US Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez announces appointments, new members and chairperson for Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today announced membership changes to the national Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship. The changes include the appointment of seven new members, the reappointment of 23 current members and the appointment of a new chairperson.

The advisory committee provides advice and recommendations on many issues related to Registered Apprenticeship, including expanding apprenticeship into new industries and occupations, promoting greater public awareness of the benefits of Registered Apprenticeship and improving alignment of apprenticeship with workforce and education systems. Members serve the committee without compensation.

“Across the nation, more and more companies are discovering that the Registered Apprenticeship model works as an innovative and effective way to prepare workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Secretary Perez. “The department welcomes the committee’s new members and congratulates its incoming chairman. With fresh ideas and the leadership of our new chairperson, we look forward to the important contributions of the committee as we continue to expand and enhance the role of apprenticeships and open career pathways to good jobs and a brighter future.”

Authorized by the National Apprenticeship Act, the committee is composed of 27-30 individuals. It includes leaders from throughout the national Registered Apprenticeship system, such as employers, labor management organizations and the public. The committee also includes representatives of system partners such as the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the National Association of State and Territorial Apprenticeship Directors, the National Association of Government Labor Officials, the U.S. departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, and Health and Human Services. 

Perez selected Andrew Cortés as the committee’s chair. He is director of Building Futures, a Rhode Island-based organization that helps prepare low-income residents between 18 and 35 years of age for rewarding careers in commercial construction in Registered Apprenticeships.

“I am excited and privileged to lead such a phenomenal group of experts, which includes employers, labor and the public, around the table that provide a variety of expertise with diverse perspectives,” said Cortés. “We are looking forward to providing meaningful contributions to the current movement, helping our nation to expand the use of the highly effective Registered Apprenticeship model.”

The advisory committee’s mission is to:

• Provide recommendations on the development and implementation of policies, legislation and regulations affecting the national Registered Apprenticeship system.
• Offer strategies to expand apprenticeship in non-traditional industries.
• Examine ways to partner with the public workforce system and educational institutions effectively.
• Develop strategies to support greater diversity and inclusion in apprenticeship and create career pathways that lead to good jobs.
• Improve program quality and oversight.

Editor’s Note: A list of committee members by representative groups follows this release.

Chairperson:  Andrew Cortés, Building Futures, Providence, R.I.

Employer Representatives:

• David Casey, CVS Health, Woonsocket, R.I.
• Gregory A. Chambers, Oberg Industries, Inc., Freeport, Penn.
• Lonnie Coleman, Coleman Spohn Corporation, Cleveland
• Bridget Gainer, Aon Service Corporation, Chicago
• Gary Golka, Independent Electrical Contractors, Mesa, Ariz. 
• Susan Hart-Hester, American Health Information Management Association, Chicago
• Stephen Jones, United Parcel Service, Atlanta
• Scott Kisting, Midwest Utilities with Wireless, Champaign, Ill.
• Debra Nobles, American Electric Power Company, Inc., Sand Springs, Okla.
• James Wall, National Institute for Metal Working Skills, Fairfax, Va.

Labor Representatives:

• Cheryl Feldman, District 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund, Philadelphia, Penn.
• Chris Haslinger, United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the U.S. and Canada, Annapolis, Md.
• Thomas A. Haun, Heat and Frost, Insulators and Allied Workers International Union, Lanham, Md.
• William K. Irwin, Jr., Carpenters International Training Fund, Las Vegas
• Bernadette Oliveira-Rivera, Laborers International Union of North America, Pomfret, Conn.
• William J. Peterson, International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, Detroit
• Charissa Raynor, Service Employees International Union, Seattle
• Todd Stafford, Electrical Training ALLIANCE, Bowie, Md.
• Brian J. Turner, Transportation Learning Center, Silver Spring, Md.
• Lee Worley, International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, Washington, D.C.

Public Representatives:

• Connie Ashbrook, Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., Portland, Ore.
• Yvette Chocolaad, National Association of State Workforce Agencies, Washington, D.C.
• Michael Donta, National Association of State & Territorial Apprenticeship Directors, Frankfort, KY
• Carol Glazer, National Organization on Disability, New York
• Pamela Moore, Detroit Public School Foundation, Detroit, Mich.
• Ken Peterson, National Association of Government Labor Officials, St. Paul, Minn.
• Lisa Ransom, Senior Policy Advisor, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, Bowie, Md.
• Van Ton-Quinlivan, California Community Colleges, Chancellor’s Office, Sacramento, Calif.
• LeAnn Wilson, Association for Career and Technical Education, Alexandria, Va.