Amy Firestone

Dr. Amy Firestone is a national workforce and apprenticeship leader. She was previously the Vice President of Apprenticeship Carolina for the South Carolina Technical College System. In that role, she led a multidisciplinary statewide team in expanding youth and adult apprenticeships across all industries. Under Dr. Firestone’s leadership, Apprenticeship Carolina obtained over $19 million in apprenticeship grant funds from the U.S. Department of Labor. During Dr. Firestone’s tenure, Apprenticeship Carolina’s accomplishments were spotlighted on local, national, and international media channels, such as CNN en español, NBC, Forbes Magazine, Fox News, and NPR.

Prior to serving as the VP of Apprenticeships in South Carolina, Dr. Firestone was chosen for and participated in the prestigious Fulbright Specialist grant to advise the Pasto Chamber of Commerce in Colombia, South America, on developing apprenticeships. Before joining the Apprenticeship Carolina team, Dr. Firestone served as the Dean of Continuing Education and Professional Development at Miami Dade College. Dr. Firestone was a Senior Policy Advisor and Program Analyst for Education in the Office of Apprenticeship for the United States Department of Labor. She led USDOL’s Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium (RACC), consisting of more than 400 colleges nationwide, and led the nation’s youth apprenticeship policy development.

Dr. Firestone earned a Bachelor’s degree in Hispanic Studies from the College of William & Mary. She earned a Master’s degree in Latin American studies and a Doctoral degree in Spanish Sociolinguistics from University of Illinois. She also published a book on urban youth in Peru, entitled Combinamos el Quechua ‘We Combine Quechua’: Language and Identity among Urban Youth in Peru. She is fluent in Spanish and has studied eleven foreign languages.