.

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The first pilot cohort will launch this autumn, serving an initial group of 10-12 women. -The program is designed to achieve:

• 80% program completion rate 

• 70% of participants completing a job-ready skills portfolio (resume, digital literacy competency, core workplace tools)

• 50% placement into employment, continued education, or workforce programs within 120 days
   

Participants who complete the program will receive a laptop to support continued skill development, job access, and long-term economic mobility beyond the cohort experience.

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The pilot is designed as a high-touch, community-based model with an estimated cost of $500 - $700 per participant, inclusive of training, support services, and technology. This approach prioritizes immediate impact while building a scalable model that can expand through community partnerships.

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Beacon is actively seeking founding partners to support the launch of this first cohort and help build a model that can scale across Tulsa.