Northam announces Megan Healy as Chief Workforce Development Advisor

Gov.-elect Ralph Northam today announced at Richmond Electricians’ Joint Apprenticeship and Training Center in Ashland that Megan Healy will join his administration as Chief Workforce Development Advisor.

The role of Chief Workforce Development Advisor will be elevated to the cabinet level in the governor-elect’s administration.

“As the commonwealth’s 73^rd governor, I know how central workforce development will be to building on the progress we’ve made on the New Virginia Economy,” said Northam. “If we are going to connect Virginia workers with the skills employers need, we need to bring everyone, from unions and businesses to students and parents, together build a world-class 21st century workforce development system. Virginia has the most talented and productive workers on the planet – when we invest in them, we get our money back and then some. That’s why I’ll spend the next four years fighting for an economy that works for everyone, no matter who you are, no matter where you live.”

Healy currently serves as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Services and Employer Partnerships for the Virginia Community College System. In her current position, she helps oversee transfer and career and technical programs at 23 community colleges while working with K-12, higher education institutions, and businesses to build pathways to good jobs.

Previously, she was the first Virginia director of STEM-H where she advised the Governor’s Office and stakeholder groups on building a workforce for the 21st century.

Healy started her career in Danville and Martinsville as a professor of health science, anatomy and physiology and microbiology. Healy received a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and continued graduate work at Virginia Commonwealth University and finished her doctorate at Old Dominion University.