OCTOBER 17, 1997 - Governor John Engler today tapped Jack Wheatley to serve as acting head of the Michigan Unemployment Agency. Wheatley, a senior manager in the Engler Administration, has headed the Workers' Disability Compensation Bureau since 1991.

"Jack is uniquely qualified to take the reins of this important agency at a critical moment in the history of Michigan's unemployment system," said Engler. "He is extremely well respected inside state government and within Michigan's employer and worker communities."

On October 6, the Michigan Employment Security Agency was officially split between the Michigan Jobs Commission and the Department of Consumer & Industry Services (CIS). The Jobs Commission is charged with overseeing Michigan's employment services system while CIS is responsible for running Michigan's unemployment system. Because of the complexities of this transition, the executive order authorized an additional 120 days in which to complete the transition.

"I moved the unemployment system to Consumer & Industry Services because its function meshes well with the mission of Michigan's primary licensing & regulatory department. I'm confident Jack, with his hands-on knowledge of the worker's compensation and unemployment systems, will be able to hit the ground running in the quest to make Michigan's system the best run in the country," Engler added.

Prior to joining the Engler Administration, Wheatley, of Metamora, had served as an Attorney with the General Counsel's office of the General Motors Corporation since 1968. From 1968 until 1975, he served as the Workers' Compensation Trial Counsel. From 1975 until 1988, he was the Energy Counsel at General Motors dealing with all Federal and State Regulatory Matters. Wheatley was Legal Counsel for Corporate Workers' Compensation in Michigan and 22 other states where General Motors has facilities from 1988 until 1990.

Wheatley received a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from Wayne State University and graduated Cum Laude from the Wayne State University Law School, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1967. He is a Member of the Michigan Pharmacy Board, the State Bar of Michigan and the American Bar Association.

"We are thrilled to have Jack heading the team at the Michigan Unemployment Agency," said CIS Director Kathy Wilbur. "I'm confident that in very short order, the nearly 1,700 workers within the agency will come to like and respect him as much as we do. More importantly, I know Jack will do a stellar job putting the Governor's vision for the agency into motion.

Read more Michigan Department of Consumer & Industry Services press releases.