Krista Dupps is an attorney with The Lawyer in Blue Jeans Group. She is also a member of SDWP’s Workforce Investment Board (WIB). Here we caught up with Dupps about what motivated her to join the WIB and what workforce issues she is most passionate about.
SDWP: What motivated you to join the WIB?
Dupps: As an estate planning attorney well-established in my career, I had been looking for more ways to get involved in community outreach and volunteer opportunities when a colleague suggested the Workforce Investment Board. I was already somewhat familiar with the Workforce Investment Act, and once I read up a little more about the local WIB and the important work they do in the area of workforce development in San Diego, I knew that I wanted to be a part of this important organization.
SDWP: What issues are you most passionate about as they relate to workforce development?
Dupps: As a daughter of a Vietnam-Era veteran, I have been passionate about issues facing our military veterans from a very young age. From volunteering at the Veterans Village as a teenager to offering legal services to veterans at the San Diego National Stand Down, I have seen the struggles and pressures that bombard our veterans, including unemployment rates that are significantly higher than other segments of the general population.
Being a part of the WIB has given me a valuable opportunity to be involved with workforce programs that assist veterans and also to bring greater awareness to the myriad issues facing our service men and women when they complete their service.
I am so thankful to the WIB for allowing me to give back in some small way to these men and women who have dedicated significant portions of their life in service to this country. I am also thankful for the opportunity to learn more about the struggles that face the population as a whole and to be a part of the solution to help them as well.
SDWP: Tell a brief story about a person, event or project that you were involved with that underscored your passion for these issues.
Dupps: Every July since I was in junior high, I have gone down to the San Diego High School baseball fields to volunteer at the San Diego National Stand Down for homeless veterans and their dependents. Stand Down is a three-day help fair for veterans that provides vital services to veterans and dependents in need that includes a place to sleep, three hot meals a day, showers, medical and dental care, clothing, legal services and, of course, employment services. Every year I see the life change that can happen when people like you and me get involved and help. The WIB has afforded me the honor and privilege to leverage myself to such a greater extent. I can help even more people see what employment and enrichment opportunities are out there for them so they can become self-sufficient and attain personal and employment success.