I am excited to announce that Ben Baglio will join DEED as the Governor's Workforce Development Board (GWDB) coordinator.  

The GWDB's mission is to analyze and recommend workforce development policies to the governor and legislature that ensure Minnesota has a globally competitive workforce. Board members are key leaders from business, education, labor, community-based organizations, and government. The GWDB also has statutory responsibility under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which provides leadership on opportunities and key workforce strategies for the state.  

In this coordinator role, Ben will support the GWDB in developing overall strategic direction and goals for Minnesota’s workforce development system, as well as provide leadership and support functions for the successful operation of the GWDB. 

Ben comes to DEED with a variety of experience. Most recently, Ben served as the policy liaison at the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) where he was a member of their Government Relations team and served as the coordinator for several of AMC's affiliate organizations and their boards. In that role, Ben also served as staff for the Minnesota Association of Workforce Boards (MAWB), which is where his interest in workforce development took off. 

Prior to his work with AMC and MAWB, Ben served as the Director of the Page Office at the Indiana House of Representatives. As a graduate student intern, Ben also helped develop resources for Minnesota Campus Compact to help ensure a complete count in the 2020 census at college campuses across the state.  

Ben was born in Palmer, Alaska and grew up in Alaska and throughout the Pacific Northwest before his family relocated to Minnesota. He graduated from Apple Valley High School and has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota-Morris and a Master's in Advocacy and Political Leadership from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. He enjoys spending his spare time playing disc golf, cheering on the Seattle Mariners, and spending as much time on patios that our Minnesota summers allow. 

Welcome Ben! 

– Deputy Commissioner Hamse Warfa