Governors to Focus on a Variety of Issues Facing States

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN—Governors joined together in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, today to kick off the National Governors Association’s (NGA) 105^th Summer Meeting. NGA Chair Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, Vice Chair Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, Host Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and members of the NGA Executive Committee welcomed a bipartisan group of their colleagues for three days of meetings.

“These meetings are an opportunity to share experiences and discuss critical issues facing our states,” said Gov. Walker. “While Washington is gridlocked most days, states are not. Governors are focused on finding solutions to our most pressing challenges. I’m thrilled that my colleagues chose Wisconsin to host this meeting.”

The meeting will highlight Gov. Markell’s Chair’s Initiative, A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities, which focuses on the employment challenges that affect individuals with intellectual and other significant disabilities. “My initiative was designed to raise awareness about how the untapped talents of people with disabilities can contribute to a business’s bottom line,” Gov. Markell noted.

“A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities looks at ways both state government and businesses can partner to bring opportunities to individuals with disabilities in the competitive labor market,” said Gov. Markell. “We’re making strides on this front, but the work is far from over. I look forward to the discussions we’ll be having on this topic this weekend.”

As part of his initiative, Gov. Markell will release A Blueprint for Governors later today. This document was created from the numerous events and meetings that were held over the past year. This blueprint is full of concrete and practical things that governors can do to advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities in their states.

Gov. Markell also highlighted the priorities governors have identified through NGA, including the evolving health care changes in states, flexibility of the Workforce Investment Act’s 15 percent set-aside, full use of the National Guard’s cost-effectiveness, addressing the nation’s water infrastructure needs and comprehensive federal tax reform.

Gov. Fallin reiterated the importance of bringing governors together to look for solutions to common challenges.

“This weekend is about bringing governors together to engage in a dialogue about important issues affecting our states,” said Gov. Fallin. “Since we face many similar challenges, NGA meetings give us an opportunity to learn a from each other’s experiences.”

Highlights of the meeting include:

• A session with Dr. Jeffrey Brenner, founder and executive director of the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, who will talk about state tools for health care cost containment;
• Meetings of the Education and Workforce Committee and the Health & Homeland Security Committee;
• A joint meeting of the Economic Development and Commerce Committee and the Natural Resources Committee to discuss the state of America’s infrastructure with the Honorable Anthony Foxx, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Honorable Bill Shuster, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure;
• A session on advancing corrections reform; and
• A session on cybersecurity with Matt Devost, president and CEO of Terrorism Research Center, Inc. and adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

Throughout the meeting, governors will attend “governors-only” sessions, which provide an opportunity to discuss issues states are facing in a private, off-the-record setting. The Summer Meeting will conclude with a welcome to incoming NGA Chair Gov. Fallin and the incoming vice chair, who will be announced on Sunday. In addition, Gov. Fallin will unveil her 2013-2014 Chair’s Initiative.

For up-to-date coverage of the 2013 Summer Meeting, follow NGA on Twitter @NatlGovsAssoc and like NGA on Facebook.

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Founded in 1908, the National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation’s governors and one of Washington, D.C.’s, most respected public policy organizations. Its members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing and implementing innovative solutions to public policy challenges through the NGA Center for Best Practices. For more information, visit www.nga.org.

Newark, DE –  Computer Aid, Inc. (CAI), a global Information Technology consulting, outsourcing and systems integration company today announced a National Founding Partnership with Specialisterne to train and hire people who have autism, in technology roles. With over 800 associates in the Delaware Valley, and 3,300 in the U.S., CAI plans to employ over 3% of its consultant workforce with people who have autism in technology roles in software testing, data quality assurance, programming, data mining and data entry, before the end of 2015.

CAI sees an innovative opportunity to leverage the unique talents of people with autism, while providing them a road map to develop meaningful IT careers. In the USA, it is estimated that one in every 88 people are impacted by autism. Specialisterne is a world leader in mobilizing the talents of people with autism to work in technology-focused jobs. Originally founded in Denmark, Specialisterne has operations around the world, including its new U.S. headquarters, which is based in Delaware.

“I credit [Delaware] Governor Jack Markell and [Delaware Health and Social Services Cabinet Secretary] Rita Landgraf for bringing CAI and Specialisterne together to begin this journey,” said CAI Managing Director Ernie Dianastasis. “As one of the largest IT firms in the Delaware Valley, we have a passion toward giving back to the community, particularly in the disabilities space. The opportunity to leverage our IT size and best practices in areas such as software testing, programming and data entry by employing individuals with autism was a no-brainer for us. This partnership will enable us to employ a significant number of folks with autism, as well as provide our customers like the State of Delaware to also participate.”

“We are thrilled by this opportunity to work with CAI as our Founding Partner on this national partnership,” said Specialisterne Founder and Board Chairman Thorkil Sonne. “ This partnership will not only create a significant number of new jobs in the Delaware Valley, but also throughout the United States, given CAI’s broad reach and capabilities. CAI and Specialisterne have very similar cultures and this is a great fit for us as we launch our U.S. operations.”

CAI and Specialisterne have started several projects to employ individuals with autism, including one with the State of Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.

“People are defined by their ability, not by their disability. Creating jobs means creating jobs for people of all abilities,” said Governor Markell. “By employing individuals with autism, CAI is utilizing unique talents to strengthen its own bottom line. Now, more than ever, our state and our nation’s competitiveness rely on using our full potential – everyone’s full potential. Many individuals with autism have the time, talent and desire to make meaningful contributions to interested employers.”

