PA Plastics SourceNet Symposium
Sandi Vito
Acting Secretary, Department of Labor & Industry
This year's invited keynote speaker is Sandi Vito. She was appointed by Governor Edward G. Rendell as acting secretary of the Department of Labor & Industry on Feb. 4, 2008.
As acting secretary, Vito heads the fifth-largest agency of Pennsylvania state government, overseeing more than 6,000 employees in 200 offices statewide that serve the worker and business interests of the commonwealth. Through the administration of programs such as workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, job retraining and vocational rehabilitation, along with its numerous enforcement and regulatory responsibilities, the Department directly affects the daily lives of millions of workers, and the more than 250,000 employers in Pennsylvania.
Prior to her appointment, Vito served as the deputy secretary for Workforce Development where she helped to devise Job Ready PA, which greatly boosted Governor Rendell’s economic growth strategy by expanding employment and training opportunities in high-skill, high-wage jobs. Job Ready PA, a complete overhaul of the commonwealth’s workforce development system, was urgently needed to adapt skill development, training, and business service models to the global marketplace. As deputy secretary, Pennsylvania’s workforce system has won several awards and distinctions, including:
• Best Workforce Publication for Pennsylvania’s Targeted Industry Clusters;
• Named one of two “Demand Driven” workforce states by the U.S. Department of Labor;
• Selected by National Governor’s Association as an incubator state to develop state policies to increase access to post-secondary education and lifelong learning for working adults and;
• Awarded a $3.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to support innovative workforce training in the plastics industry.
Vito was also awarded the first-ever Workforce Development Leadership Award by Pennsylvania Partners and the National Network of Sector Partners Trailblazer Award for Industry-Led Workforce Development efforts, recognizing her achievement in expanding career employment opportunities while meeting businesses’ workforce needs.
Before coming to Labor & Industry, Vito served as Governor Rendell’s deputy campaign manager for Field and Politics, was chief of staff to state Senator Christine Tartaglione, and was the Pennsylvania Democratic Party political director from 1999 to 2001.
In announcing her appointment, Governor Rendell said, “Sandi has proven to everyone that she has what it takes to help our hardworking men and women find better jobs and become the highly skilled employees for whom companies are looking, and to help Pennsylvania create record job growth. The commonwealth, the agency and the thousands of businesses and people it serves will be in good hands.”
She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stockton State University and attended Temple University’s Graduate School of Urban Studies.