Dover, DE — Governor Markell announced today the nomination of respected educator and human resources expert Patrice Gilliam-Johnson, Ph.D. to serve as Delaware’s next Secretary of Labor.

For more than a decade, Dr. Gilliam-Johnson has served as Chairperson of Wilmington University’s Organization Dynamics Program.  In that capacity, she has helped prepare thousands of students for careers through instruction in the social and psychological elements of organizational behavior, leadership, motivation, workplace performance, and management.  Prior to entering academia in 1997, Dr. Gilliam-Johnson was a consultant providing training and consultation relating to workplace competency skills, employee selection, assessment and performance evaluation systems, and grievance procedures.  Prior to that time, Dr. Gilliam-Johnson gained a critical understanding of how organizations and governments can prepare employees for growth while serving in various roles with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the District of Columbia Courts, and the U.S. Department of Labor.

“Patrice’s experience and background coupled with her strong work ethic, dedication to underserved communities, and her passion for public service will make her a strong Labor Secretary if confirmed,” said Governor Jack Markell. “I am confident that Patrice’s understanding of people and how best to support them and their organizations will allow her to help build a stronger workforce in Delaware.”

Dr. Gilliam-Johnson received her Bachelors in Psychology from Morgan State University, and her Masters and Doctorate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Maryland. She currently resides in Wilmington.  Dr. Gilliam-Johnson is active in the community, including as President of the Gilliam Foundation.  She has served as a board member or volunteer with the Delaware Community Foundation, the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, and Communities in Schools.  If confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Gilliam-Johnson would fill the vacancy created by the retirement of John McMahon.

“I am honored to have been nominated by Governor Markell to serve as Secretary of Labor,” said Gilliam-Johnson. “The Department has a hugely important role connecting people with the training and resources they need to get good jobs.  If confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to helping them with this vitally important work.”

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Guided Department’s efforts to create more opportunities for Delaware workers

Wilmington, DE – Having successfully led the Department of Labor’s efforts to support Delaware workers during one of the most challenging times in the state’s history, Secretary John McMahon announced today that he would retire to spend more time with his family. An effective date, as well as Governor Markell’s nominee to replace him, will be announced in the coming days.

“John’s work has driven tremendous progress throughout the Department of Labor, while dealing with the unprecedented demands for Department services during a time when so many workers needed assistance as a result of the Great Recession,” said Markell. “Importantly, he has also played a vital role in helping our state tap into the talents of groups who were too often unable to access the employment opportunities they deserved, from recently returning veterans to people with disabilities. I am grateful for John’s passionate service and wish him and his family the best in everything that comes next.”

One of the signature accomplishments of Secretary McMahon’s leadership involved the vast improvement of Delaware’s online resources to support workers in improving their resumes and identifying job openings, while assisting employers in finding well-qualified Delawareans to fill company needs. Tens of thousands of workers have used these services, with more than 60 percent of Delawareans who use the services of the Division of Employment and Training now gaining employment within 90 days. That’s up from 42 percent in June 2010.

In the state’s new resume builder application, workers input their skills and experiences into a program that churns out a professional resume that more clearly indicates their strengths. Employers can then search the database for the people who are most likely to fit in their companies. In addition, the Department has launched web-enabled career lattices focusing on the manufacturing, IT, finance, retail, and hospitality sectors. These tools give workers an easy way to determine jobs for which they qualify in growing fields and the skills they need to acquire to help advance their careers.

Additional progress made during McMahon’s tenure includes:

• Veterans: Unemployment rate for most recent returning veterans (age 18-34) has dropped from 14.5% (2010) to 5% (2014), following an intensive effort to engage the business community in considering these individuals.
  • From 2009 to 2014, the Department’s Veterans Program experienced a 55% increase in positive employment outcomes for all veterans served and a 40% increase for disabled veterans.
• People with Disabilities: The Department has partnered with businesses statewide to help improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities and a recent study ranked Delaware first in getting youth receiving social security disability benefits into employment.
  • The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation’s efforts to connect people with disabilities to employment opportunities resulted in benefit savings of $1.65 million in 2014, compared to less than $1 million prior to 2008.
• Workplace Safety: The number of injuries and illnesses causing employees to miss work decreased by nearly 23 percent from 2008 to 2013, from 3,690 to 2,860.
  • During this time, the Department’s Division of Industrial Affairs has increased outreach to provide free workplace inspections to Delaware employers.

“It has been my highest honor to lead the Department of Labor and the truly dedicated and committed staff who worked tirelessly throughout the Great Recession,” said McMahon. “I am grateful to Governor Markell for this incredible experience and for the chance to be part of the dedicated efforts of so many state leaders to support our citizens through both recession and recovery. While it is not easy to leave the many Labor employees who work so hard every day on behalf of our state, this job demands a tremendous commitment and I feel it is necessary to step down to have more time to spend with my family.”

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Wilmington – Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Rita Landgraf has been chosen to serve on the new U.S. Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announced Monday.

Landgraf, who has spent more than 30 years of her career in support of individuals with disabilities, served as a key adviser to Gov. Jack Markell during his yearlong initiative as Chair of the National Governors Association to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities.  The Governor’s 2012-2013 initiative, “A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities,” culminated with the release of a blueprint for his fellow governors specifically focused on the role that state governments and businesses can play in creating more employment opportunities for people with disabilities and on improving employment outcomes. Landgraf continues to work with the Governor to increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities in Delaware’s private, nonprofit and public sectors.

“I am thrilled Secretary Perez has chosen Rita to serve on this new advisory committee,” Governor Markell said. “She is an ideal choice to move this work forward on a national level because she never forgets that, at its core, this is about people and the talents and skills they can share with others in the workplace. As the employment picture continues to improve nationwide, it is important we find additional ways to increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. With Rita’s knowledge and experience, she is uniquely qualified to do just that.”

Under Governor Markell’s leadership and in partnership with the business community, Delaware reported an 8.6 percent increase in active employment for individuals with disabilities from 2011 to 2013. Markell also has made hiring of people with disabilities a priority for state government using hiring practices and programs to increase employment levels.

After the University of Delaware, in collaboration with the State of Delaware, conducted a comprehensive survey of state employees in 2013, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identified two key areas for training: disability awareness among all employees, and refinement of state hiring practices and systems in order to recruit more qualified applicants with disabilities. An online class, “Focus on Ability,” became available to all state employees in October 2014. A classroom training program for managers and supervisors will begin this year.

Secretary Landgraf, who has served as DHSS Cabinet Secretary since January 2009, is the former executive director of The Arc of Delaware and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Delaware. She also served as president of AARP Delaware. She was nominated to serve on the U.S. Advisory Committee by the National Disability Institute and received a letter of recommendation from Governor Markell.

“I was honored to be nominated by the National Disability Institute and to be supported by Governor Markell, and I am equally honored to be selected to serve by Secretary Perez,” Secretary Landgraf said. “My entire career has been motivated by this deeply rooted belief: We all benefit when individuals with disabilities are able to share their gifts and talents with others and vice versa. We know that too often what separates people with disabilities from the rest of the population is financial security. I believe, as the Governor does, that individuals with disabilities should not have to choose between meaningful employment and retaining the supports and services they receive through Medicaid and other government programs. I look forward to advising Secretary Perez on ways to advance employment opportunities across the country for individuals with disabilities.”

The new U.S. Advisory Committee is a key provision of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), signed into law by President Barack Obama in July 2014. The law supports job seekers, including individuals with disabilities, access services to succeed in employment and matches employers with skilled workers. The committee will advise the U.S. Secretary of Labor on ways to increase competitive integrated employment opportunities for individuals with significant disabilities.

Integrated employment refers to jobs held by people with disabilities in workplace setting where the majority of employees do not have disabilities. In these jobs, individuals with disabilities earn wages consistent with those paid workers with disabilities performing the same or similar work, making at least minimum wage and are paid directly by their employer.

Secretary Landgraf is one of 17 selected members of the committee chosen from more than 280 nominations nationwide. Seven federal officials will also serve on the committee. Other members represent:

• Self-advocates for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities;

• Providers of employment services, including those who employ individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities in competitive integrated employment;
• Representatives of national disability advocacy organizations;
• Experts with a background in academia or research in employment and wage policy issues for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities;
• Representatives of the employer community;
• Other individuals with expertise on increasing opportunities for competitive integrated employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

The first meeting of the committee will take place Jan. 22-23 at the U.S. Access Board in Washington. More information about the committee, its members, and upcoming meetings can be found at: http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/WIOA.htm.

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DOVER, DE – Eric Seleznow, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training/Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), will attend the April 8th meeting of Delaware’s Workforce Investment Board. This is an opportunity for Secretary Seleznow to share opportunities and information about new programs with federal workforce training funds. Joining him will be Regional Administrator, Lenita Jacobs-Simmons.

Most of the discussion will focus on how Delaware could make better use of federal workforce training dollars. Sec. Seleznow will be available for interviews immediately following the meeting.

At the invitation of new Board Member Lt. Governor Matt Denn, Secretary Seleznow will share successes from other states and ideas for offering programs and using federal funds here in Delaware. As the Executive Director of Governor O’Malley’s Workforce Investment Board in neighboring Maryland, Seleznow focused on increasing services to disadvantaged populations, introducing universal design principles to the state’s one stop career system, and led the cross agency effort to implement Skills2Compete Maryland, an innovative approach to measuring Marylanders’ degree, credential and basic skills attainment across a broad array of public programs. He will also share some of those successes with Delaware’s WIB.

In his current role, Secretary Seleznow focuses on two key outcomes – a properly prepared workforce to meet the current and future demands of the nation’s employers, and providing opportunities for all Americans to succeed in the 21st-century workforce. Prior to this assignment, he served as the State Policy Director with the National Skills Coalition, where he worked with many states and diverse stakeholders to strengthen state workforce policies. His official CV may be found here: http://www.doleta.gov/etainfo/Eric_Seleznow.cfm

The Delaware Workforce Investment Board, chaired by Gary Stockbridge, ensures the citizens of Delaware are provided with occupational training and employment service opportunities to help them achieve employment sustaining them and their families. They also seek to communicate with their business industry partners to provide them with qualified workers to meet their employment needs. The DWIB also has a very active Youth Council that has oversight for programs designed specifically to help Delaware’s at-risk and neediest youth prepare for the workforce.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014
9:00am – 11:00am

Delaware Workforce Investment Board
Goodwill of Delaware – Community Room
300 East Lea Boulevard
Wilmington