Board of Directors Introduction
It starts and ends with YOU.

Make investment decisions that will improve the livelihood of people in your community.

Transform jobseekers into qualified, viable candidates through skill development initiatives.

Use your industry knowledge to assure a pipeline of talent to secure a prosperous economy in the region.

Drive economic success of your community through partnerships and collaboration.

As a board member, you just became a key player in improving the workforce for the entire region. You can expect to collaborate with other business partners, government agencies, economic developers, and community organizations. Your work on this board is critical to the effort to build a strong community – economically and socially – all at the same time.

Our local, regional, state, and national economic success depends on thriving businesses and industry, and those businesses depend on a pool of skilled workers. Your insights are essential to ensure this network of partners is responding to changes in a way that will meet the needs of its valued customers – YOU!
Your Region
The East Cascades Workforce Area is a ten-county region in Oregon that covers nearly 30,000 square miles and runs from the Washington border in the north to the California border in the south, encompassing Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler, Crook, Jefferson, Deschutes, Klamath and Lake Counties.

Within this large region, there are three unique labor sheds:

North Sub-region, concentrated along the Columbia River Gorge and the Columbia Plateau, including the counties of Hood River, Wasco, Wheeler, Gilliam, and Sherman.

The Central Sub-region, situated in the high-desert and commonly referred to as Central Oregon, includes Crook, Jefferson, and Deschutes Counties.

Lastly, the South Sub-region, in the basin of Klamath and Lake Counties.
Your Responsibility
In 2015, following the federal authorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the Governor of Oregon designated the responsibility of overseeing the public workforce system to nine newly redistricted Local Workforce Boards, of which we are one. It is within the purview of East Cascades Works Board and Staff to ensure that high-quality training and career services are delivered to both businesses and jobseekers through the public workforce system, known as WorkSource.

As a non-profit organization, it is important that we are good stewards of public funds. The board entrusts its staff with implementing policies and procedures that are focused on sustainability planning, budget management, fiscal compliance and rigorous management of complex funding streams. In addition, the board relies on staff to ensure that we are compliant with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), state and local laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; as well as any expectations set forth by the board.
Your Priorities
Our 51% private sector led board tasks staff with providing voice to our target industries of Healthcare and Construction to identify resource and policy gaps. EC Works serves as a collaborative, neutral convener for industry, bringing education, training, and public sector partners together to ensure that jobseekers and the emergent workforce are prepared in a way that meets industry demand AND connects individuals to a living wage career.

At the same time, our board focuses our training and career related resources on creating more opportunities for our priority populations: low-income people, rural residents, the emergent workforce (16-24 y/o), people impacted by the criminal justice system, veterans, people experiencing disabilities, and people who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino/a, Asian, and People of Color (BILAPOC). Furthermore, we focus on youth in our communities who have dropped out or disconnected from high school, those pregnant, parenting, involved in foster care, or experiencing homelessness.
Your Commitment
Serving as a volunteer member of the board means that you, uphold the Values of East Cascades Works:
  • We are experts in workforce development and rigorous stewards of public funds.
  • We are neutral conveners and community collaborators.
  • We inspire a call to action.
  • We are results-driven.
  • We are innovative problem-solvers.
As a volunteer member you would be expected to:
  • Adhere to the Bylaws established by East Cascades Works.
  • Attend and actively participate in all quarterly board meetings (January, April, July, October), as well as monthly Executive Committee Meetings if applicable.
  • Actively participate in the review and evaluation of critical organization documents, especially those requiring board vote.
  • Participate in board voting, except where conflicted.
  • Sign letters of support for East Cascades Works as appropriate.
  • Provide input, expertise, and advice at the request of the Executive Director and/or Chair.
  • Actively recruit new members to join the Board of East Cascades Works.
  • Speak on behalf of East Cascades Works, as requested by the Executive Director and/or Chair.
  • Volunteer to serve on sub-committees, action teams or industry groups as appropriate, and as recommended by the Executive Director and/or Chair.
You're Invited
All East Cascades Works Board meetings are open to the public and are held in-person in each sub-region, connected virtually to each other via Zoom. Should you wish to attend, please RSVP via email to nickelle@ecworks.org.
Your Next Steps
Please complete the following with as much information as you are comfortable sharing, and send to nickelle@ecworks.org. A member of our board or our Executive Director will contact you with more information and to answer your questions. If you are a good fit and meet the criteria for joining a Workforce Board, we will be delighted to have you.

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* 1. Your Name

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* 2. Address

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* 3. Company & Role

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* 4. Phone

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* 6. Preferred Contact Method

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* 7. I still have questions about:

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* 8. I am currently a member of the following boards/committees:

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* 9. I embody the following characteristics, skills, and assets that I believe would further strengthen the East Cascades Works Board:

Demographics & Interests
Current Board Composition:

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* 10. Age

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* 11. Gender

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* 12. Race/Ethnicity

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* 13. Target Industry

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* 14. Sub-Region

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* 15. Areas of Interest

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* 16. Other Information Not Listed/Helpful to Share:

Thank you for your interest in serving on the East Cascades Works Board of Directors!

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