NASWA's Vladimir Chavrid Memorial Award honors
excellence in the fi eld of Labor Market Information
(LMI) and Employment Security operations research.
The Vladimir Chavrid Memorial Award was
established in the early 1970's 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 offi cial, who was an
early pioneer in the LMI area.
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, Mr.
Weeks has established a vision for LMEA to produce
timely, accurate, and relevant information for decision
makers, employers and workers in Washington State.
Under Mr. Week's leadership, LMEA has learned to
market and customize products and services to reach
a wider audience. Mr. Week's strategic thinking has
allowed him to make his vision a reality and has served
as the foundation for LMEA's outstanding reputation
throughout the State.
Mr. Weeks improved local outreach by creating a process in which he and his staff meet with various communities
throughout the State to identify the specific labor market information needed by workforce development leaders
at the local level. Rather than simply producing reports, LMEA provides direct and customized consultation. These
community meetings resulted in a list of tasks, deliverables, and knowledge that drives work for LMEA. The process
identifies unmet needs, provides on-the-ground consultation for community leaders, and helps LMEA to refine work
products. As a result, LMEA has replaced extensive print publications with brief, high-impact internet publications.
Under Mr. Week's 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 allows community planners to see where workers live and where
workers work, showing commuting patterns. This information is critical for transportation and land-use planning and is
used nationwide to support workforce and economic development. Mr. Weeks has served as State Co-Chair of the
LED Steering Committee since its inception.
Mr. 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.
Prior to being appointed LMEA Director, Mr. 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.
Mr. Weeks earned a Ph.D. in economics from Washington State University, and received his undergraduate degree in
economics from Iowa State University.
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