Governor Kay Ivey (R-AL) has appointed eight new members to serve on the Alabama Workforce Development Board, the body which oversees the state’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) initiatives.

WIOA, a federal law passed in 2014, provides funding to help adults, youth and dislocated workers access assistance through Alabama Career Centers, adult education programs and the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services to obtain full-time employment on a career pathway.

The appointments were announced in a written release this week.

“It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of this slate of leaders from a cross-section of Alabama’s business, industry and non-profit sectors to our state’s workforce investment board,” stated George Clark, chairman of the Alabama Workforce Development Board. “Each individual brings great talent and knowledge to the table, and I look forward to working closely with each of them.”

The diversity of the board’s members provides the knowledge and expertise needed to offer a comprehensive 21st century perspective for innovative and creative solutions to Alabama’s current and future workforce needs.

The eight appointees were as follows:

Myriam Aerts – Chief People Officer at AM/NS in Calvert
Dr. Philip Cleveland – Owner of Cleveland Senior Living in Altoona
Laura Kappler-Roberts – President of Kappler Manufacturing in Guntersville
Chrystal Morgan –Director of State and Local Government Relations at the United Launch Alliance in Decatur
Julie Kornegay – Senior Outreach Advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta – Birmingham Branch
Margaret Morton – Executive Director of the Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement, Inc.
Mike Petrus –Vice President of Manufacturing at American Cast Iron Pipe Company in Birmingham
Peggy Sease-Fain – Vice President Human Resources at DCH Healthcare System in Tuscaloosa

The Workforce Development Board is a unique public/private partnership representing the State of Alabama on all statewide workforce development issues and solutions. The board exists with a purpose to assist the governor in the development, implementation and continuous improvement of the WIOA, and related programs, in order to ensure alignment with the Alabama workforce development system as well as a properly prepared modern workforce.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn