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.
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 - 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.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for ETA – Brittany Stich
Brittany Stich is the Deputy Assistant Secretary 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.