Mattoon, IL-(Effingham Radio)- After five years of service as Board Chair of the Local Workforce Innovation Board 23, Pat Click handed over the role of Chairman of the Board to Gareld Bilyew.
The Local Workforce Innovation Board 23 is a business-led policy and oversight board for workforce development programs and services across the 13 counties of Local Workforce Innovation Area 23 (LWIA 23). The Board is selected and reviewed by the Consortium of Chief Elected Officials (CEO). On June 20, 2022, the Local Workforce Innovation Board 23 voted in favor of electing Gareld Bilyew as the new Board Chair. Bilyew, who joined the Board in 2013, succeeds Pat Click, of McKellar, Robertson, McCarty, & Click Insurance, Ltd., who served as Chair since 2017.
Gareld is the President of Pump Repair Specialist, Inc., a company he started in 1989. During his eight years of service on the Crawford County Board, six of which as the Chair, Gareld started serving as the Crawford County representative on the Consortium of CEO for LWIA 23. For a time, Gareld served dually as both an LWIA 23 CEO and as a Board member, until his departure from the Crawford County Board in 2018. Gareld continued to serve on the LWIA Board as a private-sector representative and was elected as the Vice-Chair of the LWIA 23 Board. Gareld remains involved in his community by serving on the Crawford County Development Association (CCDA) as its Treasurer, as well as serving on the CCDA Revolving Loan Committee. In the past, he has served as Cub Scout Master for the local Cub Scout Pack and coached Pee Wee and Little League Baseball. Last, but definitely not the least, he is a member of Cornerstone Baptist Church, where he has various duties.
“Although I grew up in Oblong,” states Gareld, “and I like to see business stability and growth, along with new businesses in my home town, it’s important that all the communities in Crawford County grows. The same principal applies to counties in the LWIA/WIOA Region. Growth in one county is good for the whole. So we’ll continue to work with all our partners to get the good citizens of [Local Workforce Innovation] Area 23 trained and employed.”
“I am deeply grateful to Pat Click for his leadership and dedication through such a tumultuous time, including a national pandemic and the transition of Directors,” said Jamie Corda Hadjaoui, Director of LWIA 23. “Equally, I am thrilled for new possibilities with Gareld’s expert leadership and unyielding dedication to workforce development. Gareld has been a highly engaged leader on our board for years, and was a natural selection for Chair. Gareld brings a wealth of experience in economic development, community leadership, and strategic vision to our Board, which will be critical in our ability to meet the growing demand for training and development in the local workforce. We are incredibly pleased to have Gareld Bilyew serve as our new Board Chair.”
LWIA 23 is the staff to the Local Workforce Innovation Board. The Board and its staff are responsible for developing local plans for the use of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds. In addition, they provide oversight of the local service delivery system; coordinate activities with economic development organizations and employers; ensure area residents have the skills and knowledge they need to find and keep jobs that lead to economic self-sufficiency; and ensure local employers have access to the skilled labor they need to compete in a rapidly globalizing economy. The Board and staff serve thirteen Central/Southeastern Illinois counties including Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Lawrence, Marion, Moultrie, and Richland.
For more information contact Director of LWIA 23 at Lake Land College Jamie Corda Hadjaoui at lwia23@lakelandcollege.edu or www.lwa23.net.
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