WorkSource Montgomery, Inc. (WSM) President and CEO Ellie Giles announced on Tuesday that she would be resigning to launch a new, local business venture but plans to stay with WSM through the end of 2019. Dr. Giles has led the non-profit workforce development organization since it was privatized and detached from Montgomery County government in 2016.
In a letter to the WSM Board of Directors, she said, “I want to thank you for the opportunity to build WorkSource Montgomery. I am proud of the amazing accomplishments we have achieved together over the past three-plus years since our founding. The organization is now fully functional and strongly productive, and it is time for me to move on to new opportunities. I am grateful to all of you and to our dedicated staff for your commitment to building workforce development programs and services that are beneficial for workers and employers alike. It has been an honor to be WSM’s first CEO and I know many future successes will be achieved.”
WSM Board Chair Ted Rose said, “On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I want to express my gratitude and admiration for Ellie’s tireless efforts to build and grow this organization from the start-up phase to where it is today. We are grateful for all she has accomplished and for her willingness to stay on for a period of time as we move forward expeditiously in a search for our next chief executive officer.”
Under Dr. Giles’s leadership, WSM achieved the following over the past three years:
- Pursued and was awarded capacity-building grants totaling $1.6 million.
- Created and led the successful Summer RISE program that provided work experiences to in-school youth and through strategic partnerships, enhanced pre-apprenticeship programs for disconnected out of school youth.
- Created and implemented the HIRE (Helping Individuals Reach Employment) program which provides services within specific communities that cannot easily access the American Job Centers in Germantown & Wheaton. HIRE services are currently available at the Rockville Library, White Oak Library, Marilyn J. Praisner Recreation Center, Takoma Park Community Center, and the East County Regional Services Center.
- Provided employability support services to more than 14,000 customers per year, with a reported 92% satisfaction rate.
- Convened and enhanced community-based organization partnerships to mitigate barriers towards sustainable employment for the most vulnerable job-seekers.
- Enhanced employer engagement, serving 286 businesses last year through targeted hiring events and creative initiatives for industry-specific pipeline development, with a 95% satisfaction rate.
- Formalized partnerships with training entities and increased work-learn programs to bridge the skills gap and enhance career pathway programs.
The WSM Board will launch an official search for a new CEO in the coming weeks.