WIB’s Web Expands With Three New Members

April 1, 2007 – Mark Elliott, Robert C. Lieber and Ramon M. Tallaj have recently joined the City’s Workforce Investment Board (WIB), the body which oversees and establishes policies for an array of employment and training services for businesses and jobseekers funded by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Members of the WIB are appointed by the Mayor and represent the City’s leading businesses, labor unions, economic and workforce development organizations, educational institutions and community-based organizations. The mission of the New York City Workforce Investment Board (WIB) is to support the Mayor’s economic development agenda by ensuring that the City’s workforce development system can deliver the skilled workers that local businesses need to grow, compete, and prosper in the 21st century economy.

"The addition of these three new members brings a wealth of talent and experience to the Board," said WIB Executive Director Marilyn Shea. "As President of EDC, Robert Lieber will help ensure that our workforce development initiatives are aligned with the City’s economic development strategies. Dr. Ramon Tallaj, with over 20 years of experience in healthcare, will help the WIB better understand the workforce issues affecting that critical sector. And Mark Elliott, who has an extensive background in workforce development, will advise the WIB on the development of programs and policies to connect more New Yorkers to employment."

Mark Elliott is a consultant on workforce development policy and program issues, working with foundations, government agencies and leading practitioners. For several years Mr. Elliott was Executive Vice President of Public/Private Ventures, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the development of policies and programs that help less advantaged citizens lead productive lives.  Mr. Elliott developed and managed  several national employment initiatives, including Fathers at Work, the Bridges-to-Work demonstration, the Sectoral Employment Initiative, the State Workforce Policy Initiative and Working Ventures, a long-term effort to document and share knowledge about effective program implementation.  He is the author or co-author of several publications, including Gearing Up; Deepening Disparity; Relative Strength; Overcoming Roadblocks on the Way to Work; Getting in, Staying on, Moving Up; Labor Market Leverage; and What’s Next After Work First.

Robert C. Lieber was appointed President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in January 2007. EDC, New York City’s primary vehicle for implementing the City’s five-borough economic development strategy, supports and enhances the City's job and revenue base through a variety of means, including catalyzing the development of commercial and industrial real estate, supporting and promoting New York City's business community, providing financial services, and promoting the economic revitalization of the City's waterfront, industrial zones and neighborhoods. Prior to joining the Bloomberg Administration, Mr. Lieber served as a Managing Director in the Global Real Estate Group at Lehman Brothers. During his 22-year tenure, he was responsible for originating transactions for the Private Equity Real Estate Fund as well as acting as Global Head of Lehman’s Real Estate Investment Banking Group.

Ramon M. Tallaj, M.D. is the Medical Director for Latin American Initiatives at St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital and the President/Chairman of Corinthian Medical Independent Physician Association, a group medical practice serving the medically underserved Hispanic communities of Washington Heights-Inwood in partnership with St Clare’s Hospital. Previously, Dr. Tallaj was Chief of Ambulatory Care at St. Clare’s Hospital / St. Vincent Midtown Hospital. From 1989-1990, he served as Medical Director of the Social Security and Welfare Department of the Dominican Republic, and from 1986–1989 as Under-Secretary for Administration of the Dominican Republic’s Public Health and Social Services Ministry.

Click here for more information on the WIB.