REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Appoint Mr. Micah Merrick to the NOVA Workforce Board
Report
BACKGROUND
The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 stipulates the composition, roles and responsibilities of the local workforce board. The chief local elected official appoints the local workforce board; the Sunnyvale City Council serves as the Chief Local Elected Official for the NOVA consortium. The local workforce board (NOVA Board) determines how many seats are on the board, and is required to have a majority of representatives from business and representation from at least the following stakeholders:
• Business Executives (majority and chair)
• Education providers from adult education and higher education
• Labor and community-based organizations representing the workforce
• Economic and community development agencies
• State agencies representing employment development and vocational rehabilitation programs
The roles and responsibilities of NOVA Board members include (but are not limited to):
• Take a leadership role in forging a strong and vital partnership between business and the workforce development community, resulting in an entrepreneurial, market-driven, accountable and exceptional workforce development system;
• Contribute specific expertise from key industries and articulate evolving industries’ needs, critical to aligning the workforce with the jobs of the 21st Century;
• Develop and approve policy for workforce initiatives in the NOVA service-delivery area;
• Help create and provide oversight of a local strategic plan and participate in the development of a regional plan;
• Evaluate and monitor program performance according to specified outcomes and measures; and,
• Promote the NOVA Board and workforce through collaboration and relationship building with other businesses, local workforce boards, organizations and groups.
EXISTING POLICY
Council Policy 5.1.1: Socio-Economic - Goals and Policies: Education and Training Goal 5.1F: Provide job training and employment services, within constraints of operative Federal regulations and available Federal funding, to address the locally-determined employment and training needs of economically disadvantaged residents and others with special needs.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental, organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
DISCUSSION
The NOVA Board Nominating Committee is comprised of Sunnyvale City Councilmember Gustav Larsson, NOVA Board Co-Chair Jennifer Morrill and NOVA Board member Rosanne Foust. The committee is charged with the responsibility of recommending candidates for appointment to the NOVA Board, for consideration by the Sunnyvale City Council. The Nominating Committee is recommending the appointment of Mr. Micah Merrick because of the individual strengths and assets he can bring to the NOVA Board. In addition, his appointment will fill a WIOA-mandated seat representing business.
Mr. Micah Merrick
Vice President of Finance, Emerald Cloud Lab Inc.
Emerald Cloud Lab Inc. produces the ECL Command Center software that provides a single, comprehensive workspace for a scientist’s workflow to streamline day-to-day operations in the laboratory, thereby accelerating the rate of progress in pharmaceutical research, materials science, medical diagnostics, and agriculture. Emerald Cloud Lab is based in South San Francisco and employs 60 employees in the San Francisco Bay Area. As Vice President of Finance, Mr. Merrick is responsible for all accounting activities, financial functions and other operational roles within the company. Mr. Merrick brings to the Board extensive experience in the business community in sales, business development, finance and human resources leading a variety of teams and initiatives, expertise in the growing life sciences industry, and a deep understanding of the challenges facing workers and employers in Silicon Valley. He also has a passion for helping to bridge the gap between the skills that are required by businesses to succeed and the education and training that is needed to prepare workers to access and advance in their chosen careers.
This appointment complies with the requirements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Appoint Mr. Micah Merrick to the NOVA Workforce Board.
Staff
Prepared by: Eileen Stanly, Analyst, NOVA
Reviewed by: Kris Stadelman, NOVA Director
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager