The Upjohn Institute’s Ben Damerow received the Champion of Workforce Development award from the Michigan Works! Association at the Michigan Works! 2022 conference in Mount Pleasant, Sept. 11-13.
The award honors Michigan Works! Directors and other workforce professionals who exemplify the highest standards of leadership and who have made significant contributions to workforce development in Michigan.
Damerow is senior director of the Upjohn Institute’s Center for Workforce Innovation and Solutions, which is the administrative agency for Michigan Works! Southwest.
From the award nomination:
As a champion of workforce development for the past twenty years, Ben Damerow truly sets the bar with his commitment to the Michigan Works! system. During his tenure, he exemplified the highest standards of leadership through his service in multiple positions, most recently as the Michigan Works! Southwest Director.
Damerow’s significant contributions to workforce development in Michigan have been exhibited through his tenure as Chair of the Michigan Works! Directors Council and as a member of the [Great Lakes Employment and Training Association].
During his time as a Michigan Works! Director, Damerow contributed to the statewide effort of a regional approach for the delivery of Michigan Works! services and played a critical role in the restructuring of the governance of the Michigan Works! Association. Locally, Damerow’s representation of the Michigan Works! system was exhibited through multiple leadership roles with varying community initiatives.
As a result of his expertise and passion for workforce development, Damerow was promoted to the Senior Director of the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research’s Center for Workforce Innovation and Solutions, working to expand service delivery for job seekers, employers and communities in Southwest Michigan and focusing on state and national advocacy and policy initiatives specific to workforce development.