MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Kay Ivey appointed members to a newly formed Alabama Workforce Board and its Executive Committee Tuesday.
Ivey and the Alabama Legislature early this year merged two existing boards, the Alabama Workforce Council and the State Workforce Development Board, into a new entity meant to be the premier body for advising on job creation and training initiatives.
“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,” Ivey said Tuesday in a written statement. “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.”
Ivey appointed Jeff Peoples, president and chief executive officer of Alabama Power, to chair the committee and Phil Webb, president and chief executive officer of Webb Concrete, to chair the board.
“We are stronger together by joining forces with private sector leaders to ensure our workforce needs are prioritized,” Ivey said.
The legislation creating the board and executive committee was part of a five-bill package was signed into law in May. There are six members of the executive committee and 38 members of the board.
Webb will also be on the executive committee. Other members are:
- Dr. Cathy Randall, Vice-Chair
- Dawn Bulgarella
- Tom Hand
- Lamar Whitaker
Peoples will serve on the board as well. Other members are:
- 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
- Dr. 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
There will be two additional members to be appointed, one from the state’s Senate and one from the House of Representatives.
The committee will be responsible for providing strategic plans for all of the state’s workforce development programs, regardless of state or federal funding.
“Activating Alabamians with meaningful career opportunities and providing the necessary training and resources to get them there, helps strengthen our communities,” Peoples said.
The board’s priority will be improving the state’s labor participation rate. According to the Alabama Department of Labor, the participation rate was 57.5 percent in June. The national rate was 62.7%.
“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,” Webb said.
Other legislation in the package included a child care tax credit program that would offset tax liabilities for child care providers and employers who invest in expanding child care, capped at $15 million for its first year and topping out at $20 million in 2027.
A housing tax credit program is included in the package as well, which will provide $5 million in tax credits a year for eligible housing projects. The Alabama Workforce Pathways Act is another inclusion, and will provide high school students an alternative pathway to earning a diploma with a focus on career tech.