DEED commissioner may designate deputy to serve on Job Skills Partnership Board, committee told

The conference committee discussed and indicated support for a procedural change that would allow the commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development to designate a representative to serve on the Job Skills Partnership Board when the commissioner cannot attend.

Commissioner Matt Verlach, Department of Employment and Economic Development, told the committee, “What we found is just that on occasions when I'm not able to be there to conduct business…this would provide flexibility so that I could designate someone else to keep the, wheels turning.” He identified deputies or senior leadership as typical designees and gave an example: “it could be somebody like Kevin McKinnon.”

Why it matters: The Job Skills Partnership Board allocates workforce development resources and sets priorities for job-skills spending. Committee members said the change would allow the board to continue functioning when the commissioner is unavailable without requiring the commissioner’s personal attendance for every meeting.

Committee action: Members signaled support for adopting language permitting a commissioner designee but asked staff to add “guide rails” clarifying the level of designee (for example, a deputy commissioner or members of the senior leadership team) to ensure appropriate expertise represents the agency.

Next steps: Staff and agency officials will draft the specific designee language for committee review; the committee expects to include clarified language when it votes on a final package.