EVERETT — The CEO of Workforce Snohomish County, a nonprofit that operates the county’s two WorkSource centers, is stepping down.
Erin Monroe, who has led the agency for the past five years, plans to launch “the next chapter in the book of my life,” she said.
Her last day is Tuesday.
A certified public accountant, Monroe joined Workforce Snohomish County in 2009 as chief financial officer. In 2014, she was promoted to chief executive.
Monroe arrived at the agency in the midst of the Great Recession, which saw unemployment rates top 10% and “doctors applying for jobs at Burger King,” she said.
An interim CEO is expected to be named by the agency’s governing board in January, Monroe said.
“I believe that every CEO has a great ‘time’ within an organization,” Monroe said of her decision to leave. “I’ve loved working here, loved working with the community.”
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers called Monroe “an important leader of Snohomish County’s workforce development system.”
“There are thousands of people in our community who have jobs because of Erin’s hard work and dedication,” Somers said. “I appreciate her service to our community and look forward to working with her in the future. Snohomish County is building the gold standard workforce development system, and our partnership with Workforce Snohomish is a vital component of our region’s strong economy.”
One of 12 Workforce Development Councils in Washington State, Workforce Snohomish operates the two WorkSource centers in the county, in Everett and Lynnwood.
The development council receives federal and private funding to oversee and operate the two centers, which offer free unemployment services to job seekers, including recruiting events, training opportunities and business and community connections. The centers are part of the nationwide American Job Centers network coordinated by the U.S. Department of Labor. They offer one-stop employment resources.
The Everett center, which helps connect jobseekers to local businesses, is one of the busiest in the state, serving more than 1,500 residents a month. The Lynnwood center routinely serves over 600 job seekers each month.
The development council, comprised of a 21-member board, oversees the agency and also coordinates fundraising efforts for a charitable arm that solicits private donations and grants. Board members, more than half of whom are from the region’s business community, are appointed by the Snohomish County executive.
A new county plan to split the development council into two boards — one to focus on strategic issues, the other to concentrate on charitable fundraising — is expected to be implemented in January.
Monroe declined to say whether the decision to separate the two functions influenced her decision to leave.
Board chairperson Sue Putnam described Monroe as “instrumental in the overall success of Workforce Snohomish.”
Monroe’s accomplishments include building partnerships and helping improve and stabilize operations, Putnam said.
Board member Terry Cox, who also serves as vice president of Workforce Development and Training, said Monroe has “done a really, really good job. It’s an organization that has a lot of different functions and serves a lot of people in a lot of different ways.”
Monroe plans to visit family in Arizona, then return to the area. She lives in Edmonds with her husband.
Janice Podsada; jpodsada@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3097; Twitter: JanicePods
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