BOWLING GREEN (July 21, 2017) — The South Central Workforce Development Board has named Robert Boone as its inaugural president and CEO.
In his new position, Boone will take on the daily oversight of workforce development initiatives in the South Central region, including overseeing the work done by contractor ResCare Workforce Services at the Kentucky Career Center.
He will continue work done begun by interim CEO Lori Strumpf, of Strumpf Associates, LLC, to create more satellite locations throughout the 10 counties covered by the WDB.
Boone will also be responsible for managing the SCWDB budget; consulting with key community stakeholders to determine current and future needs and required capacity; and working with the Board of Directors to identify organizational goals, create a business operations plan, and facilitate the creation of a regional workforce plan building upon the local workforce plan.
Since the new board was seated in 2015 in accordance with WIOA regulations, members have worked closely with the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet to develop a world class talent development system. To that end, Boone will take on the further development and execution of a pilot project to produce 5 qualified candidates for every open position within 48 hours of posting the position in the state’s Focus Talent job database. The workforce development model that is developed in South Central Kentucky will be shared statewide as the model for public workforce systems.
Boone will be the first executive to serve in the capacity of president and CEO of the Board and will serve as staff to the Board as well as the newly formed South Central Kentucky Workforce Foundation. The Foundation will work in conjunction with the Board to seek funding sources to supplement the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding that supports our public workforce system.
According to Boone, “I am delighted that the Board has chosen me as their first president and CEO. The South Central region of the state is enjoying unprecedented growth right now, and it’s imperative that our businesses have a world class resource in the public workforce system. I look forward to working with the business community in designing the system that will enable our economy to grow and flourish well into the future.”
Prior to joining the Workforce Development Board, Boone served as the founding director of the Center for Career Development and Experiential Learning at the Maysville Community and Technical College. There, he was responsible for developing and securing funding to create the Center to meet regional workforce goals within the college’s 19-county service area. In that role, he worked regularly with business clients to ensure workforce needs were addressed through customized training options, work and learn experiences, job placement, and credential programs. In addition, Mr. Boone has credentials including certification from the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals and a master’s degree in public administration from Morehead State University.
He is currently working on a doctorate in with a focus on workforce development.
According to Board Chairman Ron Sowell, “We recognized that we need a trained, experienced leader to come in and take us to that next step,” Sowell said. “I’m just excited that, even though it took time, we found the right candidate. We had several good applicants, but he was clearly at the top of the list. Fortunately, we were able to negotiate an arrangement to have him join us.”
Chief Local Elected Official Judge Mike Buchanon noted, “I am pleased to hear that the Board has chosen Mr. Boone as the President and CEO of the South Central Workforce Development Board. Mr. Boone has a strong record of leadership in and passion for workforce development. We are excited to have him in our community, and I look forward to working with him as we develop a business led workforce development system that will benefit our entire region.”
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