Secretary Newson Appoints Jonathan Barry as Deputy Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Secretary Newson Appoints Jonathan Barry as Deputy Secretary

Secretary also appoints new Administrators to oversee Administrative Services, Employment & Training

MADISON, WI / http://dwd.wi.gov/ Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Reggie Newson today announced the appointment of Jonathan Barry as Deputy Secretary, effective November 21, 2011.

“Jonathan Barry has many years of experience as a farmer, entrepreneur, business executive, non-profit director, public sector manager, and elected official,” Secretary Newson said. “His extensive background will be instrumental to our agency’s ongoing efforts to strengthen our state’s workforce development system and advance Governor Walker’s job creation agenda.”

Barry, who currently is the Administrator of the Division of Enforcement at the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, has been President of several businesses including the WTG Corp., Gammex-RMI and the W.T. Rogers Co. He is a part-owner of Tyrol Basin Co. For the past 10 years, he has worked as Development Director of Dane County’s largest youth employment and training organization, Operation Fresh Start, Inc. and, during this time, helped to greatly expand Wisconsin Fresh Start, a statewide network of non-profit programs centered on assisting at-risk youth to learn basic employment skills, construction skills and to complete educational credentials.

In his public service, Barry served as the elected Dane County Executive from 1981-87, and as a State Representative elected in 1976, 1978 and 1980. He was an elected Dane County Supervisor in 1973 and 1975. In 1973, Barry was a creator, organizer and first manager of the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Square in Madison. Additionally, Barry has served as a member of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, the Wisconsin Technical System Board and on various gubernatorial commissions. He has operated an 85-acre grass-fed beef and produce farm near Mt. Horeb since 1970. He earned a bachelor of science degree from UW-Madison.

In announcing Barry’s appointment as Deputy, Secretary Newson thanked Executive Assistant Georgia Maxwell for the crucial role she has played during the transition. He said he is pleased that as Executive Assistant, she will remain a member of DWD’s top leadership team.

Secretary Newson also announced two additional changes to round out his top leadership team:

• Kathleen Reed, currently a supervisor in the state Department of Transportation (DOT) Southeast Region, will take the helm of the Administrative Services Division as Administrator, effective November 21, 2011. Reed joined the DOT in 1991 and advanced through the roles of Equal Rights Officer and Construction Administration Assistant, Equal Rights Officer-Senior, Labor Compliance Supervisor and Technical Services Supervisor, a role she has held since 2008. Reed attended Waukesha County Technical College and has garnered numerous professional awards, including Honorable Mention for the Virginia Hart Award in 1999.

• Lisa Boyd, currently the Chief Operating Officer at the YWCA of Greater Milwaukee, will take the helm of the Division of Employment & Training (DET), effective December 5, 2011. She started with the YWCA of Greater Milwaukee in 1998 as a financial employment planner and held several management positions, including Wisconsin Works Director and Associate Executive Director, before becoming Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2009. As COO, she supervised daily program operations of the YWCA, which has an annual operating budget of over $11 million. She provided direct oversight of Wisconsin Works and other workforce development programs, and she was co-founder of the Milwaukee Area Healthcare Alliance, a workforce partnership established in 2009 to meet the regional healthcare employer needs for entry level and middle skill positions. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Current DET Administrator Jane Pawasarat will return to civil service in a career executive position within the Division.

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