WGU President to Join Indiana Gov. Holcomb on American Workforce Policy Advisory Board

SALT LAKE CITY – Western Governors University (WGU) President Scott Pulsipher is among a group of 25 U.S. governors, including Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, Fortune 500 CEOs, education leaders and workforce association leaders appointed to serve on the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced. The Advisory Board, co-chaired by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump, will collaborate with the National Council for the American Worker to develop strategies that will better align education with 21st century workforce needs. Non-profit WGU Indiana, the state’s online university, has enabled 7,300 graduates to return to college for an undergraduate or graduate degree.

“Ensuring our country has a skilled and ready workforce is the defining issue of the decade, and we don’t have a day to waste. I’m honored to be able to share Indiana’s story with the nation,” Gov. Holcomb said. “But for all our progress, we still have a long way to go. Cracking this code will demand the greatest focus and collaboration, and I am excited to join the nation’s top leaders in this endeavor.”

“WGU’s participation on this board fully supports our mission – to improve the quality and relevancy of education while expanding access,” said Pulsipher. “We know that education is one of the surest pathways to opportunity, enabling individuals to change their lives through better, more fulfilling jobs, and that American industry needs more workers with 21st century skills. The large gap in workforce supply and demand, combined with the rapid evolution of required skills for the future of work, make a strong case for reinventing education-to-employment pathways. I look forward to working with the members of this Board to build a brighter future for American workers.”

The American Workforce Policy Advisory Board will provide strategic recommendations to the newly-formed National Council for the American Worker, an advisory and planning body that will focus on closing the skills gap and retraining American workers to transition to the new jobs of the 21st century. Board terms will last through 2021. 

The members of the Board include:

• Jay Box, President, Kentucky Community and Technical College System
• Walter Bumphus, President & CEO, American Association of Community Colleges
• Jim Clark, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
• Tim Cook, CEO, Apple
• Tom Donohue, CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Juanita Duggan, President & CEO, National Federation for Independent Business
• Elizabeth Goettl, President & CEO, Cristo Rey Network
• Marillyn Hewson, Chairman, President, & CEO, Lockheed Martin
• Eric Holcomb, Governor, Indiana
• Barbara Humpton, CEO, Siemens USA
• Al Kelly, CEO, Visa
• Vi Lyles, Mayor, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Bill McDermott, CEO, SAP America
• Sean McGarvey, President, North America’s Building and Trades Unions
• Doug McMillon, President & CEO, Walmart
• Craig Menear, Chairman, President, & CEO, Home Depot
• Michael Piwowar, Executive Director, Milken Institute
• Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University
• Kim Reynolds, Governor, Iowa
• Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President, & CEO, IBM
• Scott Sanders, Executive Director, National Association of State Workforce Agencies
• Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President & CEO, Society for Human Resource Management
• Jay Timmons, President & CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
• Sheree Utash, President, WSU Tech 
• Marianne Wanamaker, Professor, University of Tennessee

Pulsipher was nominated for the Board by both Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert and former Senator Orrin G. Hatch.