Public workforce development is not working under the Greater Memphis Chamber’s fiscal agent administration. In a sham process, Amber Covington was terminated as Executive Director of the Greater Memphis Workforce Development Board (GMWDB).

A sham because, per Daily Memphian reporting, only 6 board members voted for termination, 2 against, with 4 abstaining. But per the GMWDB website, there are 24 board members! Did GMWDB even have a quorum for their sham meeting? And it seems it would take a majority of the body or 13 votes for a termination decision of this magnitude.

Meka Egwuekwe GMWDB Board Chair voted for termination after Mayor Lee Harris had asked for Covington’s resignation. But why was Covington asked to resign and then terminated? And why did Mayor Lee Harris assign responsibility to the Greater Memphis Chamber for distributing federal Workforce Investment Opportunity Act (WIOA) dollars? After all, the Chamber is a business association not a workforce development organization.

Perhaps Mayor Harris made the Chamber assignment because the County Commission workforce development committee hardly meets, and the Commission is not in the business of overseeing the public’s matters. Regardless, it was a bad Mayoral assignment because the Chamber has been close to multiple workforce disasters to include WIN, GMACW, Upskill 901 and Workforce Mid-South.

Chamber CEO, Ted Townsend called the partnership with the County “unparalleled.” Right, no one else is doing it because Chambers are not equipped to be workforce development agencies. And is anyone at all asking about the Chamber’s Accelerated Skills Center announced almost a year ago? Is the Center anywhere close to being opened on schedule?

CHAMBER WANTS $300K

Meanwhile, the Chamber is asking for $300K from the County to support their beleaguered workforce development efforts. Representing the Harris Administration in County Commission Budget Committee, Dominique McKinney said the Administration was supporting the $300K appropriation to “deepen” the public’s partnership with the Chamber. But why with sham processes, other workforce failures and doesn’t WIOA funds include administrative support costs? No way should the County Commission approve $300K for the Chamber.

But back to Covington. per Covington’s LinkedIn profile, both the Chamber and GMWDB had sufficient information about Covington before she was approved as the permanent Executive Director for GMWDB. Throughout Covington’s tenure as Executive Director of GMWDB, she maintained a Chamber email address as the primary contact for the GMWDB.

Covington had worked as the Chamber’s Director of Workforce Development for 1 yr and 5 months. Then the GWWDB Board appointed her as their interim Executive Director for 6 months and then approved her as permanent Executive Director to only terminate her in a sham process 7 months later?

Something is not adding up, with Covington accompanied by her attorney not allowed a public hearing, after the board met privately before the termination vote. What a sham! There are real process problems here if not outright bullying.

NEXT

The Chamber has now appointed Sandra Howell to be interim Executive Director of the GMWDB. But Howell was deeply involved with the failed UpSkill901 initiative. That is not against Howell as much against the Chamber itself, having been so close over the years to multiple workforce development failures.

Attorney Ben Adams is slated to become the next Chair of the GMWDB, while saying the workforce regulatory environment is fuzzy. That doesn’t sound hopeful. Adams also serves on Greater Memphis Chamber’s Board of Directors Executive Committee. Again, another bad sign. 

REJECT $300K APPROPRIATION!

The County Commission should reject approving $300K for the Chamber even if it means sending the money back to the federal government. This is one “partnership” that should not be deepened but immediately ended.