Full Employment Council, Inc. President and CEO Clyde McQueen was elected president of the United States Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council (WDC) at the organization’s 80th Winter Meeting last week in Washington D.C. Mr. McQueen will lead the WDC for the next year and will continue the council’s efforts to provide a forum for Mayors and their employment and training administrators to examine all workforce development issues and to strengthen the ability of cities to meet the needs of their citizens; particularly economically disadvantaged individuals, those with serious skill deficiencies, dislocated workers, returning veterans, and others with special barriers to employment, including youth.
“I am honored to serve in this important role with The U.S. Conference of Mayors,” said Mr. McQueen. “Jobs and the economy continue to be a primary focus for Kansas City and all cities, and I look forward to providing mayors with the critical information that will help them effectively address today’s workforce development challenges.”
“With an impressive record of accomplishments, the Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council remains the most important voice in the nation for the myriad of workforce issues faced by cities, and a dynamic vehicle to help mayors and their staff members address local economic, education, training and job challenges in an increasingly complex world, particularly in the current economic climate,” said Conference CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran. “We are delighted that Clyde McQueen has been selected by his peers to serve as president of this important Conference of Mayors affiliate organization, and we look forward to his strong leadership and vision as we strive to put Americans back to work.”
Noting that in President Obama’s State of the Union address he called for reform of job training programs and proposed new partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train and place 2 million skilled workers into jobs, Mr. McQueen added, “We look forward to working with the Administration to identify the key aspects of the workforce system we know are unique and work effectively, in order to streamline the system without compromising results and to ensure performance and transparency. This is a great example of how the council can provide timely and vital resources to our nation’s local employment and training system. We will continue to support cities over the next year as they link job seekers to employment opportunities.”
Mr. McQueen will be supported in his WDC role by 1st Vice President Marlena Sessions, CEO, Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County and 2nd Vice President Laurie Boullion-Larrea, President, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas.