Minnesota’s economy is prospering, but unfortunately, not all Minnesotans are sharing in that prosperity.

While gains have been made, there is still drastic inequality across the state. At DEED, we have a duty to address these issues and find solutions. DEED’s Office of Economic Opportunity leads much of this effort, and today, we are announcing the opening of a director position for that office.

Analysis by the Brookings Institution, 24/7 Wall Street and others all point to the large divides in Minnesota’s economic equity. For example, the median incomes of white Minnesotans remain almost twice that of American Indian/Alaskan Native Minnesotans and Black/African American Minnesotans, and about $18,000 more than Latino Minnesotans. Also – the unemployment rate remains more than twice as high for Black/African American Minnesotans compared to white Minnesotans.

This position will lead strategic, department-wide efforts to close these opportunity gaps between whites and people of color in Minnesota, and grow the size of our workforce from under-represented communities. Working across all DEED programs and initiatives, the Director will champion department-specific objectives and performance management against these priorities.

The Director will also play a key public role in working with stakeholder groups, DEED partners, and local officials and boards across the state to amplify DEED programs that target under-represented communities, and create shared strategic plans that DEED staff contribute to with a network of partners.

If you are interested in applying, or know someone who sounds like they would be a great fit, check out mn.gov/careers and search for Position #33399. Applications are due by Monday, July 15, 2019.

We know there are people out there doing great work in this space. We would love to have you join our team at DEED!

 – Hamse Warfa, Deputy Commissioner, Workforce Development