REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Appoint Ms. Rosanne Foust and Mr. James Ruigomez 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 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 Tara Martin-Milius and NOVA Board members Van Dang and Bruce Knopf. 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 appointment of two candidates because of the individual strengths and assets each can bring to the NOVA Board and their considerable knowledge of San Mateo County, a community that recently joined the NOVA consortium. In addition, these nominations will fill WIOA-mandated seats representing business, economic development and organized labor.
Ms. Roseanne Foust
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA)
Incorporated in 1953, SAMCEDA is the oldest business organization on the Peninsula and today represents diverse companies from leading industry sectors in San Mateo County, including construction, financial services, health care, real estate, biosciences, utilities and transportation. In order to meet the rapid economic change and innovation locally and globally, SAMCEDA provides its members with the necessary resources so that they may thrive here and provide quality jobs for the local community. As President and CEO of SAMCEDA, Ms. Foust is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization and working with the Board of Directors to implement advocacy strategies on high priority issues that include workforce development, housing, transportation, and land use. Ms. Foust brings to the NOVA Board extensive experience convening community leaders, businesses and key stakeholders to tackle important regional issues and showcasing innovators that will offer an entrepreneurial approach to solutions.
Mr. James Ruigomez
Business Manager, Building and Construction Trades Council of San Mateo County
The San Mateo County Building and Construction Trades Council of the AFL-CIO is affiliated with 26 local labor unions and represents 16,000 workers. The Council’s mission is to help improve the quality of life for all construction workers, promote the value of high-skilled craftsmen and craftswomen, and work to increase the union market share in the construction industry. As Business Manager for the Council, Mr. Ruigomez is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization’s activities and negotiating community benefit agreements, including Project Labor Agreements, Project Stabilization Agreements, and Memorandums of Understanding. Mr. Ruigomez brings to the NOVA Board over twenty years of experience in the construction industry, ten years as a union representative, significant knowledge of the challenges facing the construction industry in the area of adequate skilled training and self-sufficient wages and benefits, and a commitment to forge solutions that will help working-class families.
These appointments comply 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 Ms. Roseanne Foust and Mr. James Ruigomez to the NOVA Workforce Board.
Staff
Prepared by: Eileen Stanly, Analyst
Reviewed by: Kris Stadelman, Director, NOVA Workforce Services
Reviewed by: Walter C. Rossmann, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager