(Washington, DC) Mayor Adrian Fenty has announced that Susan O. Gilbert will serve as Interim Director of the Department of Employment Services (DOES). Ms. Gilbert recently served as Associate Director for the Office of Employer Services. Her tenure as Interim Director begins immediately.
A 25-year veteran employee of DOES, Ms. Gilbert started her career as a Program Analyst in 1981. A pioneer in training women for non-traditional employment, she has spent her career developing employment opportunities for District residents. Among her many accomplishments, Ms. Gilbert successfully spearheaded job development and placement for the new Washington Convention Center, RFK Stadium, and the new Washington Nationals Ballpark. Specifically, she led the District’s “Project Grand Slam” initiative which was created to ensure that District residents are connected to jobs generated by renovation and temporary utilization of RFK stadium as well as construction and operation of the new stadium. Through “Project Grand Slam,” DOES placed nearly 3,600 individuals in baseball-related employment, 2,888 (80%) of whom were District residents.
Other career highlights include the successful development of a Business Services Group to work collaboratively with local businesses and community groups; coordinating the District's efforts to assist employees of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center who are dislocated as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process; managing the re-employment of DC General Hospital's dislocated workers; coordinating the job placement efforts for Katrina Evacuees; and acting as the State Representative on several national workforce development projects.
Ms. Gilbert also directed the District’s First Source Employment Program, which requires businesses receiving District financing, including contracts and Industrial Revenue Bonds, to hire a set percentage of District residents. As First Source Director, she negotiated effective employment agreements with employers receiving District government contracts and other financial assistance. Under her leadership in 2006, the First Source program executed 1,015 Employment Agreements which produced more than 3,800 job openings.
"I look forward to this new challenge," said Ms. Gilbert. "Although the Department of Employment Services has made significant strides to improve its services during the past few years, I hope to be instrumental in moving the agency to another level. I am totally committed to providing quality customer service and increasing job opportunities for District residents.”
A longtime District resident of Ward 3, Ms. Gilbert earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, and a Master’s Degree from the University of London, London, England.