NASWA's Vladimir Chavrid Memorial Award honors excellence in the field of Labor Market Information (LMI) and employment security operations research. The recipient should have made sustained and significant contributions to the operation and understanding of LMI.
The Vladimir Chavrid Memorial Award was established in the early 1970s by the District of Columbia Chapter of the International Association of Personnel in Employment Security (IAPES) with the endorsement of the IAPES International Board. It was designed to memorialize Mr. Vladimir Chavrid, a former employment security official who was an early pioneer in the LMI arena.
This year's recipient of the Vladimir Chavrid Memorial Award is Greg Weeks, Ph.D. from the State of Washington. Since becoming Director of Labor Market and Economic Analysis (LMEA) in June 2000, Dr. Weeks has established a vision for LMEA to produce timely, accurate, and relevant information for decision-makers, employers and workers in Washington State. Under Dr. Weeks' leadership, LMEA has learned to market and customize products and services to reach a wider audience. Dr. Weeks' strategic thinking has allowed him to make his vision a reality that serves as the foundation for LMEA?s outstanding reputation throughout the state.
Dr. Weeks improved local outreach by creating a process whereby he and his staff visit communities and identify specific LMI needs of workforce development leaders at the local level. Rather than simply producing reports, LMEA provides direct and customized consultation. The process identifies unmet needs, provides on-the-ground consultation for community leaders, and helps LMEA to refine work products. These community meetings resulted in a list of tasks, deliverables, and knowledge that drives work for LMEA. As a result, LMEA has replaced extensive print publications with brief high-impact internet publications.
Under Dr. Weeks' leadership, Washington is at the forefront of developing new labor market tools that utilize a partnership between state and federal data, such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Program. The state designed an application that shows community planners where workers live and work, revealing commuting patterns. This information is critical for transportation and land use planning and is used nationwide to support workforce and economic development.
Dr. Weeks has served as State Co-chair of the LED Steering Committee since its inception. Prior to being appointed LMEA Director, Dr. Weeks served for one year as the Employment Security research coordinator for the state?s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program. Before entering state service in 1999, he was an economics professor at The Evergreen State College for 18 years. His research interests included program evaluation, welfare policy, event history analysis, and low-wage labor markets. From 1987 to 1992, he directed the Family Income Study, a large, longitudinal survey of Washington?s welfare population.
Dr. Weeks currently serves on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Policy Council. He has been an active member of the NASWA LMI Committee since June 2000. Dr. Weeks earned a PhD in economics from Washington State University and received his undergraduate degree in economics from Iowa State University.
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