The newly appointed Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board (WDB) had its inaugural meeting Jan. 8, 2016, at the Courtyard Marriott in Goleta.

The meeting focused on new federal legislation, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the State’s vision for the future of the workforce system, the role of the local board in Santa Barbara County and the new focus on regionalism and collaboration.

Guests speakers included Hannah-Beth Jackson, California State Senator; Dennis Petrie, deputy director of the Workforce Services Branch of California Employment Development Department; Tim Rainey, executive director of the California Workforce Development Board; and Bob Lanter, executive director of the California Workforce Association.

The board will meet four times per year. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in Santa Maria on March 18, 2016.

The WDB was appointed by the County Board of Supervisors in September 2015 and represents a public/private partnership mandated by federal legislation, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which was passed in 2014.

The WDB will provide policy guidance, operational oversight, system alignment and regional collaboration for the publicly-funded workforce system. 

The County Executive Office is continuing to recruit board members that meet the federally mandated selection criteria. Prospective applicants can view the application, submission process and selection criteria on the WDB website.

The current members of the Workforce Development Board are the following:

» Cindy Burton, president and CEO of PathPoint

» Jack Friedlander, executive vice president of Santa Barbara City College

» Charles Huddleston, IBEW, Local Union 413

» Michael Lopez, UA Local 114

» Kristen Miller, president and CEO of the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce

» Gabriel Morales, director of the Center for Employment Training (CET)

» Glenn Morris, president and CEO of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce

» Daniel Nielson, director of the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services

» Kenneth Oplinger, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce

» Joe Pierre, UFCW Local 770

» Patrice Ryan, executive vice president, HR, Cottage Hospital Systems

» Grace Schoch-Manzano, manager of the California Employment Development Department

» Laurel Shockley, project manager of economic development at Southern California Edison

» Zoe Taylor,  director of Santa Barbara County Economic Vitality Task Force

» Janet Wolf, Second District County Supervisor

» Dr. Kevin Walthers, president of Allan Hancock College

— Jessica McLernon is the program manager of the Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board.