Cocke County Mayor Iliff McMahan, Jr. has just been officially notified that Gov. Phil Bredesen has nominated Linda Wester to the Smoky Mountain Area Workforce Development Board of Directors. Wester's tenure on the board will officially begin on July 1, 2009.

Dr. Nancy Brown, Dean of Workforce Development at Walters State Community College, said of Ms. Wester's nomination, "Members of the Smoky Mountain Area Workforce Development Board have an important role in providing services to youth, job seekers and employers in our area. They are responsible for the policies that decide how over $7 million in Workforce Investment Act funds will be spent this year to provide training and assistance. The involvement of board members is now more important during this difficult economic time.  We sincerely appreciate those who serve on the board."

"This is great news for Cocke County," said County Mayor Iliff McMahan, Jr.  "Linda is a dynamite person who is dedicated to her family, her church and her community in everything she does," Mayor McMahan said.

"This is a very important position, one that calls for vision, insight and the willingness to work in a regional partnership to better prepare our workforce for the challenges that we face in the decades to come," said Mayor McMahan, who was appointed by Gov. Bredesen to the Tennessee State Workforce Development Board in 2004.

"Linda's hands-on knowledge of the demands of our current business climate, the challenges of being both an actively working business professional and a mother in a duel income family, and her ability to recognize the importance of working collaboratively with other professionals throughout our region, makes her uniquely qualified to bring both fresh eyes and new ideas to the challenges we face in today's global economy.

"Simply put, Linda gets it.  In the throws of an economic recession, Linda recognizes the opportunity to help Cocke County and our region realize its full potential as a viable, sustainable rural mountain community. I am proud that she wants to serve our East Tennessee region in this capacity, and I want to sincerely thank Gov. Bredesen for recognizing her potential for leadership", Mayor McMahan said.

Wester has been a resident of Cocke County for sixteen years.  She was raised in Powell where she graduated high school in 1989. She earned both her Bachelor Degree and Master Degree from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville. 

Wester married Wade Wester, a Newport native, and moved here upon graduating from the university. She is involved with a family business, U.S. Title Loans and Check Advance, and assists with managing the newly opened Dixie Pawn Shop in Morristown. 

She is also employed at Hurt Financial in Morristown as a licensed insurance professional in the area of life and health benefits. She actively consults with many area businesses in regards to their benefit packages. 

Wester recently earned the GBA (Group Benefits Associate) designation from the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania and the International Foundation. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Cocke County Class of 2008.

Wester and her husband, Wade, have been blessed two children, Mika and Coby, who both attend Newport Grammar School.

"I am honored to serve Gov. Bredesen as a board member for the Smoky Mountain Area Workforce Development Board of Directors. We are currently battling a tough economy, and I am excited to know that I will have a voice in a state organization that helps equip our young people with the skills sought out by businesses," said Wester. 

"I would like to thank County Mayor Iliff McMahan, Jr. for thinking of me for such a position and nominating me to the Governor for approval. I look forward to working with the other chosen representatives from this region, developing our workforce in a way that meets the needs of the future workforce demands, and promoting sustainable jobs for the future of all our children", Ms. Wester added.

Linda Wester replaces Dan Ford in this position on the board.