Albuquerque Selected for National Program to Modernize Government Hiring
City one of 12 chosen for Talent Accelerator cohort
ALBUQUERQUE — The City of Albuquerque has been selected as one of only 12 cities to participate in the inaugural Transforming City Hiring Processes cohort of Work for America's Talent Accelerator program.
Chosen from a highly competitive pool of nationwide applicants, Albuquerque will join peer cities in an eight-week initiative designed to strengthen how local governments recruit and hire the workforce that powers public services.
Selection to the inaugural cohort recognizes the City’s commitment to building a stronger, more effective government and investing in the systems that deliver for residents every day. Cities were chosen based on their readiness to take on meaningful operational improvements and their potential to model better hiring practices for the broader public sector.
“This is a real honor for Albuquerque and a recognition of the work our team is committed to on behalf of our residents,” said Anne Forsyth with the Office of Human Resources. “Effective hiring is the foundation of strong public services. This program gives us the tools, partners, and peer network to build a hiring system worthy of the people we serve.”
Talent Accelerator is a free virtual program that helps city HR and operations teams map their hiring processes, identify bottlenecks, and develop practical recommendations to improve efficiency and candidate experience. By the end of the program the City will produce a comprehensive process map and deliver a briefing to leadership outlining recommended improvements. The spring 2026 cohort runs from April 21 through June 9.
Albuquerque joins Akron, OH; Allentown, PA; Green Bay, WI; Kansas City, MO; Knoxville, TN; New York, NY; Norfolk, VA; Pittsburgh, PA; Pompano Beach, FL; Savannah, GA; and Stockton, CA in the inaugural cohort.
“Hiring is the operating system of local government. If it's broken, everything downstream breaks with it,” said Caitlin Lewis, executive director of Work for America. “Talent Accelerator is where cities rebuild that foundation so that every service, every team, every resident feels the difference.”
Work for America is delivering the program in partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national nonprofit focused on workforce transformation and economic advancement. Early insights from the inaugural cohort will be featured at JFF's annual conference in July.