As the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board steers forward with its new president and CEO, Earl Buford, the organization has created a transition committee of community and business representatives.
The committee will focus on growing relationships with the business sector, streamlining the organization and expanding the pool of skilled, trained workers, and devising a strategic plan for 2015.
“As I transitioned into this new role, I thought it was a critical time to bring key stakeholders to the table to evaluate how best we can serve the community,” said Buford, who succeeded former leader Donald Sykes earlier this year following his retirement. “The transition committee will bring together a diverse group of community and business leaders to ensure that MAWIB is effectively and efficiently meeting the needs of the Milwaukee area’s workforce and employers.”
Committee members are: Buford; Dorothy Buckhanan-Wilson of Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin; Sheila Cochran of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council; Michael Cockroft of Felmer’s Chaney Correctional Center; Preston Cole of the Department of Public Works; Ricardo Diaz of United Community Center; Michael Fabishak of Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee; Scott Jansen of the Department of Workforce Development, Division of Employment and Training; Mark Kessenich of WRTP/BIG STEP; John Kissinger of Graef; Donald Layden, Jr. of Baird Venture Partners; David Mitchell of Monarch Corporation; Darryl Morin of Advanced Wireless, Inc.; Jerry Roberts of the Helen Bader Foundation; Maria Roloff of Northwestern Mutual; Karen Spindler of Spindler Consulting; Thelma Sias of We Energies; Teig Whaley-Smith of Milwaukee County; and Wallace White of W2Excel, LLC.
MAWIB is the largest of 11 workforce boards in Wisconsin. Workforce Investment Boards were created through federal legislation and are appointed bodies, certified by law, and given the ability to set policy, guide implementation and provide oversight to the local workforce development system.
