The Governor's Workforce Investment Board (GWIB) is pleased to announce the addition of two new staff.
Debra Fieldhouse joins the GWIB as Workforce Program Specialist responsible for external communications,
workforce policy and legislative activities. She will also serve as the GWIB's Board Liaison. Mary O'Connor
will be the GWIB's new Program Manager for the Center for Industry Initiatives, where she will support efforts
related to Construction, CyberSecurity, Health Care, and Health Information Technology. Debra comes to the
GWIB from the National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation. In her position with NFR, she was responsible for
promoting education and workforce training programs to the retail industry. She has also worked for a large
Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) where she coordinated the company's marketing efforts to CEO's, community
and government agencies nationwide. Debra has also worked in the public school system as a School Counselor,
and in private practice.
Debra has a bachelor degree in Psychology from Wittenberg University, and a Masters in Education for
School Counseling from Loyola College. Debra will serve as the primary point of contact for GWIB
members -- she can be reached at 410-767-2982 or
dfieldhouse@gwib.state.md.us.
Mary O'Connor joins the GWIB with an extensive background in healthcare workforce development. She
transfers to GWIB from the MD Higher Education Commission (MHEC), where she was the coordinator for
Maryland's Nurse Support Program II (NSP II), a collaborative effort to expand the capacity of nursing
schools in order to increase the number of registered nurses available to hospitals. As Coordinator, she
administered competitive grants, scholarships and fellowships, and provided statewide technical
assistance to grant applicants, as well as fiscal oversight. Previously, Mary supervised healthcare and
education programs at a local health department for six years, and worked in the Vocational Studies
Center at the University of Wisconsin for seven years. She also has many years of experience as a small
business owner in the residential design field.
Mary is a graduate of the State University of NY at Albany, and has a Master's Degree in Health
Education. Mary can be reached at 410-767-8604 or
moconnor@gwib.state.md.us.
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