“At DHSS, we are proud to work with CAI and Specialisterne on a project that will employ people with autism,” Secretary Landgraf said. “To us, this ongoing partnership is about the power of opportunities. It will mean employment opportunities for individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. CAI will experience the opportunity to benefit from the special skills of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. And the people of Delaware will benefit from greater inclusion in our society. We celebrate CAI and Specialisterne for making this opportunity a reality for individuals who are full of ability.”

“I told Governor Markell and Secretary Landgraf that this is the strongest domestic job creation model out there. Imagine employing U.S. citizens who might otherwise be unemployed, to do something they love and are really good at,” said Dianastasis.

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About CAI: CAI is a multi-million dollar global IT consulting and services firm that employs 3,300 associates, over 800 of which report into the Wilmington, Delaware office serving the Delaware Valley. CAI offers a broad spectrum of methodology-based IT services offerings, which focus on processes and metrics. These methodologies enable CAI to meet each customer’s individual needs and deliver projects with the highest degree of productivity. CAI has operations in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. In addition CAI is heavily committed to community service in all the markets it serves.

About Specialisterne: Specialisterne translates from Danish as “ The Specialists “, and was originally founded by Thorkil Sonne in 2004. Specialisterne is a socially innovative business that uses the characteristics of people with autism as a competitive advantage, and as a means to help people with autism secure employment. The majority of employees at Specialisterne have a diagnosis on the autism scale and perform tasks such as software testing, programming and data entry for the corporate sector. Specialisterne is a global company with operations in Europe.

Video from the event can be seen here.

Wilmington, Del. May 7, 2013 – Delaware businesses will find topical information about issues affecting their bottom line at the Delaware Department of Labor 10^th Employer Conference, May 16, 2013 at Chase Center on the Riverfront. This includes a look at “Delaware’s economy: where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going,” information about an improved process for accessing quality workers through Delaware-Job-Link, and current information on the Affordable Care Act, workers compensation, anti-discrimination and labor law.

The conference, on hiatus for about five years, will update businesses about labor law, workers compensation, anti-discrimination, the Affordable Care Act, and other issues affecting the business bottom line.

DOL decided to hold the conference because of several new initiatives. Among these is the newly designed resume builder at Delaware JobLink (www.joblink.delaware.gov), the state’s web-based job search and information portal. This will make it easier and faster for employers and skilled workers to find each other.

“As our economy becomes more global, more productive and more competitive, we want our employers and our workforce to be ready for the opportunities and the challenges ahead,” said Governor Jack Markell. “This is about informing and supporting employers in ways that help them strengthen, grow and hire for the future.”

“This conference provides employers an opportunity to discover the many tools and program resources available to support their employment needs,” said Delaware Department of Labor Secretary John J. McMahon Jr. “It’s important to remember the Department of Labor is much more than the unemployment office and has wide ranging services. We look forward to answering questions and introducing business leaders to our very talented and dedicated staff.”

Registration for the conference is $125 and the form is available online at delawareworks.com/events/2013-EmployerConference/DOL%20Brochure_Electronic.pdf. Exhibitor opportunities, at $250 are also available delawareworks.com/events/2013-EmployerConference/Exhibitors%20Form_Electronic.pdf.

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The Delaware Department of Labor connects people to jobs, resources, monetary benefits, workplace protections and labor market information to promote financial independence, workplace justice and a strong economy.

In his weekly message, Governor Markell talks about jobs in manufacturing and finance – and the small businesses that serve them – that have been critical foundations of our state’s economy. These are also two of the industries hit hardest by the national recession.

“So it was with a degree of enthusiasm that we welcomed the news this week that Capital One intends to add 500 jobs to Delaware – jobs we look forward to seeing once Capitol One completes its acquisition of ING Direct and HSBC’s domestic credit card business,” said the Governor.

“And it’s with a great deal of enthusiasm that we greeted Bloom Energy’s announcement earlier this year that it was choosing Delaware for a new manufacturing hub – that Bloom was interested in turning the site of the shuttered Chrysler plant in Newark into a factory and campus,” the Governor continued.

This week, the Public Service Commission held three forums to discuss the opportunity for Delmarva Power to serve Delaware homes and businesses using technology manufactured here in Delaware, built by Delawareans. As with any forum, there were opponents, too, and that’s an important part of any discussion.

“We think Bloom Energy will help power our future,” said the Governor. “Because, at heart, this is about getting our neighbors back to work. It’s about looking to the future with a stronger manufacturing base here in Delaware.”

“We can’t control the strong national winds that have buffeted the industries that put so many Delawareans to work, ” said the Governor. “But we can control how we respond. We keep working, we keep fighting, and we keep focused, on getting people back to work, which is what we need to do to keep our great state of Delaware and the people who live here moving forward.”

About the Governor’s Weekly Message:
At noon every Friday, a new video message is posted to the Governor’s website and YouTube channel and is distributed to Delaware media outlets. Transcripts of the messages are posted and the audio version of the Governor’s message is available on iTunes as a podcast for distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. The Governor’s weekly message is currently being carried on the air and posted on websites by various media outlets, and the direct link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwOjtdiv1BU

Constituents, media outlets and others are free to link to the Governor’s video message on YouTube –http://www.youtube.com/user/GovernorMarkell – or on his Facebook page –www.facebook.com/governormarkell – or on the Delaware State website athttp://governor.delaware.gov/information/podcast_video.shtml .  All are also invited to follow him on Twitter – www.twitter.com/governormarkell – and submit ideas through http://ideas.delaware.gov.

Transcript of Governor’s Message