Kristina Arnone

Background

About Kristina Arnone

With over 30 years of professional experience, Kristi’s project management career began in the Technical Education Program at General Motors. It is during her five year tenure at General Motors that Kristi first collaborated with Dave Banchiu, former President of EdEn Inc. In 1994, Kristi transitioned her skills to the newly formed Educational Enhancements, now EdEn Inc, serving as the start-up project manager in support of the Ford University Programs Group. Not long after, the firm took on new business with Oakland Community College and Oakland University centered on the administration of Economic Development Job Training (EDJT) Grants. Over the years, she was instrumental in managing over $18M in EDJT funding in support of technical training for 36 southeast Michigan companies. During that time, Kristi took her passion for economic development and grant writing one step further by crafting and submitting an H-1B Technical Skills Training Grant to the US Department of Labor on behalf of EdEn Inc. In 2003, the firm was awarded the 3-year,$3M grant that provided technical training and certifications to over 1200 employees at 15 different companies to include FANUC Robotics, EDS, and Chrysler Corporation. During the H1B project, Kristi was also able to attain a Project Manager Professional (PMP) certification to validate her years of project experience. Today, Kristi is President of EdEn Inc. and is responsible for day-to-day business operations, strategic planning and the management of various projects. She is actively involved in regional economic development efforts and enjoys convening workforce developers, educators, and employers together for a common goal. Strange as it sounds, she also enjoys grant research – especially labor market research in support of the firm's grant writing activities.