Beth Brinly appointed deputy secretary of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet

Appointed by Gov. Steve Beshear

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2014) — Gov. Steve Beshear has appointed Frankfort resident Beth Brinly as deputy secretary of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The Louisville native moves to her new role in the cabinet from her position as commissioner of the Department of Workforce Investment.

“Beth brings more than 30 years of experience and knowledge from both the state and federal government to the position,” Beshear said. “Her expertise in workforce development, education and training programs has been instrumental in the implementation of the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board’s strategic plan to modernize Kentucky’s workforce system.”

In her role as workforce investment commissioner, Brinly has spent the past four years overseeing the implementation of the Kentucky Career Center re-branding including programs such as WorkReady Communities, Industry Partnerships, High Impact Workforce Investment Boards, Sector Strategies and the Kentucky Skills Network. These workforce strategies have moved Kentucky to a national leadership role in advising on building a world-class talent pipeline.

Brinly has extensive experience with federal programs including the Workforce Investment Act, Wagner -Peyser and the Trade Act. Prior to becoming commissioner, Brinly was chief of the Division of Workforce Investment in the Employment and Training Administration in the regional office of the U.S. Department of Labor in Philadelphia for more than five years.

Brinly also served in the regional office of the U.S. Department of Education for nearly seven years in several positions including education program specialist and staff assistant.

Before moving to the federal government, Brinly worked for Kentucky state government from 1990–1996 in the Kentucky Workforce Development Cabinet where she was the executive director of the Office of School-to-Work and an assistant to the cabinet’s secretary. She began her state government career in 1987 in the Governor’s Office where she worked in policy and budget.

In addition, Brinly has served as president of the board of directors of the Women’s Center of Montgomery and president of both the Frankfort and Kentucky Junior Chambers of Commerce. She also was named a 1997 Outstanding Young Kentuckian.

Brinly earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Louisville in 1986 and a Master’s of Education from Pennsylvania State University in 2004.