GOVERNOR NEWSOM APPOINTS PORT DIRECTOR TO CALIFORNIA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD

 
SAN PEDRO, Calif., Jan. 23, 2020 – Avin Sharma, Port of Los Angeles Director of Labor Relations & Workforce Development, has been appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the California Workforce Development Board. The Board assists the governor in setting and guiding policy in the area of workforce development.
 
“Avin brings a wealth of experience in building high road training partnership among management and labor that will be a huge asset to the Board’s work and mission,” said Tim Rainey, Executive Director of the California Workforce Development Board. “We’re honored to have him join the Board and represent the Port of Los Angeles.”
 
Sharma joined the Port of Los Angeles in 2017 to lead projects supporting workforce development and training at the nation’s busiest trade gateway. In this role, he also serves as chief liaison with organized labor serving the Port.
 
 “I’m extremely honored to be appointed to this prestigious board, which has done so much to advance the workforce needs of California,” said Sharma. “I plan to make the most of this opportunity to help prepare and ready our state’s workforce for success in the decades ahead.”
 
Prior to joining the Port, Sharma held several positions in the Obama Administration, including White House liaison and counselor to the secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor from 2014 to 2017; economics director for the presidential personnel office at the White House from 2013 to 2014; and special assistant to the chairman of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission at the U.S. Department of Justice from 2011 to 2013.
 
Established in 1998, the California Workforce Development Board is responsible for the oversight and continuous improvement of the workforce system in California. Its focus includes policy development; workforce support and innovation; and performance assessment, measurement and reporting.
 
The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovative, strategic and sustainable operations that benefit Southern California’s economy and quality of life. North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $297 billion in trade during 2018. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs in the five-county Southern California region.