In order for our members to know the individuals who serve them at the national level, NASDCTEc presents a blog series called “Meet Your Board Members;” today we are featuring Eleni Papadakis, Region X Representative, and State Director of Washington. Region X encompasses Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Eleni Papadakis was appointed by Washington’s Governor Christine Gregoire in 2007 as the Executive Director of the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, more commonly known as the Workforce Board. Business, labor and government stakeholders are equally represented on this tri-partite board, which oversees 18 different state and federal funding streams in the state’s comprehensive workforce development system.

Eleni came to Washington with more than 25 years of experience in the workforce development arena–from service delivery through state and federal policy work. Eleni came to Washington from Commonwealth Corporation, a Massachusetts quasi-public corporation, where she established the Center for Workforce Innovation, a research and demonstration arm of the state’s workforce development system, and a national consulting organization on economic and workforce development strategies Leading up to that role, Eleni oversaw the development and implementation of numerous state-wide and regional initiatives, for special population groups and for targeted industry sectors, including biotechnology, fiber optics, manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, telecommunications and software. She also helped facilitate Massachusetts’ transition to WIA and the development of a state plan to eradicate healthcare workforce shortages.

Eleni has also worked in business–including operating her own small business, a bistro-entertainment venue–and lead a multi-service community-based organization for 9 years. Eleni holds a Masters in Counseling Psychology from Assumption College and Bachelors in Psychology from Clark University, both in Worcester, Massachusetts.

When asked for her goals as a Board Member, Eleni said “My interests are in making certain that high quality Career Technical Education is accessible to all students, that we have clear and accessible pathways from secondary to post-secondary education, and that career success for all students is our ultimate mission.”

NASDCTEc appreciates Eleni’s willingness to serve as a Board member. She can be reached at EPapadakis@wtb.wa.gov.

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

This entry was posted on Monday, August 27th, 2012 at 1:34 pm and is filed under Advance CTE Announcements, Advance CTE State Director. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.