Brooke Simpson

• Learn how Microsoft shifted from reactive hiring to a proactive, community-first workforce strategy, building talent pipelines ahead of demand to support the rapid growth of AI infrastructure and data centers.
• Explore how Microsoft is partnering with community colleges, local organizations, military programs, and workforce partners to create sustainable talent pathways in emerging data center markets where experienced talent is often scarce.
• Discover how Microsoft and AMS combine long-term workforce planning, community engagement, sourcing, and hiring execution to create a scalable talent model that can be consistently deployed across markets while meeting local needs.

This interactive Q&A explores the critical handoffs between talent acquisition, workforce planning, and operations that determine whether hiring activity results in delivery capacity. The discussion examines how organizations are aligning demand planning, hiring timelines, and manager accountability to avoid the common failure points where volume increases but performance, safety, or schedules suffer. Leaders will compare approaches to coordinating TA and operations, so workforce growth is absorbed predictably rather than creating downstream disruption.