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Wan-Lae Cochran

Supports public, private, and social sector organizations in designing and executing strategies to drive growth and improve education and employment outcomes

Wan-Lae is a partner in McKinsey’s Washington, DC, office and works on issues related to organizational growth, talent and education, and workforce development. She serves organizations across the public, private, and social sectors, including education institutions and companies, large public sector entities, and not-for-profit organizations focused on talent and education to employment.

Wan-Lae partners with clients to take ideas from design to implementation, including building new businesses, and focuses on driving improved education and employment outcomes for individuals, companies, and regions.

Examples of Wan-Lae’s recent client work include:

  • partnering with a university to build and scale online career-oriented education
  • working with an organization to design and launch a national effort to drive outcomes transparency to credentials
  • supporting a state agency to develop a tech-enabled vision for delivering reemployment services to its citizens
  • developing a global strategy for a leading global education provider
  • working with a large public organization to develop a national segmentation of users to identify improved methods for outreach and engagement
  • supporting a foundation to refine and scale a high school youth apprenticeship model in a major city, in partnership with large employers
  • partnering with a large economic development agency of a US state to design and launch a suite of programs to help drive post-COVID economic recovery

Before rejoining McKinsey in 2017, Wan-Lae spent two years at a foundation designing and launching a set of tech-enabled efforts that supported adult learners and workers. Wan-Lae currently serves as a trustee for The College Foundation at the University of Virginia.

Published work

COVID-19 crisis pushes US students into an uncertain job market,” McKinsey & Company, July 2021

What 800 executives envision for the postpandemic workforce,” McKinsey Global Institute, September 2020

Reimagining the postpandemic economic future,” McKinsey & Company, August 2020

Lessons from the past on how to revive the US economy after COVID-19,” McKinsey & Company, June 2020

Coordinating workforce development across stakeholders: An interview with ManpowerGroup CEO Jonas Prising,” McKinsey & Company, October 2018

The AI factor in talent management: An interview with Catalyte’s Jacob Hsu and Mike Rosenbaum,” McKinsey & Company, September 2018

Adapting education to the demands of a rapidly changing economy: An interview with Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley,” McKinsey & Company, August 2018

Promoting cross-sector collaboration: An interview with Penny Pritzker,” McKinsey & Company, August 2018

Creating an effective workforce system for the new economy,” McKinsey & Company, July 2018

Past experience

Markle Foundation
Managing director, COO

MDRC
Research and operations

International Rescue Committee
Employment specialist

Education

Columbia University
MBA

University of Virginia
BA, foreign affairs