January News

TOP NEWS

Governor names Maddy Thompson Workforce Board acting director

Gov. Bob Ferguson has appointed Maddy Thompson as acting executive director of the Workforce Board.

Thompson recently served as the agency’s director of policy, strategy and research. She has broad policy, strategic planning, and public affairs experience. Her past roles include serving as an education advisor in the Governor’s Office under Gov. Jay Inslee, and as a research analyst in the Washington House of Representatives. She also led policy and government relations at the Washington Student Achievement Council and worked for several years prior to that as a policy analyst at the Workforce Board.

“The Workforce Board’s research and policy development support a strong business climate and living wage jobs throughout Washington,” Thompson said. “I look forward to working with lawmakers, board members and partners across the state to create strategies that help students, workers, and employers succeed.”

Board Co-Chair Gary Chandler, representing business, expressed his support.

“The Workforce Board is in good hands with Maddy Thompson,” said Chandler, former vice president at the Association of Washington Business. “She brings outstanding leadership and expertise to the agency. We’re lucky to have her on our team.”

Acting Co-Chair Cherika Carter, representing labor, also endorsed Thompson’s appointment.

“We’re grateful Maddy has stepped up to lead the Workforce Board during this transition,” said Carter, secretary-treasurer at the Washington State Labor Council. “Her leadership will be important as we continue advancing the Board’s vision—centering workers, job quality, and shared prosperity—while we move forward with the search for the next Executive Director.”

Chandler and Carter also thanked the agency’s former executive director, Eleni Papadakis, for her many years of state service.

“We greatly appreciate Eleni’s dedication to the Workforce Board and the people of Washington,” Chandler and Carter said in a joint statement.

Thompson began her new role last week. She looks forward to connecting with Board members and other stakeholders at the Jan. 23 Workforce Board meeting in Olympia.

Workforce Board meets Friday to focus on Workforce Pell

The Workforce Board will meet in person this Friday, Jan. 23 starting at 9 a.m., at the agency’s Olympia office. The agenda includes discussion of the transition to a new acting director; an update on how Washington is working to implement federal Pell grants; state responses to federal work requirements for food benefits; and more. Access the agenda and details here.

2026 legislative session: Changes to higher education funding, clean energy testimony

The Workforce Board is monitoring a bill that would change how higher education is funded in Washington. House Bill 2098 would eliminate a cap on certain taxes paid by large technology companies. The tax, known as the workforce education investment surcharge, was previously capped at $75 million a year. House Bill 2098 would remove that limit. The bill would also significantly expand the number of students eligible for the Washington College Grant. The bill is scheduled for a hearing Wednesday in the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Committee.

In other legislative news, Workforce Board Policy Manager Ilene Munk testified last week before key committees in the House and Senate to inform lawmakers of a recent Workforce Board report prepared in partnership with the Clean Energy Technology Workforce Advisory Committee. The report provides the first ever assembled data on the age, gender, racial makeup and education level of the energy workforce in Washington. The report also includes Workforce Board research on the feasibility of establishing a transition to retirement program for workers near retirement who may lose their jobs due to new climate policies.

Monitor workforce bills with agency’s legislative tracker

Interested in workforce-related bills during this short, fast-paced, 60-day legislative session? Make sure to check out the Workforce Board’s 2026 legislative tracker. The Workforce Board’s team is following dozens of bills this session that impact the Board’s policy agenda and more.

The Workforce Board’s legislative agenda focuses on four main priorities: Support initiatives that help Washingtonians meet expanded work requirements and stay eligible for food and healthcare benefits; restore funding for wraparound support for apprentices and Core Plus, which provides students hands-on learning and skills; preserve investments in postsecondary programs; and support efforts that inform students of multiple education and career pathways.

OTHER NEWS 

Amendment to make CTE classes eligible for AP credits

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has introduced an amendment that would enable high school career and technical education (CTE) students to earn Advanced Placement credits for welding, health professions, advanced manufacturing, and other CTE classes.

“While I was able to take AP level photography and sculpture in school, there’s no equivalent available for welding or wood shop,” Gluesenkamp Perez said in a recent video from Onalaska. “If you’re trying to go into a college program, all these kids can’t afford to take shop class and have a competitive application.”

Gluesenkamp Perez represents the 3rd Congressional District in southwest Washington.

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