Bridging the Gap: Pahola Capellán Joins MHI to Lead Workforce Development Strategy
Article from MHI Solutions Magazine
As the material handling and supply chain industry continues to evolve rapidly, the pressure to build a skilled, diverse workforce has never been greater. Enter Pahola Capellán, MHI’s new Workforce Development Manager. She’s filling a new role within MHI created specifically to both inspire and recruit the workforce of the future, as well as to support professional development and retention opportunities with the MHI/Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) Knowledge Center Team.
Capellán brings a decade of experience connecting education to workforce opportunities, particularly for underrepresented communities. A social worker by training with a background in nonprofit management, she cut her teeth in New York City public schools and the City University of New York (CUNY) system. There, she helped scale a post‑secondary support program that ballooned in reach during the COVID‑19 pandemic—from 14,000 to 55,000 students.
Capellán’s mission evolved beyond helping disadvantaged students gain access to college. “In that role, I realized that college isn’t the right path for every student,” she said. “Instead, we needed to redefine what success looked like. That meant opening doors to trades, certifications and other career pathways…
