Boards & Commissions

Updated October/November 2018

All Committees

• Workforce Development Board members serve as chair/co-chairs.
• Chair/co-chair role is renewed annually.
• Each Board member is expected to serve on at least one committee.
• Aside from Executive and Governance Committees, membership may include employers, community organizations, representatives of target client populations, and other community members.
• Former Board members are invited to continue participating in committees after concluding their terms.
• Meeting frequency and schedule is determined by the committee.
• All members are asked to serve a one year term, with opportunity for renewal annually.
• Quorum for committees is 50% of current membership plus one.

Executive Committee                                                   

Membership:  Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Committee Chairs 

Meeting Frequency:  Quarterly for 1.5 hours

The work of the executive committee revolves around the following key areas:

• Set overall direction of the Board’s work, ensuring alignment with local and regional plans;
• Provide input on agendas for Board meetings;
• Coordinate development of strategic planning process and monitor progress toward goals;
• Handle urgent issues and act on behalf of the Board between meetings as needed;
• Act as liaison to the Workforce Director;
• Review and make final recommendation for new members to the Mayor.

Governance Committee                                              

Membership:  Secretary (Chair) + an additional 2-4 WDB members (between 3 and 5 total) 

Meeting Frequency:  Every other month for 1.5 hours.  Currently meeting on the 1^st Thursday of each odd month from noon – 1:30.

The governance committee oversees Board structure and functioning, ensuring alignment with WIOA requirements by:

• Ensuring Board member roster is in compliance with bylaws, recruiting new members as needed;
• Developing and administering policies and governing documents (e.g. bylaws, conflict of interest policy, board calendar, member roster, etc.);
• Maintaining and updating Board documents and files, including member orientation manual and Dropbox archive;
• Tracking member attendance and engagement to ensure an active Board;
• Conducting board evaluation and assessment, and making recommendations to Executive Committee regarding necessary trainings and facilitation.
• Providing oversight, guidance, and support to committees, including designation of committee chair based on member recommendation.

Business & Community Engagement Committee                             

Membership:  At least 3 WDB members plus community members

Meeting Frequency:  Monthly for 1.5 hours (1^st Thursday of each month from 3:00 – 4:30)

The Business & Community Engagement Committee develops and helps implement communication strategies to market workforce services to jobseekers and employers by:

• Providing accessible information and promoting the Workforce Center to individuals, businesses, community organizations, government organizations and others;
• Assisting businesses in understanding and taking advantage of opportunities to improve profitability and capabilities by sponsoring information sharing events, doing outreach to businesses, and through involvement in professional organizations.

Sector & Career Pathways Development Committee     

Membership:  At least 3 WDB members plus community members  

Meeting Frequency:  Monthly for 1.5 hours (3^rd Thursday of month from 8:00-9:30 AM)

The Sector & Career Pathways committee convenes business leaders, educators and community based organizations to identify and create sector-based, career pathway programs in alignment with both local and regional strategic workforce plans.  This is accomplished by:

• Working to create a bridge between educational institutions, business and industry by identifying skills needs and communicating them to educational partners;
• Supporting initiatives which increase the labor supply for high demand industries, both current and future, in cooperation with state and local economic development partners;
• Providing support to existing or emerging business/industry clusters, and help generate and implement strategies that expand these types of business in the area;
• Serving as a hub for communication and coordination of career pathways efforts throughout the community;
• Identifying gaps and barriers in career pathways and develop strategies to address and resolve.

Emerging Workforce Committee                             

Membership: At least 3 WDB members plus community members

Meeting Frequency:  Monthly (4th Tuesday of each month at 1:00 PM at the WFC)

The youth/education committee works to support eligible youth in accessing education and employment opportunities by:

• Recommending policy direction to the Local Board for the design, development, and implementation of programs that benefit all eligible youth;
• Design ways to better coordinate serviced and leverage resources among schools, programs, and community organizations that serve youth;
• Provide ongoing local and regional leadership in identifying and implementing best practices and continuous quality improvement in services provided to youth in the community;
• Advise and support planning and operations of YES Duluth services, assisting with resolution of any issues that may arise.

Equity Committee

Membership:  At least 3 WDB members plus community members

Meeting Frequency:  Monthly (3^rd Wednesday of each month at 3:00pm in the St. Louis County building)

The equity committee’s purpose is to drive equitable workforce outcomes by:

• Engaging Board members, workforce staff, job seekers and community partners in embracing and attracting diversity;
• Addressing opportunity gaps affecting underrepresented populations in the Duluth workforce;
• Introducing new perspectives and developing better solutions by ensuring People of Color and workforce clients are represented on the Board and committees;
• Working to address and overcome implicit bias among workforce staff, Board members, and employers.