Maybe the third time will be the charm for Gov. Scott Walker, who has named Reggie Newson his new workforce development secretary, his third appointment to the top DWD post since taking office in January.
Newson, who had been the deputy secretary at the DWD, replaces Scott Baumbach, who resigned from the position after only five months on the job. Baumbach had replaced Walker’s first DWD secretary, Manny Perez, who also served for just five months.
The department runs the state’s unemployment compensation fund, which still owes the federal government $1.18 billion in borrowed funds that were used to pay unemployment benefits during the recession. It also has been wrestling with mismatches between the skills of job seekers and the skills that are required to fill thousands of job openings statewide.
Baumbach indicated that he resigned to pursue another opportunity that involves matching people with jobs.
