eNewsletter for Fall 2007

Council Update

On August 9th, Governor Dave Freudenthal appointed Dave Scriven as Chairman of the Wyoming Workforce Development Council. The former Chairman, Charles Ware, is now Vice-Chairman. For the complete release, please visit the News & Events section on the Workforce Development Council website.

The Workforce Development Council met September 20th and 21st in Sundance and November 15th and 16th in Lander. Several important topics were discussed at these meetings including support of the Job Corps Center in Riverton, career guidance next steps, strategic planning and the 2008 Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions. While in Lander, the Workforce Development Council toured the Wind River Indian Reservation, visiting several sites of importance to the tribes, including the Wind River Tribal College, Tribal Complexes and Wind River Development Fund. The Workforce Development Council will meet next February 14th and 15th in Cheyenne.

The Workforce Development Council has released dates for the 2008 Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions. The Summit will take place May 28th and 29th, 2008 at the University of Wyoming Union on the University of Wyoming Laramie campus. For more information as it becomes available, visit the 2008 Summit page.

Wyoming Update

In July the Workforce Development Council released a Request For Proposal for Innovative Workforce Solutions. To date, four projects have been awarded grants. Those projects by region are: The Face of Workforce Housing and Career Ladder Education Initiative (Western), Fremont County Housing Assessment (Northwest) and Workforce Development through Internships (Southeast). The Council is excited to be working with these grantees and looks forward to the results of their efforts. Continue to visit the Council website at www.wyowdc.org for updates on these projects and other initiatives of the Council. Additionally, look forward to joining these grantees for their presentations at the Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions.

Legislative Update

On November 13th President Bush vetoed the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008. This bill would have overspent President Bush's proposed budget by $10 billion. This bill includes a $245 million rescission of Workforce Investment Act funds. This rescission would impact 2005 and 2006 fiscal year funds. Through a continuing resolution operations will continue through December 14th.

Featured Council Members

Laurie Latta

Born and raised on a cattle ranch in western Wyoming, Laurie M. Latta graduated from Big Piney High School. She graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Speech Pathology/Audiology from the University of Wyoming. After working in Wheatland's public schools, she and her husband, Jim, returned to the family ranch operation before moving to Pinedale. Laurie continued ranching for several years before she was named the Director of the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale. Following a long tenure with the museum, she assisted former Pinedale mayor Rose Skinner before assuming her present position as coordinator of the Sublette Community Partnership. The partnership was formed in response to a need to address socio-economic issues in Sublette County related to the development of one of the largest gas fields in the world. The Partnership is a unique organization with representatives from the Pinedale Anticline and the Jonah Field; the mayors of the incorporated communities in Sublette County; the Sublette County Commission; and the University of Wyoming. One of the Partnership's main concerns is workforce development and education to fill the many opportunities available in western Wyoming. Laurie looks forward to her tenure with the Wyoming Workforce Development Council to address these critical issues.

Laurie has been active in many community and statewide activities. Most recently, she completed a term as president of the Wyoming Humanities Council and serves on the Sublette County Library Board. She and her husband have two sons - Morgan who is a senior at the University of Puget Sound and Keegan who embarked on his college experience this fall at Montana State.

Teri Wigert

Teri was born, reared and educated in Nebraska. (Don't hold it against her, she is in Wyoming now!) She grew up on a cattle ranch in a small rural town where life was exceptionally good. She graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelors of Science degree in education. In her first professional career (following raking hay in the summers of her high school years), she taught high school in Nebraska and Wyoming.

Her keen interest in the system of education led her away from the classroom and to a career into processes and systems theory. As an administrator for the American Red Cross she was responsible for standardizing the delivery of courses and the professional development of the instructors. She entered state government in 1996 when she joined the Wyoming Department of Education as a program consultant. She is currently the director of a unit overseeing the integration of technology into instruction; distance education innovations; career technical (vocational) education programs; secondary school reform; school district data collections, analyses and reporting; the agency's internal network; and education's Wyoming Equality Network.

Teri has lived in Cheyenne for the past 15 years. She is the proud mother of two daughters, a son and a son-in-law - Megan, Joslen (and her husband, Scott), and Kiffin who also live in their respective state's capitol cities of Denver, Austin and Sacramento, respectively.

Serving on the Governor's Workforce Development Council is a rewarding and broadening experience for Teri. Through the Council she has gained an insight that adds relevance to her roles in education reform and building transitions among education's institutions.