Congratulations To Roberta Gassman On Her US Department Of Labor Appointment

Long-time friend and political ally Roberta Gassman has a great new gig at the US Department of Labor - - and given labor's travails under the Walker regime, what better place could there be right now for an influential Madisonian than the US Department of Labor?

The official announcement is here.

From Roberta tonight - - who also says she'll be maintaining her permanent residence in Madison:

I write to tell you about a new chapter in my professional life and to give you updated contact info for staying in touch.  Monday I began a new job in the President’s administration, having been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training in the United States Department of Labor.

This is a wonderful opportunity for me given my deep respect and enormous admiration for our extraordinary President and my passion for these issues, especially as our country is recovering from what has been such a pounding national recession.

I will be working with very talented colleagues.  Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has been a national leader on health care, the green economy and improving the lives of working families. 

At DOL she has advanced the agenda of “good jobs for everyone.”  I especially appreciate that I’ll be working with Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary of DOL’s Employment and Training Administration, the largest grant-making part of the department.  Following her service as Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Ted Kennedy and Executive Director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, she has brought great intellect and skill to the Employment and Training Administration since being appointed by President Obama in 2009.

DOL’s Employment and Training Administration oversees the country’s employment and training programs including Unemployment Insurance, Apprenticeship, Dislocated Worker Services, Foreign Labor Certification, Trade Adjustment, the Job Corps and more.