Assistant Secretary for ETA – José Javier Rodríguez
José Javier Rodríguez is DOL-ETA's Assistant Secretary. Prior to joining DOL, Asst Sec. Rodriguez handled complex litigation for employees, labor unions and pension and benefit funds as an attorney and partner at Sugarman, Susskind, Braswell & Herrera PA in Miami, Florida. In addition, Rodríguez has taught Florida constitutional law, advanced employment law topics and trial advocacy at three Florida law schools.
Rodriguez also served for eight years in the Florida Legislature. He was first elected in 2012 and represented a district in Miami-Dade County in the Florida House of Representatives and then, from 2016 to 2020, in the Florida Senate where he served as vice-chair of the Judiciary Committee. He has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work as a community leader and as policymaker, particularly in areas related to employment and the environment.
Raised in Miami, Rodriguez served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal after earning a B.A. from Brown University and prior to earning a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He and his wife Sonia are proud parents of two boys.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for ETA - Brent Parton
Brent Parton is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). An expert on workforce, labor and career, and technical education policies, before joining DOL, Brent was the deputy director of the Center on Education & Labor at New America, a policy and research institution based in Washington, D.C. At New America, Brent led national research and technical assistance efforts and worked closely with state and local leaders, as well as with philanthropy, business, and labor to develop and implement strategies and investments that deliver more equitable labor market and education outcomes for workers, students, and communities. His 2017 research on youth apprenticeship led to the establishment of the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship, a national initiative to support states and cities across the U.S. to connect high school students to apprenticeship opportunities.
Prior to New America, Brent served as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor during the Obama Administration, and held roles at the National Governors Association, and in the education sector of the World Bank. Brent has a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in international education policy, both from Vanderbilt University; he is from Santa Rosa, California.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for ETA - Lenita Jacobs-Simmons
Lenita Jacobs-Simmons is the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Lenita has over 30 years of experience working at ETA serving in numerous executive positions. Currently, Ms. Jacobs-Simmons is responsible for the offices of Unemployment Insurance, Trade Adjustment Assistance, Policy, Development and Research, as well as oversight of regional operations. In 2014, Ms. Jacobs-Simmons was appointed as the National Director of Job Corps, responsible for leading and managing the program’s 125 Job Corps centers throughout the country. During this period, she provided leadership for the implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and system-wide improvements related to safety and security, student career pathways, academic standards, strengthening enrollment services, and providing engagement in support of a national, Job Corps student-led anti-violence initiative. Additionally, Ms. Jacobs-Simmons served in Regional Administrator positions for ETA’s Region 2 (Philadelphia) and Region 3 (Atlanta). As Regional Administrator, she was responsible for oversight of ETA unemployment and reemployment programs administered in these regions and its state and grantee partners in accordance with Workforce Investment Act, Unemployment Insurance, and the Wagner Peyser Act. Prior to joining ETA, Ms. Jacobs-Simmons had a distinguished history of public service in the State of South Carolina where she served as the Grants Administrator for the Charleston County government and Executive Director of the Trident Workforce Investment Board for more than 10 years. In these capacities, she was responsible for unifying a tri-county area and implementing the first One-Stop Delivery System in the State.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for ETA - Laura Watson
Laura Watson is the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). In this position, she oversees financial & budget operations for over $12 billion, human resources, information and technology and federal assistance. Prior to this position, Laura served as the Administrator of the Office of Grants Management where she has extensive experience in all phases the federal assistance arena with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), from indirect costs rates through audit resolutions and anything in between. Laura has represented the Department on a number of Office of Management & Budget councils/committees such as on the Council of Federal Assistance Reform and the Executive Steering Committee for Federal Assistance. These forums ultimately produced the modernized and streamlined regulations for federal assistance-known now as the Uniform Guidance.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for ETA - Manny Lamarre
Manny Lamarre is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for ETA in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Manny’s experience spans across workforce development policy, program, and research across federal, state, and local levels. He’s served as a Governor appointee, serving as an Executive Director overseeing the strategic implementation of the state’s workforce and apprenticeship system and now as a political appointee leading on key workforce policies and programs such as sector-based initiatives and investments, registered apprenticeships, WIOA, industry engagement, and AI. He was formerly a Senior Policy Advisor at ETA before assuming the role of Deputy Assistant Secretary. Manny serves in key roles working closely with the White House on policies such as the President’s Executive Order on apprenticeships and AI and has represented the U.S. in Geneva at the International Labor Conference resulting in the setting of international standards on apprenticeships adopted by over 100 countries. Manny began his career as a classroom teacher and has authored several reports, studied, and presented on workforce nationally and internationally.
Chief of Staff – Ana Hageage
Ana Hageage is the Chief of Staff for ETA in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Prior to her appointment, Ana served as the deputy lead for the Community College Growth Engine Fund, an innovative effort turning community colleges into bridges to work for over 6,000 American learners and workers. Throughout her career Ana has developed a deep expertise in workforce development at the local, regional, and national levels, supporting economic mobility for under-served workers. She has led national initiatives aimed at scaling industry partnerships and sector strategies and served as a policy advisor to the U.S. Department of Labor under the Obama Administration. Ana also has expertise in youth policy and advocacy and has worked on the ground to deliver adult basic education, job readiness training, sector-focused certifications, employment, and wrap-around services to opportunity youth. Ana is a vice-chair of the LAYC-Career Academy, a young-adult public charter school providing industry training and certifications in Washington, D.C. She holds a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Maryland and resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two sons.
Director, Investing in America – Brittany Stich
Brittany Stich is the Director of Investing in America's Workforce, in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Prior to joining ETA, Brittany was a White House Fellow at the White House Domestic Policy Council, focused on workforce. In 2015, she co-founded Guild Education, a company whose mission is to unlock opportunity for America’s workforce through education and upskilling. Through partnerships with Fortune 1000 employers, more than 3 million working Americans have access to employer-funded education and training. Prior to Guild, Brittany built honors programs in community colleges across the country. She began her career as a teacher in East Palo Alto through Teach for America. She has received numerous accolades, including Forbes 30 under 30, Stanford’s Arjay Miller Social Change award, Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas award, and recognition on CNBC’s Disruptor 50, Forbes’ Cloud 100 list, and B Lab’s Best for World list. Brittany has served as a governor-appointed Commissioner for the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, as well as on numerous other education and non-profit boards, including Stanford Business School’s Advisory Council. She is a frequent speaker on higher education, the future of work, entrepreneurship, and women in leadership. A first-generation college student, Brittany holds an M.B.A., M.A. in Education, and B.A. from Stanford University, as well as an Ed.D. in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania.