By Thomas E. Mitchell, Jr.
Chytania Brown, an administrator with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, has been tapped to be the next president/CEO of Employ Milwaukee.
She is expected to win easy approval by the Employ Milwaukee board of directors and begin work March 16. She will be the first woman to head the agency.
Established in 2007 as the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB), Employ Milwaukee’s mission is to build a strong workforce development system by planning, coordinating, collaborating and monitoring workforce initiatives with businesses, partners and community stakeholders at the local, regional and state level to ensure a skilled and productive workforce for the 21st Century.
Its goal is to connect job seekers to employment opportunities to provide education and training options in high-growth, high-demand sectors, and to provide a skilled and sustainable workforce to attract, retain and grow diverse businesses in Milwaukee.
Mayor Tom Barrett, who made the selection from a list of candidates, said Brown was taylor-made for the position given her background in workforce development, which included 17 years with the agency when it was MAWIB.
“She has extensive senior level experience at the state, knows the agency, and is originally from Milwaukee. She’ll hit the ground running,” Barrett said in an interview with Brown.
Saying she has a passion for helping people to be their best self, Brown said when the opportunity was presented to her, she thought it would be a great fit given her 20 years in the workforce development field.
“I want to expand on what Employ Milwaukee is doing,” said Brown responding to a question about what she would focus on when she takes the helm next month.
She noted the mayor’s “Earn and Learn” Summer Youth Employment program, the reentry initiative for individuals coming out of prison, the summer jobs program, apprenticeship programs, as well as opportunities for veterans.
“I also want to meet people where they are; take our services to areas we haven’t been before.”
Brown also wants to tell the story of the agency better, noting she’s often baffled when people ask what is Employee Milwaukee and what does it do.
“We have to tell our story in a way that shows impact.”
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