CONTACT: DWD Communications, 608-266-2722
MADISON – Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Ray Allen has been named Chair of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies’ (NASWA) Equal Opportunity Committee.
NASWA is a national organization of state administrators of the publicly-funded state workforce system, including the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), employment services, training programs, unemployment insurance, employment statistics and labor market and workforce information.
Secretary Allen has held a number of private and public-sector positions which have given him a unique perspective on a variety of issues.
As Secretary of DWD, he oversees the operations of a state agency with roughly 1,600 employees and an annual budget of $450 million. He joined state government in 1987, when he was appointed to serve in the Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations. He was later appointed to the Department of Employment Relations where he supervised the Division of Affirmative Action, the State Employee Assistance Program, and the state’s Total Quality Management Training Program. Prior to joining DWD, Secretary Allen served as the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions.
In addition to his wealth of public sector experience, he is the former publisher and owner of The Madison Times, a weekly newspaper, and is currently the Vice President of Madtown Paradies, which operates retails stores in Dane County’s Regional Airport.
