New state employment director Don Soderberg begins duties
Submitted by editor on Mon, 10/13/2014 - 12:00pm
Nevada's new Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation director, Don Soderberg, begins his duties today, Oct. 13. He was appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval last month and will serve serve as a member of the Sandoval's cabinet overseeing the daily operations of the employment division which includes more than 1,000 staff members in multiple offices statewide.
As director, Soderberg will be based in DETR’s Stan P. Jones Building in Las Vegas, but will travel regularly to DETR’s Carson City office. He replaces the former director, Frank Woodbeck, who left the state agency in April for a job in higher education.
“I am extremely delighted to have this opportunity to serve the people of Nevada in this very important role,” Soderberg said. “I am humbled that the Governor has placed such faith in my ability to lead this organization, during a crucial time in the state’s revitalization and economic development efforts. DETR is vital to Nevada’s workforce and I look forward to finding even more innovative ways to improve the services that we provide to Nevada’s labor pool and employer community.”
DETR's divisions include: the Employment Security Division, the Nevada Equal Rights Commission, the Rehabilitation Division, the Research and Analysis Bureau, and the Information Development and Processing division. The mission of the agency is to provide job training and placement, workforce services for people with disabilities, investigate claims of workplace discrimination, collect and analyze workforce related data, and support economic development efforts by improving the state’s workforce system.
Prior to becoming director of DETR, Soderberg served as administrator of the Division of Industrial Relations. In this role, he directed the state’s efforts in the area of workers compensation, mine safety, mechanical inspections, safety training, and the Nevada OSHA program. Soderberg enjoys a diverse background with more than 25 years of legal and regulatory experience, which includes eight years as the Chairman of the Nevada Public Utilities Commission. He also served terms as Commissioner on the Public Utilities Commission, Nevada Transportation Services Authority, and Public Service Commission of Nevada.
Most recently, Soderberg served as the vice president of Risk Management and Corporate Compliance at Southwest Gas, and previously served as vice president of Pricing and vice president of External Affairs. Prior to that, he was the Regulatory Affairs director at R&R Partners.
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