Chief Operating Officer Raghu Krishnaiah will join a Main Stage panel discussion on how employers, educators and workforce leaders can build more adaptive career pathways into workplace roles that are evolving as AI advances.

PHOENIX, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- University of Phoenix is pleased to share that Raghu Krishnaiah, chief operating officer at University of Phoenix, will participate in Horizons 2026, the annual summit hosted by Jobs for the Future (JFF), July 13-14, 2026. The summit convenes leaders across the learn and work ecosystem for a national conversation on education, work and economic opportunity.

Krishnaiah will join the Main Stage session, "Creating Career Mobility in the Age of AI," on July 14 from 1:30-2 p.m. ET. The panel explores how employers, educators and workforce leaders can build more adaptive systems for skills recognition, faster learning and career mobility. He will be joined on stage by Meena Naik, senior director at JFF, along with other leaders and entrepreneurs.

At a glance

University of Phoenix participation at JFF Horizons 2026 includes:

• Raghu Krishnaiah, COO, participating in the Main Stage panel "Creating Career Mobility in the Age of AI."
• Featuring Krishnaiah in "The Studio at Horizons," an interview experience for select leaders exploring insights on AI and workforce transformation, skills-based talent strategies and workforce ecosystems.
• Participating in the Employers@Horizons experience, a post-conference event to problem-solve with other leaders about employer engagement and workforce talent strategy.
• Serving as a sustaining sponsor of JFF Horizons 2026, July 13-14.

Creating career mobility in the age of AI

The Main Stage session will explore how AI is reshaping work, skills and pathways to better jobs, and how employers, educators and workforce leaders can build systems that recognize what people can do, support faster learning and create clearer pathways into evolving and emerging roles.

Krishnaiah brings to the conversation an operator's perspective as a senior executive responsible for making complex systems work in practice, drawing on systems-minded, measured leadership experience across higher education, financial services, management consulting and business services, as well as his work overseeing University of Phoenix operating strategy and employer-facing Workforce Solutions.

"AI is changing the pace of work, but the challenge in front of us is not just a technology challenge — it is a people and systems challenge," said Krishnaiah. "Employers need clearer ways to understand the skills people have and the skills they need next. Working adults need learning pathways that fit real life and help them keep pace as roles change. The opportunity is to design systems that connect what people learn, what employers need and how talent moves, and to do that in ways that expand access rather than leave people behind."

Why career mobility matters for employers and workers

As AI changes how work is organized, employers are rethinking how they identify skills, support internal mobility and prepare workers for evolving roles. For workers, the shift creates both opportunity and urgency: career pathways need to become more transparent, learning needs to happen faster and skills need to be understood in ways that translate across education and employment.

"Career mobility has to become more measurable, more transparent and more responsive to change," Krishnaiah said. "That requires employers, educators, workforce organizations and policymakers to work from a shared language of skills. AI can help us see patterns faster and create more personalized pathways, but the real work is execution — building practical systems that help people move from where they are to where opportunity is emerging."

Continuing the University's relationship with JFF

University of Phoenix has an ongoing relationship with JFF and participated in the 2024 and 2025 Horizons Summits, presented by JFF, where University leaders discussed career-connected learning ecosystems and how academic programs, employer engagement and technology can support the journey from learning to earning. This year's engagement builds on that conversation by focusing on career mobility in an AI-shaped economy. As a sustaining sponsor, the University extends its ongoing relationship with JFF with a shared commitment to workforce solutions that deliver economic opportunity for people, businesses and communities, and as a critical partner in building connections through avenues like employer engagement and career-connected learning.

University of Phoenix is designed to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world. The University offers prior learning assessment and opportunities for transfer credit and credit for prior learning as well as flexible schedules, career-relevant courses, skills-mapped curriculum, and a Career Services for Life® commitment to help working adult students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives.

To learn more about JFF Horizons, visit horizons.jff.org.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is Built for Real Life. 50 Years Strong. The University innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world through flexible online learning, relevant courses, academic AI pillars, and skills-mapped curriculum for associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs. Active students and alumni have access to Career Services for Life® resources including career guidance and tools. For more information, visit phoenix.edu. 

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SOURCE University of Phoenix