Team
Amanda Longtain, M.A.
Founder & Principal Consultant
Amanda Longtain is a workforce strategist and community development practitioner with more than 20 years of experience designing programs, securing funding, and building partnerships that strengthen regional economies.
Her work spans education, workforce development, economic development, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector. She has managed multimillion-dollar public investments, led statewide and regional initiatives, developed employer-driven talent pipelines, and helped organizations navigate complex funding, policy, and implementation challenges.
Amanda founded Regions at Work to help communities design, implement, and scale place-based solutions. Grounded in Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), her work focuses on creating sustainable systems that leverage local assets, expand opportunity, and deliver measurable results for the places people call home.
She lives with her family on an urban farm in Austin, Texas.
Dr. Renu Dalal, Ph.D.
Funding Coordinator & Workforce Development Consultant
Dr. Renu Dalal is a talent strategy and workforce development professional with more than a decade of international experience helping organizations strengthen leadership, develop talent, and improve organizational performance. She holds a Ph.D. in Engineering/Industrial Management from Purdue University, where her research focused on talent management and employee job outcomes in manufacturing environments.
She most recently worked at the Alabama Mobility & Power Center at The University of Alabama, where she contributed to workforce development, talent strategy, and cross-sector initiatives supporting emerging technology, advanced manufacturing, and battery industries.
At Regions at Work, Dr. Dalal helps organizations build strong teams, secure sustainable funding, and create pathways for people to thrive. She believes that when talent is nurtured and assets are aligned, organizations, industries, and regions are better positioned for long-term success.
She lives with her family in Hoover, Alabama.