Working for Alabama’s Future: Governor Ivey Makes Appointments to Newly Established Alabama Workforce Board

MONTGOMERY – Governor Kay Ivey, this week, made appointments to the newly established Alabama Workforce Board and its Executive Committee. This marks a major milestone in the implementation of the Working for Alabama legislative package, which Governor Ivey championed and signed into law earlier this year. The Alabama Workforce Transformation Act, a key part of the package, created the Board and Executive Committee as part of the framework for Governor Ivey’s overhaul of the state’s workforce development initiatives.

The Ivey Administration, empowered by the Alabama Workforce Transformation Act, is merging Alabama’s two existing state workforce boards, the Alabama Workforce Council and the State Workforce Development Board, to form the Alabama Workforce Board, and is creating the Executive Committee of the Alabama Workforce Board. The Board and its Executive Committee will place members of business and industry at the forefront of decisions related to Alabama’s public workforce.

“Throughout my tenure as governor, no matter what it is we are trying to accomplish, I ask what we can do today to prepare our state for success in the future. No doubt, ensuring we have an equipped workforce is critical as we look to fill jobs today – and in the future,” said Governor Ivey. “I am proud to assemble a group of some of our state’s business and industry leaders to work with us as we streamline our workforce development efforts. While we have made progress in increasing our state’s low labor force participation rate, there is still much to accomplish, and we are well on our way to doing that.”

“I am pleased to appoint Jeff Peoples, president & CEO of Alabama Power, to chair the Executive Committee of the Alabama Workforce Board, and to appoint Phil Webb, president & CEO of Webb Concrete, to chair the newly established Alabama Workforce Board. We are stronger together by joining forces with private sector leaders to ensure our workforce needs are prioritized,” added Governor Ivey.

“Activating Alabamians with meaningful career opportunities and providing the necessary training and resources to get them there, helps strengthen our communities,” said Peoples. “Today, Alabama is taking steps to reorient our state’s workforce development system to better serve people and grow our state. I am pleased to work with Governor Ivey and other state leaders in that effort.”

The Executive Committee of the Alabama Workforce Board will provide a strategic vision and plans for all of Alabama’s workforce development programs, including those funded with state and federal sources. The Executive Committee will also provide an annual budget recommendation and an annual plan for coordinating Alabama’s workforce development activities with the education and economic development systems.

Executive Committee of the Alabama Workforce Board

Jeff Peoples, Chair
Cathy Randall, Vice-Chair
Dawn Bulgarella
Tom Hand
Phil Webb (Ex-Officio member of Committee as Chair of the Workforce Board)
Lamar Whitaker

Alabama Workforce Board

Phil Webb, Chair
Jimmy Baker
Stanley Batemon
Harolyn Benjamin
William “Bill” Blackman, Jr.
Miranda Bouldin-Frost
Bredgitte Braddock
Nancy Buckner
Jane Elizabeth Burdeshaw
Shelly Chavira
Chris Comstock
Reid Dove
Matthew Dudley
Brandon Glover
Andre Harrison
Harry Hobbs
Ron Houston
Christy Knowles
Julie Kornegay
Neil Lamb
Richard Landolt
Jon Macklem
Brooks McClendon
Nick Moore
Margaret Morton
Joseph B. Morton
David Niesen
Joe Patton
Stacia Robinson
Kevin Savoy
Chandra Scott
Peggy Sease-Fain
Charisse Stokes
Gordon Stone
Chris Stricklin
David Walters
Lamar Whitaker
Rolf Wrona

The Alabama Workforce Board also includes one member of the Alabama Senate appointed by the presiding officer of the Senate and one member of the Alabama House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House.

The Alabama Workforce Board complies with the requirements of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Creating the Alabama Workforce Board will help to increase Alabama’s labor force participation rate, a priority for Governor Ivey, by more efficiently using state and federal workforce training funds.

“Greater industry engagement will reinforce our focus on workforce results, creating a more effective utilization of the state’s resources and improved prospects for those served by the workforce development system,” said Webb. “I am excited to participate in this newly streamlined approach to talent development in our Sweet Home Alabama.”

Beginning in October 2025, the agency will be led by an Ivey cabinet secretary, the Secretary of Workforce. During this transition, the Governor’s Office will meet with the Executive Committee.

Governor Ivey spoke with members of the Executive Committee Monday and expressed her confidence and appreciation in the group she assembled. The appointments are effective October 1, 2024.

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