Governor Lamont has appointed Greenwich’s Alexis Gevanter to his CT Workforce Council.
The Council, which is comprised of top leaders from business, labor, education, nonprofits, and philanthropy, advises the Governor on workforce development issues.
Established in 2019 through executive order, the Council aims to revamp the state’s education and training system to close skills gaps and grow the economy. The idea is to create a more competitive and highly trained workforce and, for example, prepare students in Connecticut for jobs in the rapidly growing biotechnology industry, as well as aerospace and advanced manufacturing.
The Council serves as the prime coordinator for businesses, educators, trainers, state agencies, state workforce boards and non-profits.
“I am honored to have been appointed by Governor Lamont to the CT Governor’s Workforce Council,” Gevanter said. “To emerge from the pandemic even stronger means having a strategic and sustained economic development initiative that is both attractive to businesses and equitable for workers.”
Gevanter said she was eager to bring her experience as a business attorney advising businesses ranging from start-ups to multinational corporations on instituting fair employment practices, while increasing growth and profitability. She also counseled companies on how to navigate and comply with labor and employment laws when making decisions regarding expansion, relocation, restructuring, mergers, and acquisitions.
“Supporting business growth and bringing new, good paying jobs to Connecticut is a win-win for our state, communities, and residents,” she said.
She credited Governor Lamont for his leadership in the progress made toward bringing jobs to Connecticut, and said the state had seen eight straight months of job growth and now leads neighboring states in returning to pre-pandemic employment levels.
Gevanter noted that a number of companies, including PMI, ITT, iCapital Networks, and Tomo Networks, announced plans to set up shop in Stamford and Greenwich, bringing over 500 new jobs to the area.
“And just a few days ago, GE Appliances announced its return to our state, choosing Stamford as its new home,” she added. “The Connecticut Comeback is underway and I look forward to working with the other members of the Council to keep it going,” she added.
When the Governor created the Council, he noted that the modern workplace was changing faster than the education and government sectors.
“By 2025, Connecticut’s economy will need 70 percent of workers to have received some kind of post-secondary training or education. Today, we are hovering around 55 percent,” Governor Lamont said at the Council’s inaugural meeting. “Closing this skills and credentials gap is a critical component to growing our state’s economy and will tear down the barriers to economic opportunity that block too many of Connecticut residents.”
Ms Gevanter, who recently ran as the endorsed Democratic Candidate for Connecticut’s 36th District State Senate special election to represent Greenwich, Stamford, and New Canaan, previously she served as the Connecticut State Leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which has 14,000 supporters. Through legislative strategy, advocacy, and coalition building, numerous bipartisan gun violence prevention bills were passed in Connecticut during that time.
More on the CT Governor’s Workforce Council is available online.