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Governor's Council on Workforce and Economic Development

Oklahoma brings together leaders from business, government, education, and non-profit sectors to jointly develop ways to coordinate workforce development with economic development. The Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development works to develop creative solutions that expand and improve Oklahoma’s workforce, providing better jobs for workers and a skilled workforce for business and industry.

Career Pathways Guidance: The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to workforce development partners, including education and training institutions, non-profits, government agencies, and other partners, regarding the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development’s vision for the creation and sustainability of a statewide career pathways system.

Work-Based Learning Guidance: The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to high schools, postsecondary institutions, training providers, nonprofits, government agencies, workforce development boards (LWDBs), and other workforce network partners regarding the vision of the Governor’s Council (GCWED) for work-based learning activities.

Committees

Workforce System Oversight Committee

Make recommendations, inform, coordinate and facilitate statewide efforts to improve Oklahomans’ exposure to high-demand career and entrepreneurship opportunities, along with the education and training required for entry into and advancement within a chosen career. Develop industry sector strategies in state and regional ecosystems to ensure that the education and training system is delivering the skills needed by employers.

  • Certify Workforce Development Boards in compliance with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
  • Continue designing, aligning and integrating Oklahoma’s workforce/talent development and delivery system.
  • Set system-wide metrics and performance expectations.
  • Identify and conduct service delivery efficiency pilot projects.
  • Research and identify operational and organizational strategies that will help make workforce boards stronger and service delivery better.
  • Develop guidance to make the workforce system more effective and efficient.
  • Development of the State Plan, Council Strategic Plan, and the Annual Report.
  • Work with regional planning areas to develop planning documents.

  • Coordinate and ensure support at the local and state level to the Oklahoma Works vision.
  • Through a partner supported subcommittee, provide guidance in the form of policy and technical assistance to ensure compliance to WIOA local areas and designated local planning regions, to ensure statewide metrics and required performance are met.
  • Convene statewide workforce development partners and local workforce development boards and provide venues and opportunities for continued system building.
  • Support and facilitation for pilot projects to provide models for the statewide system.
  • Plan and develop statewide summits for the Local Elected Officials and board members to continue regional planning.

Valerie Thompson
President/CEO
Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City

Dee Hays
Chief Executive Officer
Excellence Engineering 

Chris Fusselman
Vice President of Sales
Tyler Media

Cliff Stewart
Training Director
Electrician’s Training Center

Melinda Fruendt
Executive Director
OKDRS

Brent Haken
State Director
CareerTech

Trae Rahill
Chief Executive Officer
OESC

System Oversight Subcommittee (SOS)

The SOS is the working arm of the Workforce System Oversight Committee and is focused on developing the system-wide framework and policy documents necessary for compliance with WIOA legislation and federal regulation. The committee is also tasked with compliance review of the system, including the local Oklahoma Works Centers across the state.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is comprised of business members of the Council, including at minimum: the Chair, Vice-Chair, and the Co-Chair (private sector representative) from each of the Council’s committees, excluding those who are non-members of the Council.  The Executive Committee shall act in place of the Governor’s Council only when necessary and with subsequent full board review, action, and ratification.

  • Convey to the Governor recommendations posed by the Council;
  • Approve the direction of the Strategic Plan;
  • Develop the areas for tasks required for committees as warranted;
  • Appoint committee composition (Council members and at-large community members) and co-chairs;
  • Respond to the needs of the Council and its members;
  • Conduct an annual review of the Executive Director, and make staff capacity recommendations.

Chuck Gray, Chair
Director of Strategic Solutions
AMG Engineering & Machining, Inc.

Chris Fusselman
Tyler Media

Stan McCabe
Key Personnel

Healthcare Workforce Committee

Inform, coordinate and facilitate statewide efforts to ensure that a well-trained, adequately distributed, and flexible healthcare workforce is available to meet the needs of an efficient and effective healthcare system in Oklahoma.

  • By October 2016, statewide health workforce efforts are being coordinated through a single, centralized entity.
  • By January 2016, labor demand and program supply for 20 critical healthcare occupations are identified and quantified through the development of a longitudinal, multi-sourced data set that is available for public use.
  • By October 2019, strategies are in place to reduce identified supply gaps for 20 critical health occupations.
  • By November 2019, at least five recommended policies and programs that support and retain an optimized health workforce have been implemente

  • Conduct data analysis and prepare reports on health workforce supply and demand;
  • Research and analysis of state health professional education and training capacity;
  • Recommend recruitment and retention strategies for areas determined by the Oklahoma Primary Care Office or the Oklahoma Office of Rural Health to be areas of high need; and
  • Assessment of health workforce policy, evaluation of impact on Oklahoma’s health system and health outcomes, and developing health workforce policy recommendations.

Steven A. Crawford, MD, DABFM, FAAFP, Co-chair
The Christian N. Ramsey, Jr., MD Endowed Chair in Family Medicine
Professor & Chair
Department of Family & Preventive Medicine
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

Last Modified on Oct 24, 2024
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