Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958, Deirdra L. Picou (212) 788-2971 or Pam Elam (212) 442-2352 (DOE)
The Alliance has recognized Commissioner Wang for her leadership in administering job training and employment services for New York City, the largest service delivery area in the nation. Since Mayor Rudolph Giuliani appointed Ms. Wang as Commissioner in January 1994, she has created a customer driven, high performance, and outcome-based workforce development system. Through this system, Commissioner Wang has been responsible for providing quality skills training and employment services for tens of thousands of New York City youth and adults.
In response to the Alliance awarding Commissioner Wang the Job Training Professional of the Year award, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani stated, "Nora Chang Wang has proven herself to be an excellent Commissioner, and I am pleased that she is being recognized by such a prestigious organization as the National Alliance of Business."
In congratulating Commissioner Wang, Robert T. Jones, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Business, stated that, "In just under three years as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Employment Nora Chang Wang has become a national leader in the battle to build a quality workforce. Her high performance, outcome-based approach to getting things done makes her a natural choice for the award."
"I am honored to be recognized by the National Alliance of Business," stated Commissioner Wang. "Faced with these challenging times of federal budget reductions and national system restructuring, I have fought to provide quality job training services to New York City's diverse communities, and to demand that the organizations which receive funding from us be accountable to our customers. I accept this great honor on behalf of all the hard-working employment and training professionals who seek to make a difference for our customers. As we plan for the next century, we look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts with business unions, educational institutions and other government agencies."
The Alliance, headquartered in Washington, D.C., was founded in 1968 by Lyndon B. Johnson and Henry Ford II. Since then, the Alliance has been at the forefront of local and national efforts to find innovative, long-term solutions to the challenge of improving workforce quality.