Board members of the Central Western Maine Workforce Development met Sept. 7 to approve the personnel committee’s recommendation to hire Erin Benson as the new executive director for the board. Benson comes to the position from a workforce development background, most recently serving as the senior director of workforce services at Eastern Maine Development Corporation, and the program supervisor of workforce development and HEAP at Aroostook County Action Program. She had worked in higher education for 24 years.

“We are pleased to bring Erin into our organization,” stated Laurie Glidden, board member and chair of the hiring committee, according to a news release from the Augusta-based board. “She is very familiar with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the USDOL grant that serves job seekers and employers. She has managed the WIOA staff and programming that serves our region, and has presented to our board. She also worked closely with the previous interim executive director in her leadership capacity with EMDC. It will make for a smooth transition.”

“I am very excited about this new opportunity,” Benson said. “I am closely connected with our Maine Department of Labor partners. … My professional life has been built around collaboration, and, to that end, I intend to meet with the local businesses, agencies and providers that drive the economy in the region to support and develop partnerships.”

Benson will begin her work with conversations with each board member and county commissioner. Her start date is Sept. 29.