Workforce Strategy & Partnership Consulting

Opportunity Should Be Real.

Not rhetorical.

CurtisLafayette LLC partners with mission-driven organizations, employers, and public leaders to build equity-centered workforce strategies that create measurable pathways for the people who need them most.

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Global Management Consulting Fortune 100 Financial Services Big Tech & E-Commerce Leading Academic Medicine NYC Public Sector 22+ Years Experience NY / NJ Rooted NJ-Certified MBE Global Management Consulting Fortune 100 Financial Services Big Tech & E-Commerce Leading Academic Medicine NYC Public Sector 22+ Years Experience NY / NJ Rooted NJ-Certified MBE
About CurtisLafayette LLC

Strategy Rooted
in Relationship.
Results Grounded
in Reality.

Built on 22 years of relationship management across workforce development, nonprofit, finance, tech, and healthcare, CurtisLafayette LLC brings enterprise-level expertise alongside a genuine, uncompromising commitment to equity.

The name says everything. Curtis is who I am: my middle name, carried into every room. Lafayette is where I come from: a street in Brooklyn that shaped how I see the world and what I believe work should accomplish.

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22+
Years Relationship Management
F500
Enterprise Client Experience
15+
Years Workforce Development
NY/NJ
Deep Regional Roots & Network
Tony Gaston, Founder
Tony Gaston
Founder & Principal Advisor
The Name Behind the Brand

Curtis is who I am. Lafayette is where I'm from. Brooklyn-rooted, equity-driven, strategy-built for those who need it most.

What We Do

Advisory Built
for Complex
Challenges.

Every engagement is tailored to your context, from focused strategy sessions to end-to-end program design, implementation, and ongoing advisory retainers.

FLAGSHIP OFFER · START HERE
AI Readiness Assessment
A two-week diagnostic that scores your organization across the four dimensions that decide whether AI adoption sticks (workforce, workflow, data, and culture) and delivers a prioritized 30/60/90-day roadmap your team can act on Monday. Every engagement includes a working, client-branded version of our self-scoring diagnostic your own stakeholders can use. $3,500 fixed fee, about 4 to 5 hours of your team's time.
Not sure yet? Take the free 5-minute self-assessment →
01
L&D Program Build-Out
Design and develop learning & development programs that build workforce capacity, close skills gaps, and create clear pathways for advancement and opportunity.
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02
Apprenticeship & Workforce Strategy Advisory
Navigate the apprenticeship and workforce development landscape with strategic guidance grounded in real system-building experience across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
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03
Employer Partnership & Sector Engagement
Build and manage meaningful employer relationships and sector-wide engagement strategies that drive real hiring outcomes, talent pipelines, and shared workforce goals.
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04
Program Design Labs
Collaborative, intensive design sessions that move organizations from concept to concrete program architecture: fast, practical, and built to scale with your team. Labs can ship with working digital tools (intake forms, eligibility screeners, program dashboards), not just diagrams.
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05
Stakeholder Alignment & Growth Advisory
Align diverse stakeholders around a shared vision, resolve competing priorities, and build the internal consensus needed to move complex initiatives forward decisively.
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06
AI Apprenticeship Readiness
Advisory and program design support for Registered Apprenticeship sponsors, workforce intermediaries, and CBOs embedding AI literacy into their programs, aligned with the U.S. Department of Labor's AI Literacy Framework (TEN 07-25).
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07
Sprint Build: AI-Accelerated L&D
A complete, LMS-ready training program for one audience and topic, delivered in four weeks at a fixed fee. AI handles production drafting while a CurtisLafayette strategist validates every output for accuracy and equity. Same outcome as a full build-out, half the time, with the same rigor. Fixed fees from $8,000.
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Collaboration
Collaboration Strategy built
together, not
handed down.
Community
Mentorship & Access Expanding pathways
for those who
need them most.
Program Design
Program Design Turning ideas into
actionable, scalable
programs.
How We Work

From Discovery
to Measurable
Progress.

01
Discovery & Alignment
We start by listening. Deep discovery maps your challenge, stakeholders, constraints, and goals before any strategy is proposed.
02
Strategy Design
We build a practical, equity-centered strategy tailored to your specific context. Not a template, a real roadmap built for you.
03
Activation & Partnership
Strategy moves to action. We activate relationships, align stakeholders, and build the partnerships that turn plans into programs. And where a working tool would move things faster, we build it ourselves rather than handing you a spec.
04
Measure & Evolve
We track progress against real metrics, learn from implementation, and refine, because great work adapts.
Featured Work

Strategy That
Created
Real
Pathways.

A national workforce development initiative requiring cross-sector alignment, policy innovation, and sustained partnership. Delivered.

Workforce Development

Helped build and expand a national workforce development strategy by aligning employers, public-sector leaders, and education partners around a shared vision, turning complex, multi-stakeholder challenges into concrete pathways for young people.

The engagement required navigating competing institutional priorities, building trust across deeply siloed systems, and designing structures that could hold alignment over time and across organizations.

01 Aligned employers, public-sector agencies, and education partners around a unified national workforce strategy
02 Turned complex multi-stakeholder dynamics into concrete, actionable partnership agreements
03 Created measurable pathways and real opportunities for young people entering the workforce
04 Supported the launch of NYC's first youth apprenticeship civil service title in partnership with city government
What Clients Say

"Working with CurtisLafayette is like finally getting the roadmap you didn't know you needed. Tony's ability to bring clarity to something as layered as career development while weaving in financial literacy and the power of intentional partnerships, is rare. He doesn't just help you see where you're going; he helps you understand why the path matters and who you need alongside you to get there.

What sets Tony at CL apart is his commitment to creating career-connected opportunities that actually stick. He builds bridges between people, resources, and possibility in a way that feels both strategic and deeply human. Curtis Lafayette LLC is the partner you want in your corner."

JOY OSAHON · STRATEGY COACH & SPEAKER, SPEAK WITH JOY

"I've had the privilege of working with Tony Gaston for 13 years. Our journey started when I was building a cost-effective staffing pipeline for Alvarez & Marsal, and we clicked right away. Over the course of more than a decade and across two companies where I managed Corporate IT, Tony helped us bring in highly motivated people who grew within those organizations, in some cases staying for over ten years.

Over time, our business relationship became a friendship. Tony has been an amazing resource in helping build and maintain that pipeline, understanding the needs of the business, the type of people who would thrive in the environment, and how to connect the right opportunities with the right talent. What stands out most is his ability to see potential in people and help create long-term value. He brings class, a smile, and a genuine love for what he does.

Whenever we get together, the people we work with benefit and there is always room to collaborate, improve, and make things even better. I'm looking forward to bigger things ahead with Tony and his new venture at CurtisLafayette."

BRAD HARTMAN · FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT, ITBYBRAD USA LLC
“
"At the core of this work is a simple belief: opportunity should be real, not rhetorical. Strategy means very little unless it leads to tangible pathways, measurable progress, and meaningful access for the people who need it most."
Tony Gaston, Founder & Principal Advisor, CurtisLafayette LLC
Work With Us

Ready to Build
Something Real?

Whether you're launching a new initiative, scaling an existing program, or navigating a complex stakeholder landscape, we'd like to hear what you're working on.

New York / New Jersey · Remote engagements available nationally
Certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), State of New Jersey
Engagements starting at $3,500, custom scoping available
Monthly advisory retainers from $3,000/month
Book a free 30-minute call directly
Connect on LinkedIn
Let's start with
a conversation.