Following overwhelming bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was signed into law by President Obama on July 22, 2014. WIOA modernizes the federal workforce development system with its expansive network of one-stop centers. These one-stop centers can assist you by helping employers of all sizes meet your staffing needs. This session will provide practical ways to e ffectively partner with state and local workforce investment boards, which oversee much of the strategic direction and prioritizing of federal employment and training dollars.
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Gerri Fiala
Assistant Secretary of Employment and Training
U.S. Department of Labor
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Gerri Fiala is Deputy Assistant Secretary of Employment and Training for the U.S. Department of Labor. She is currently responsible for guiding the Department’s implementation of WIOA -- the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Prior to her time at DOL, Gerri served as Staff Director to the HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety chaired by Senator Patty Murray. Here Gerri drafted Senator Murray's "Innovations in 21st Century Careers" bill to make education more relevant for high school students. She also developed bills introduced by Senator Murray during the economic stimulus debate. Key components of these bills were ultimately included in Recovery Act funding provisions for the Department of Labor.
Gerri served for nearly eight years as Administrator, Office of Policy Development, Evaluation and Research, in the U.S. Department of Labor. This includes a year as a loaned executive to serve as Senior Counselor for Economic Development to the American Association of Community Colleges. As Administrator, she led interagency efforts to drive job training reform. This work culminated in the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, and Older Americans Act Amendments of 2000 (creating the Senior Community Service Employment Program). Her leadership on interagency teams also secured the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act, and Welfare to Work program, and provided direction to a DOL effort to craft and implement regulations for each of these programs.
Gerri has a Masters of Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa, and Associate of Arts from North Iowa Area Community College.