"Serving on the Board is a great opportunity for industry leaders to help shape the direction of how we develop the workforce." James Paulson, WIB Chair

The Workforce Investment Board (WIB) is a unique public/private partnership representing the City of Portland, Multnomah and Washington counties. The WIB brings together local elected officials, private sector leaders, public agencies, education, labor, and community-based organization to focus on regional workforce development and related community issues. The WIB's primary goal is to build a workforce system that is flexible, responsive, customer-focused and locally managed. Board members are appointed by the local elected officials representing the primary jurisdictions within the region. The majority of the Board is private sector and the Chair is a local business representative elected by the full Board. All board members are required to possess decision making authority within their company or organization.

Member Roles and Responsibilities

The WIB's primary role is to develop, implement, and evaluate a regional workforce strategic plan. Regional investments are made based on the strategic direction provided by the WIB. To accomplish the Board’s mission, individual members:

• Provide strategic direction and oversight for the region’s workforce development plan
• Define policies, goals and objectives to build the regional system and promote regional competitiveness
• Encourage the linkage of skill development efforts with regional economic needs
• Evaluate system quality and outcomes
• Bridge regional workforce programs and services with regional government, business and other leaders
• Coordinate workforce development activities with regional business, economic development and education strategies
• Advocate on behalf of all the system’s customers by balancing worker/job seeker and business interests
• Promote system development, service alignment and workforce excellence