July 19, 2010
July 19, 2010
LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced the designation of Andrew S. Levin as acting director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG). Current Director Stanley "Skip" Pruss will retire effective July 23.
Levin has been deputy director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth since February 2007. He currently oversees operations of the Bureau of Workforce Transformation, Michigan Commission for the Blind, Michigan Rehabilitation Services, Commission on Disability Concerns, Labor Market Information & Strategic Initiatives, and the Bureau of Employment Relations. In October 2009, Granholm appointed Levin Michigan's first chief workforce officer.
"Andy Levin will continue Skip Pruss' groundbreaking efforts to make Michigan a leader in the emerging green economy," Granholm said. "Andy is a proven leader who has overseen the No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) initiative that has become a guidepost for national workforce policy, helping No Worker Left Behind workers get long-term training that can change their lives."
Pruss said Levin has helped create a more efficient, capable and strategic state workforce agency within DELEG by eliminating the outdated bureaus of workforce programs and career education and replacing them with the Bureau of Workforce Transformation. He also led efforts to create Michigan's Green Jobs Initiative, produce a rigorous report on green jobs, and establish the Academy for Green Mobility.
"Because of his workforce training and green jobs experience, Andy has developed partnerships within the department that will ensure a seamless transition as we forge ahead with workforce and economic development efforts," Pruss said. "We are fortunate to have someone with Andy's extensive labor, business and energy background to help lead the way."
Prior to joining DELEG, Levin worked on a wide range of national workplace policy issues in Washington, D.C. He served in positions at the presidential Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the national AFL-CIO.
Levin earned a BA with honors from Williams College, a JD with honors from Harvard Law School, and an MA in Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Michigan's Rackham Graduate School, where he was a Mellon Fellow in the Humanities.
In announcing the change in DELEG leadership, Granholm praised Skip Pruss for his dedicated public service career.
"Skip has provided leadership in helping lay the foundation for Michigan to become the nation's leading state in the emerging green economy," said Granholm. "He has served the citizens of this state with the highest distinction, and I thank him for his excellent service in protecting and promoting Michigan's resources. He has helped pave the way for Michigan's future through green jobs creation and ensuring that businesses have a highly trained workforce. I wish him only the best."
In 2008, Granholm appointed Pruss director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth and as the state's new chief energy officer to oversee the workforce and economic development efforts to prepare for Michigan's new energy economy. He previously served as Governor Granholm's special advisor on renewable energy and the environment. He also served as deputy director of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) from January 2003 to August 2007.
Prior to his service at the DEQ and the governor's office, Pruss was the assistant attorney general in charge of Michigan's Consumer Protection Division and chair of the Public Protection Practice Group within the Department of Attorney General. Pruss practiced environmental protection and natural resource law for 13 years and was the legal advisor to the Natural Resources Commission and the Department of Natural Resources.
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