FACES OF WORKFORCE

The Division of Workforce Development is proud to welcome the following new staff members and introduce you to some other faces of workforce staff statewide who have attended DWD Workforce staff training at Central Office in Jefferson City.

Matt Drake Matt Drake is a Talent Development Specialist at the Poplar Bluff Job Center. He has a background in special education, behavior consultation, and case management.

Teri Ebel Teri Ebel works at the West Plains Job Center. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and a M.A. in Counseling with a school emphasis. She previously worked as a teacher, counselor, event planner and coordinator. Teri's other work experience includes community outreach, publications, editing and writing.

Emily Johns Emily Johns works at the Springfield Job Center. She holds a B.A. and B.S. in music and music education, as well as a M.Ed., and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. She lived in South Africa for 25 years, serving as a seminary professor and graduate program director. She led the continent-wide team for HIV/AIDS education and care for four years. Emily has been married for 40 years and is the mother of two.

Tim Johnson Tim Johnson recently joined Central Office staff as a Sr. Office Support Assistant and will assist in different departments. A former Jefferson City resident, Tim currently resides in Mexico. Tim previously worked part-time for the Missouri Lottery as a Computer Operator and in the health care industry. He shares his birthday with his twin sister, likes flower and vegetable gardening and DIY.

Stephanie Kirk Stephanie Kirk is a DVOP at the Arnold Job Center. She is an Army Veteran with a background in education.

Maureen Loucks Maureen Loucks is a Youth Workforce Specialist at the Warrenton Job Center. She earned her B.A. in Education from Lindenwood University and has experience as a substitute teacher. Outside of work she enjoys yoga and spoiling her dog, Holly.

Heather Schmidt Heather Schmidt is a Workforce Specialist at the Warrenton Job Center. Heather earned her Associates Degree in Psychology, worked as a Youth Specialist in a DYS treatment center, and as a Crisis Intervention Worker in a women's and children’s domestic violence shelter. She enjoys reading and spending time with her husband.

Christina D Simmons  Christina D Simmons is a Career Counselor at the Jefferson City Job Center. She enjoys helping customers with the WIOA program, teaching workshops, and assisting individuals with their return to the workforce.

Leonard Simpson Leonard Simpson is a DVOP at the St. Joseph Career Center. He is a 20 year Navy Veteran with a Bachelors in Business Administration and has 14 years experience in Workforce Development.

Megan Wadley Megan Wadley is a Workforce Development Specialist in Central Office. She is originally from Holts Summit and is a graduate of Jefferson City High School. After earning a B.A. in Arts Management from the University of Tulsa, she lived and worked in London and Los Angeles. Megan is very active in Jefferson City community theatre. She recently performed the one-woman show, “Grounded”. She enjoys spending time with her parents, Ray and Sandy, and her boyfriend, Andrew. Megan is an avid Cardinal baseball fan.

Alaina Winship Alaina Winship moved to Jefferson City last June after graduating from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, with a B.S. in Public Relations. Winship minored in marketing and took additional electives to gain experience in graphic design. She is looking forward to using her skills in her position as Public Information Specialist I with DWD.

January 2016

Do you know what the latest unemployment figures are for the state of Missouri?

According to seasonally adjusted data released by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, Missouri’s unemployment rate fell by three-tenths of a point in November to 4.7 percent. This is lower than the national average of 5 percent and the lowest state rate since April 2006. Read the full story here...

For an overview of LMI, please click here...

How to access program, EO, Labor Market, Training, Technical Support, and Other documents

If you haven't heard by now, the website formerly known as Worksmart is no more. But what happened to the workforce system documents that were available there? They have found a new home.

The jobs.mo.gov website is the primary location for documents available to everyone in the workforce system. Staff information, forms, and documents can be found by first visiting DWD Main. Please bookmark this page. 

On this page you can find links to additional pages containing many of the documents that were previously available through Worksmart. 

Please bookmark the pages you use most frequently. Read the full story here...

Got 'Cabin Fever?' Six Winter Activities in Missouri to Help You Avoid It

The long, slow march to spring is underway, but the abundance of winter activities in Missouri can help you avoid an outbreak of cabin fever.

In fact, exploring Missouri during the winter months is the perfect antidote – or preventive measure, depending on how quickly you act – to protect against such an outbreak.

Here’s a look at six ways to stay cabin fever free while enjoying winter activities in Missouri and waiting for the flowers to bud anew. Read more.

Teamwork. It makes the dream work. And that is especially true in DWD.

A perfect example of that teamwork was demonstrated by staff at the Sedalia Job Center following heating and plumbing problems that left several inches of water covering the center’s floors. In particular, the teamwork of LVER Angela Walls, who went above and beyond the call of duty — on her day off, no less — to help in this crisis situation.

After being notified by a neighbor of fire trucks in front of the center, Angela immediately sprung into action, going to the center to lend a hand. She was instrumental in not only keeping staff and leadership apprised of the situation, but also notifying gas, water and electric companies. Angela was also able to locate a business card for a contact in the Office of Administration, who in turn dispatched a water extraction crew. That in itself was no small task given it was a holiday and no one was available.

Angela even laced up her boots and began moving file cabinets to dry areas, covering and moving computers and getting items from under desks, working 10 hours — until almost 11 PM —until the last maintenance worker left. At one point she even arranged for her fiancé to get the executive director of Sedalia’s Workforce Development Board, Suzanne Richards, some dry socks and boots because Richards’ feet were soaking wet. That is definitely above and beyond the call of duty.

Kudos to Angela for her TEAMWORK. She is a great asset to DWD and we were lucky to have her around that day.

— Amy Sublett

Director, DWD