eNewsletter for Winter 2009

Council Update

The Wyoming Workforce Development Council met Nov. 13-14, 2008, at the McMurry Training Center in Casper. During the meeting, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services marketing team unveiled its draft marketing plan for the council and for the agency. One of the key themes was to focus on small businesses' needs and to assist high school students with career planning. The Council also approved a proposed executive order that updates the original order creating the Council and also reflecting the 2002 creation of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services.

2009 Governor's Summit on Workforce Solutions

To assist Wyoming companies in addressing their workforce issues and remain competitive, the Workforce Development Council, in partnership with the Governor's Office and the Department of Workforce Services, sponsors an annual Workforce Summit. The summit offers a variety of workshops focusing on essential workforce issues and drawing attention to the workforce opportunities and challenges of businesses in Wyoming. The 2009 Summit will be held May 27-28 at Snow King Lodge in Jackson. The theme is "Innovate: Survive and Thrive in Wyoming's New Frontier." The summit will be preceded by two pre-conference sessions on career pathways, presented by the Wyoming Department of Education on May 25-26.

This year's keynote speaker is internationally renowned author, consultant and speaker Don Tapscott, who will address the strategic impact of information technology on innovation, marketing and talent. Don has authored or co-authored 11 widely read books on technology in business and society. His latest book Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing the World (2008) is the sequel to his landmark book Growing Up Digital (2006). He has authored several of the defining business books of the last decades including Paradigm Shift (1992), The Digital Economy (1995), Digital Capital (2000), Naked Corporation, (2002) and Wikinomics (2006). An enthralling, brilliant and inspiring orator, Don is often described by customers as the most effective speaker they have ever heard. Copies of Don's newest book will be provided at no charge to each registrant of the Workforce Summit. The Summit will conclude with lunch and an address by Gov. Dave Freudenthal on May 28.

A number of awards will be presented as well, including the Innovation in the Workplace, Workforce Partnership, Outstanding Individual Performance, Outstanding Investment in Young Workers and Outstanding Investment in Older Workers Award. There is still time to apply!

Legislative Update - Congress

The 2009 Wyoming Legislative began its eight-week general session on Jan. 13. The Council is supporting several measures, including the Wyoming Industry Partnership Act, which would foster collaboration among the key agencies and institutions that seek to connect jobseekers with employers, including entities representing workforce development, economic development, education and private industry. The bill, House Bill 301, would allow the Department of Workforce Services to craft rules that would allow grants to be awarded to partnerships that include the aforementioned entities and are working toward workforce solutions across entire industry sectors. Another measure, Senate File 99, would provide scholarships in career and technical training for recent high school graduates and those adults who attain GEDs. A third measure, Senate File 47, would increase high school students' access to the WorkKeys assessment, which is one of the qualifiers for the Hathaway Scholarship as well as a Wyoming Career Readiness Certificate.

Congress - Stimulus Bill

House and Senate negotiators and the White House reached an agreement on Feb. 11, 2009, on a final version of the economic stimulus package. While slightly different from the final agreement, the Senate version would have provided $345.7 million for Wyoming, including $2.2 million in State Employment Service Grants; $439,690 in Dislocated Workers State Grants; $1.2 million for Department of Labor Adult State Grants; $2.9 million for DOL Youth State Grants; and $1.6 million for Vocational Rehabilitation.

Featured Council Members

Kevin Drumm

Dr. Drumm was born and raised in South Lee, Mass., a town boasting a population of just a few hundred then and now. He attended a one-room schoolhouse for elementary school, something that many here in the West find surprising. He graduated from his local community college, transferring to Boston University where he earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in Education. He earned his PhD from New York University in Organizational Studies and Higher Education Administration. He finds a lot of comparisons between the extreme urban experience and his rural Wyoming experience, something else that many find surprising. Of course "traffic" is not one of those comparisons but "adventure" is, just to name one of several. Dr. Drumm had a long career in college student services, culminating in serving as student services vice president for two community colleges before being recruited to Wyoming for the presidency of the Northern Wyoming Community College District, which includes Sheridan College, Gillette College, and now Sheridan College-Johnson County. He also spent several years in distance learning both as a professor and dean. He came to Wyoming in 2004 with his wife and then 2 1/2-year-old son. Dr. Drumm and his wife are avid Patriots fans and root for the Red Sox as well.

Greg Schaefer

Greg Schaefer was born and raised in Riverton, where his great grandfather took part in the 1906 land rush to settle acreage withdrawn by treaty from the Wind River Indian Reservation and he opened Riverton's first store. Greg's grandmother arrived in Fremont
County by train and covered wagon, and eventually saw men walk on the moon. Greg attended Central Wyoming College, then the University of Wyoming where he obtained a bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering. He started his career as a consulting engineer based in Laramie, often performing water development and mining reclamation work in the Powder River Basin. In 1989, he moved to Gillette to take a position with Arco Coal as environmental engineering supervisor, which involved permitting and compliance activities. Less than two years later, his boss received a promotion and Greg was named head of Arco Coal's Manager of Regulatory Affairs and the company's governmental affairs chief. One day later, he found himself in the State Capitol, doing his first lobbying duties, a job he still holds to this day. Greg is now Vice President of External Affairs Western Operations for Arch Coal, Inc., which purchased the assets of Arco Coal in 1998. Greg has a son, Michael, 24, and a daughter, Kayleigh, 20, and a 3-year-old grandson, Alex. When he has time, Greg enjoys fly-fishing, reading and cheering on his beloved UW Cowboys.